Střídáme se každý týden.

Střídáme se is the 1st person plural present tense of střídat se.

• střídat = to alternate, to take turns with something
• střídat se = to alternate / to take turns

The ending -áme shows we:

• střídám se = I take turns
• střídáš se = you take turns
• střídáme se = we take turns

So the verb form itself already contains the subject we, which is why Czech does not need a separate word for we here.

Se is a reflexive particle. In this verb, it is part of the normal expression střídat se, which means to take turns or to alternate.

Without se, střídat is usually transitive and means something like to alternate something or to replace/swap something in turn, depending on context.

Compare:

• Střídáme se. = We take turns.
• Střídáme učitele. = We are changing teachers / alternating teachers.

So in this sentence, se is not optional. It belongs to the verb meaning.

Czech often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

In střídáme se, the ending -áme already tells you the subject is we. So my (we) is usually omitted.

You could say:

• My se střídáme každý týden.

But that would usually sound more emphatic, like we take turns every week, maybe contrasting with someone else.

Každý týden is in the accusative case, because Czech often uses the accusative to express how often something happens or a repeated time expression.

Here:

• každý = every
• týden = week

In this pattern, both words are accusative masculine singular:

• nominative: každý týden
• accusative: každý týden

These two happen to look the same for this noun phrase, so you do not see a visible difference here.

This kind of accusative is common in time expressions:

• každý den = every day
• každý měsíc = every month
• každý rok = every year

In this sentence, každý týden usually means every week / on a weekly basis.

So Střídáme se každý týden means that the alternation changes from week to week or happens once each week as a repeated pattern.

Depending on context, it could mean things like:

• one person does something this week, another person next week
• the responsibility changes every week
• the schedule rotates weekly

It does not usually mean throughout every single moment of the week.

Yes. Czech word order is flexible, and the basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis can change.

Possible versions:

• Střídáme se každý týden. = neutral
• Každý týden se střídáme. = emphasizes every week
• Každý týden střídáme se. = possible in special contexts, but less natural in ordinary speech

The most natural versions are usually:

• Střídáme se každý týden.
• Každý týden se střídáme.

Also note that se often goes in the second position in the clause, so Každý týden se střídáme sounds very natural.

Czech has two common reflexive particles:

• se
• si

Very roughly:

• se is more connected with direct reflexive or lexical reflexive uses
• si often has a dative-like meaning, sometimes for oneself

The verb is simply střídat se, not střídat si. This is something you usually learn with the verb itself.

So it is best to memorize it as a whole unit:

• střídat se = to take turns

It is imperfective.

That makes sense here because the sentence describes a habitual, repeated action: we take turns every week.

Imperfective verbs are commonly used for:

• habits
• repeated actions
• ongoing actions
• general facts

If you are talking about a regular arrangement, imperfective is exactly what you expect.

The hardest part for many English speakers is ř.

A rough guide:

• stří- sounds approximately like stzhee- or shtzhee-, though there is no perfect English equivalent
• dá has a long á, so hold the vowel a bit longer
• me se is straightforward: meh seh

Very roughly:
stzhee-DAA-me seh

A few pronunciation notes:

• ř is a special Czech sound, somewhat like a rolled/trilled r mixed with zh
• í and á are long vowels
• stress in Czech is usually on the first syllable: STŘÍ-dá-me se

Even if your ř is not perfect, Czech speakers will usually understand you.

Yes. Czech can use střídat se on its own if the activity is understood from context.

For example, if everyone already knows you are talking about:

• cooking
• watching the children
• driving
• working weekends

then Střídáme se každý týden is enough.

If you want to specify the activity, you can add more information, for example:

• Střídáme se každý týden v úklidu. = We take turns with cleaning every week.
• Střídáme se každý týden při hlídání dětí. = We take turns watching the children every week.

Yes, depending on context, the idea of alternating can overlap with replacing one another in turn.

The core meaning of střídat se is that people or things alternate. In natural English, that may be translated as:

• we take turns
• we alternate
• we rotate
• we relieve/replace each other in turns

So the exact English wording depends on the situation, but the Czech grammar stays the same.

It would usually mean something different or sound incomplete.

• Střídáme se každý týden. = We take turns every week.
• Střídáme každý týden ... = We alternate/change something every week.

For example:

• Střídáme každý týden směny. = We change shifts every week.
• Střídáme každý týden auta. = We switch cars every week.

So if your meaning is we take turns, you need se.

No. You can replace it with other time expressions very easily:

• Střídáme se každý den. = We take turns every day.
• Střídáme se každý měsíc. = We take turns every month.
• Střídáme se po týdnu. = We alternate after a week / week by week
• Střídáme se jednou týdně. = We take turns once a week

But každý týden is one of the most natural and common ways to express a regular weekly rotation.