Breakdown of V obchodě jsem koupil také lístek na autobus.
já
I
v
in
obchod
the shop
koupit
to buy
také
also
lístek
the ticket
na
for
autobus
the bus
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Czech grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about V obchodě jsem koupil také lístek na autobus.
Why is it v obchodě here? Why v and why is obchod in the locative (obchodě)?
- v with the locative case expresses a static location (“in/at”).
- If you used do
- genitive (do obchodu), it would mean “into/to the store” (movement).
- obchod is masculine inanimate; the locative singular ending for such nouns is -ě, so obchod → obchodě.
How is the past tense formed in this sentence? What roles do jsem and koupil play?
- jsem is the 1st-person-singular present tense of být (to be) and acts as an auxiliary.
- koupil is the past participle of koupit (to buy).
- Together jsem koupil create the 1st-person-singular past tense: “I bought.”
Why does jsem come before koupil instead of after it (i.e. koupil jsem)?
Czech main clauses typically place the finite verb (or clitic auxiliary) in the second position. Since v is the first word, jsem (a clitic) attaches immediately after, and then comes koupil. Putting koupil first would break the neutral word‐order rule, though you can invert it for stylistic or emphatic reasons.
Why don’t we need an explicit subject pronoun like já?
Czech is a pro-drop language: the person and number are indicated by the verb ending or auxiliary. jsem already tells you the subject is “I,” so já is usually omitted unless you want extra emphasis (Já jsem koupil…).
What does také mean here, and can I place it elsewhere in the sentence?
- také means “also” or “too.” In V obchodě jsem koupil také lístek na autobus, it signals that buying the bus ticket was an additional action (besides something else).
- You can move také to change focus:
• Také jsem v obchodě koupil lístek na autobus. (Also, I bought a bus ticket at the shop.)
• V obchodě také jsem koupil lístek na autobus. (Emphasizes “in the shop” as well.)
• V obchodě jsem také koupil lístek na autobus. (Neutral: I also bought a bus ticket there.)
Why is the perfective verb koupil used instead of an imperfective like kupoval?
Perfective aspect (koupit) is used for single, completed actions (“I bought [and finished buying] the ticket”). Imperfective (kupovat) describes repeated, habitual, or ongoing actions and wouldn’t normally be used for a one-off purchase.
Why is na used before autobus, and which case does autobus take?
- na with accusative expresses a purpose or destination (“for the bus”).
- autobus is masculine inanimate, so its accusative singular form is identical to the nominative: autobus.
- Therefore you get lístek na autobus = “a ticket for (riding) the bus.”
How flexible is the word order in this sentence, and what changes if I rearrange elements?
Czech allows relatively free word order to highlight different parts of the message:
- V obchodě jsem koupil také lístek na autobus. (Neutral, focus on where.)
- Koupil jsem v obchodě také lístek na autobus. (Neutral, focus on the action.)
- Také jsem koupil lístek na autobus v obchodě. (Emphasis on “also.”)
- Lístek na autobus jsem v obchodě koupil také. (Emphasis on the ticket.)
Each variation shifts the emphasis but retains the same basic meaning.
Why is koupil spelled with double l and not a single l?
In Czech, the past participle of verbs ending in -it often adds -il to the stem. The stem of koupit is koup-, so the past participle is koup- + -il = koupil. The double l is part of the standard spelling of that participle form.