Minulý rok jsem byl na dovolené s rodinou.

Last year I was on vacation with my family.

Breakdown of Minulý rok jsem byl na dovolené s rodinou.

• já: I
• být: to be
• rodina: the family
• s: with
• minulý: last
• rok: the year
• na: on
• dovolená: the vacation

Questions & Answers about Minulý rok jsem byl na dovolené s rodinou.

What does Minulý rok mean, and how is it different from loni?

Minulý rok literally means “last year” (adjective minulý “past/previous” + noun rok “year”).
Loni is an adverb meaning “last year,” so you can say either Loni jsem byl na dovolené or Minulý rok jsem byl na dovolené. Minulý rok (noun phrase) is a bit more formal or specific, whereas loni is shorter and more colloquial.

Why is the past tense formed with jsem byl, and how does Czech past tense work?

Czech forms the past tense by combining the auxiliary být (“to be”) in the present tense with a past participle. For být itself you say jsem byl (I was). In general:

• jsem (auxiliary, 1st person sg. of být) + byl (past participle of být).
  For other verbs, e.g. vidět (“to see”): jsem viděl (“I saw”).
  You can also say byl jsem for emphasis or style; both orders are grammatically correct.

Why is dovolené in the locative case after na, and what does na dovolené mean?

Certain prepositions like na (“on/at/to”) require the locative case when indicating location or state. Dovolená is a feminine noun; its locative singular is dovolené.
Na dovolené literally “on vacation,” is the standard Czech way to say “on holiday/ vacation.”

Why is rodinou in the instrumental case after s?

The preposition s (“with”) always takes the instrumental case. Rodina (“family”) is feminine; its instrumental singular form is rodinou. Hence s rodinou = “with the family.”

Could a female speaker use a different form of byl?

Yes. The past participle agrees with the speaker’s gender. A male says jsem byl, a female says jsem byla. So a woman would say:
Minulý rok jsem byla na dovolené s rodinou.

Is the pronoun já necessary before jsem byl?

No. Czech usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending or auxiliary already shows person and number. You could add já (Já jsem byl) for emphasis, but it’s not required.

Why say byl jsem na dovolené instead of šel jsem na dovolenou?

Byl jsem na dovolené (“I was on vacation”) expresses the state of being holidaying. Šel jsem na dovolenou would be “I went to a vacation,” which sounds odd—Czech usually says jet na dovolenou (to go on holiday) with a mode of transport: Jel jsem na dovolenou do Chorvatska (“I went on holiday to Croatia”).

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible thanks to its case system. You might say:

• Jsem byl s rodinou na dovolené minulý rok.
• S rodinou jsem byl minulý rok na dovolené.
  The original order Minulý rok jsem byl na dovolené s rodinou is neutral and natural, with minulý rok in focus position.

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Czech has no definite or indefinite articles. Context and word order convey specificity. So Minulý rok simply means “last year,” without needing “the” or “a.”

What case is Minulý rok in, and why isn’t there any special ending for “year”?

Rok is in the nominative case (subject of the sentence), modified by the adjective minulý (also nominative, masculine singular). In Czech, adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they modify. There’s no article; the noun stays in its plain nominative form.