Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru.

Tehdy means then, at that time, or back then. It points to a specific time in the past.

In this sentence, it sets the time frame first: At that time, we lived in the center.

A near-synonym is tenkrát, which also means back then. In many contexts they can be similar, but tehdy often sounds a bit more neutral or narrative.

Because Czech often omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

So instead of saying My jsme bydleli v centru, Czech normally just says Jsme bydleli v centru or, as here, Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru.

You can add my if you want emphasis or contrast, for example:

• My jsme tehdy bydleli v centru, ale oni ne.
  We lived downtown then, but they didn’t.

Because jsme is a clitic in Czech. Clitics usually go in the second position of the sentence or clause.

So in:

• Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru.

the first element is Tehdy, and jsme comes right after it.

This is very typical Czech word order.

Compare:

• Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru.
• V centru jsme tehdy bydleli.

In both, jsme tends to stay in second position.

Czech past tense is usually formed with:

• a form of být (to be) as an auxiliary
• plus the past participle (often called the l-participle)

Here:

• jsme = we are / we have as the auxiliary form used in past tense
• bydleli = past participle of bydlet (to live / reside)

Together, jsme bydleli means we lived or we were living.

The ending of the past participle agrees with the gender of the subject.

For we in the plural:

• bydleli is used if the group includes at least one male, or if masculine animate is the intended/default group
• bydlely is used if the group is all female
• bydlela would be singular feminine, so not possible here for we

So:

• a mixed group or a group of men: jsme bydleli
• a group of women: jsme bydlely

This is something English does not mark, so it often feels unusual to learners.

It can mean either, depending on context.

That is because bydlet is an imperfective verb. Imperfective verbs often describe:

• a continuing state
• a repeated/habitual action
• background information

So Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru could be understood as:

• Back then we lived in the center
• At that time we were living in the center

English chooses between lived and were living more explicitly. Czech often lets the context do that work.

Yes, but the meaning would be a bit different.

• bydlet = to live somewhere / reside
• žít = to live in a broader sense, often about life in general, lifestyle, or existence

So when talking about your place of residence, bydlet is the most natural verb.

• Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru. = We lived/resided in the center.

If you said žili jsme v centru, it can also work, but bydleli is more specifically about where you had your home.

Centru is in the locative singular.

That is because the preposition v means in and, when it expresses location, it normally takes the locative case.

So:

• dictionary form: centrum
• after v for location: v centru

This means in the center / downtown / in the city center.

Because Czech nouns change form depending on case.

The basic form is:

• centrum = center

But after v when you mean location, you need the locative:

• v centru = in the center

So centrum changes to centru.

Because Czech has no articles like English a or the.

So v centru can mean:

• in the center
• in a center

But in normal context, it will usually be understood as in the center, especially in the city center / downtown.

Czech relies on context instead of articles.

In everyday use, v centru usually means in the city center, downtown, or in the central part of town.

So this sentence most naturally suggests that the speakers lived in the central area of a city or town.

It does not have to mean the exact geometric center. It usually means the main central district.

Yes. Czech word order is flexible, but changing it usually changes emphasis rather than the basic meaning.

For example:

• Tehdy jsme bydleli v centru.
  Neutral: At that time, we lived in the center.

• Bydleli jsme tehdy v centru.
  Slightly more focus on the fact of living there.

• V centru jsme tehdy bydleli.
  More emphasis on in the center.

The original sentence is a very natural, neutral way to say it.

Yes, jsme is one of those forms that looks harder than it feels after practice.

A rough pronunciation is something like:

• yess-meh or smeh, depending on speed and region

In careful standard pronunciation, the j is there, but in fast speech it may sound reduced.

The whole sentence is roughly:

• TEH-dih zmeh BID-leh-li v TSEN-troo

Very approximate, of course, but it helps show the rhythm.

It is neutral standard Czech.

Nothing in it is slangy, overly formal, or bookish. You could use it in normal conversation, writing, or narration.

So it is a very good model sentence for learners.