Zjistíme, jestli opravu potřebuje převodovka, nebo spojka.

Zjistíme is the 1st person plural form of the perfective verb zjistit.

In Czech, the present tense of a perfective verb usually refers to the future. So:

• zjistíme = we will find out / we’ll determine
• not usually we find out in a present-time sense

If you wanted an ongoing process like we are finding out or we will be checking, Czech would use an imperfective form instead, for example zjišťujeme or budeme zjišťovat.

Here jestli means whether.

It introduces an indirect yes/no question:

• Zjistíme, jestli... = We’ll find out whether...

English often uses both if and whether in this kind of sentence, but in grammar terms this is the whether type, not a conditional if.

So this sentence is not saying If the gearbox needs repair, we’ll find out...
It is saying We’ll find out whether the gearbox or the clutch needs repair.

Because jestli opravu potřebuje převodovka, nebo spojka is a subordinate clause.

In Czech, subordinate clauses are normally separated by a comma, especially when introduced by words like:

• že = that
• jestli = whether/if
• když = when
• protože = because

So:

• Zjistíme, jestli...

is punctuated the same way as:

• Vím, že... = I know that...
• Nevím, jestli... = I don’t know whether...

Because opravu is the accusative singular of oprava.

The verb potřebovat means to need, and it takes a direct object, which in Czech is usually in the accusative:

• potřebovat opravu = to need a repair

So:

• oprava = nominative form
• opravu = accusative form

In this sentence, opravu is the thing that is needed.

It can mean either, depending on context.

• In school or writing: oprava can mean correction
• In a mechanical context: oprava means repair

Because the sentence talks about převodovka and spojka, the meaning here is clearly repair.

So potřebuje opravu means something like:

• needs repair
• needs a repair
• needs to be repaired

Czech word order is much more flexible than English word order.

A more neutral version for an English speaker might look like this:

• Zjistíme, jestli převodovka nebo spojka potřebuje opravu.

But the given sentence says:

• Zjistíme, jestli opravu potřebuje převodovka, nebo spojka.

This word order puts opravu potřebuje earlier and leaves převodovka, nebo spojka to the end, where the contrast is strongest.

So the sentence is effectively highlighting the choice between:

• the gearbox
• or the clutch

The meaning stays the same, but the information structure changes.

Because the subject is an either/or idea:

• převodovka, nebo spojka = the gearbox, or the clutch

The sentence means that one of them needs repair, and we do not yet know which one. Because of that, singular potřebuje is natural.

Compare:

• Převodovka nebo spojka potřebuje opravu. = The gearbox or the clutch needs repair.
• Převodovka a spojka potřebují opravu. = The gearbox and the clutch need repair.

With a = and, you would normally use the plural.

They are in the nominative singular.

They are the possible subjects of potřebuje:

• převodovka potřebuje opravu
• spojka potřebuje opravu

Both nouns are also feminine nouns.

So the basic roles are:

• opravu = accusative object
• převodovka / spojka = nominative subject

In this context:

• převodovka = gearbox or transmission
• spojka = clutch

Both are common car-related words.

A learner may notice they both end in -ka, which is very common for feminine nouns, though the ending alone does not tell you the meaning.

Yes.

You can say:

• Zjistíme, zda opravu potřebuje převodovka, nebo spojka.

zda also means whether. The difference is mainly style:

• jestli = more common in everyday speech
• zda = more formal or more written

Both are correct here.

Because Czech has no articles.

English needs words like:

• the gearbox
• a repair
• the clutch

Czech does not use separate words for that. The listener understands from context whether something is definite or indefinite.

So:

• převodovka can mean the gearbox or a gearbox
• opravu can mean a repair or just repair, depending on context

In this sentence, English naturally uses the gearbox / the clutch because we are talking about specific parts of a specific vehicle.

Here the comma helps separate the two alternatives inside the whether structure.

You can think of it as something close to:

• whether the gearbox needs repair, or the clutch does

In other words, the second part can be understood with omitted repeated words. Czech punctuation often reflects that kind of structure.

For a learner, the most important thing is:

• nebo = or

The comma here does not change the basic meaning; it just marks the alternative clearly.