Learn Hardcore Czech: Chci se učit každý den.

In Czech, učit typically means “to teach,” while učit se means “to learn.” The se changes the verb’s meaning to the reflexive “to learn,” so when you want to talk about studying something yourself, you need učit se.

What is the role of se in Chci se učit každý den?

The word se is a reflexive pronoun. It doesn’t translate directly into English, but it ensures that the verb učit is used in the reflexive sense of “to learn.” Essentially, učit + se tells us you want to learn for yourself rather than teach someone else.

Why is každý den used in this form?

Czech uses different cases for different parts of speech, but každý den (meaning “every day”) remains in its basic accusative form here. It acts like an adverbial phrase of time (when do you want to learn?), so you don’t need to decline it further for anything else.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Czech has flexible word order. You could say Každý den se chci učit or Chci se každý den učit. However, Chci se učit každý den sounds natural and is a very standard order: subject (implied “I”) + verb + reflexive pronoun + rest of the sentence.

What does chci mean and how does it change?

Chci is the first-person singular form (“I want”) of the verb chtít (“to want”). Other forms include chceš (“you want” - singular informal), chce (“he/she/it wants”), and so on. If you use it in different tenses or conditional forms (e.g., chtěl bych – “I would like”), the ending and the auxiliary might change, but chtít remains the root verb meaning “to want.”