Minulý večer jsme byli v restauraci.

Last evening we were in a restaurant.

Breakdown of Minulý večer jsme byli v restauraci.

• být: to be
• v: in
• my: we
• minulý: last
• večer: the evening
• restaurace: the restaurant

Questions & Answers about Minulý večer jsme byli v restauraci.

What case is used for the time expression Minulý večer and why?

Minulý večer is in the nominative case (masculine singular) because Czech often expresses specific time adverbials without a preposition in the nominative. It literally means “the past evening” and functions like “last night.” Since it’s not an object but a temporal adverbial, no preposition or accusative ending is needed.

Why are both jsme and byli used to express the past tense?

Czech forms the past tense with the auxiliary verb být (“to be”) in the present tense plus the past participle. Jsme is the 1st person plural present of být (“we are”), and byli is its past participle. Together jsme byli mean “we were.” This pattern applies to almost all verbs: e.g. šli jsme (“we went”), viděli jsme (“we saw”).

Why is the auxiliary jsme placed before the past participle byli (rather than byli jsme)?

In Czech main clauses, the finite verb (or clitic auxiliary like jsme) typically occupies the second position (the so-called V2 rule). When you start with a fronted element—here Minulý večer—the auxiliary jsme must come second, then the participle byli. You might also hear byli jsme, but after a sentence-initial adverbial the auxiliary clitic normally sits in slot two:
Minulý večer (1) + jsme (2) + byli (3) + ….

What case is restauraci in, and why is it used with v here?

Restauraci is the locative singular of restaurace (feminine). The preposition v (“in/at”) requires the locative when you talk about location. Hence v restauraci = “in a restaurant.” If you wanted motion toward a restaurant, you’d use the accusative with do: do restaurace (“to the restaurant”).

Can I say Včera večer jsme byli v restauraci instead, and is there any difference?

Yes. Včera večer literally means “yesterday evening” (i.e. “last night”) and is very common in spoken Czech. Minulý večer is slightly more formal or literary. Both are correct and interchangeable in meaning.

How would I say “last night” using the word noc?

You’d say minulou noc, with noc (“night”) in the accusative singular (feminine). The adjective minulý agrees in case, gender and number, so it becomes minulou. Example: Minulou noc jsem spala dobře.