Mám otázku pro ni.

Czech is a “pro-drop” language, which means subject pronouns (like já = I) are often left out when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Mám = I have (1st person singular)
  So Mám otázku pro ni already clearly means “I have a question for her”.

You can say Já mám otázku pro ni, but:

• It sounds emphatic, like “I have a question for her (not someone else).”
• In neutral speech, you normally just say Mám otázku pro ni.

Otázka is a regular feminine noun ending in -a. In Mám otázku pro ni, it is the direct object of the verb mít (to have), so it must be in the accusative singular.

Declension of otázka (singular):

• Nominative (who/what?): otázka – the question (is interesting)
• Accusative (object): otázku – I have / ask / hear the question

So:

• Otázka je těžká. – The question is hard. (subject → nominative)
• Mám otázku. – I have a question. (object → accusative)

That’s why the sentence uses otázku.

Pro is a preposition that always takes the accusative case and is used for “for (someone)” in the sense of “intended for”.

For the pronoun ona (she), the relevant forms are:

• Nominative: ona – she (subject)
• Accusative (unstressed, without preposition): ji – I see her → Vidím ji.
• Special form after prepositions (accusative): ni – for her, about her → pro ni, na ni, o ni

So:

• Pro ni to dělám. – I’m doing it for her.
• You cannot say pro ona (wrong case) or pro jí / pro ji here; pro ni is the correct combination.

Spoken Czech often has sound assimilation:

• n + i is usually pronounced like ňi (a palatal ny sound).

So pro ni is typically pronounced [pro ɲi], which can sound like “proňi” to an English ear.

But in writing it stays:

• pro ni (two words, with n, not ň)

You should never write proňi in standard Czech; that would be a spelling mistake.

Yes, Czech word order is relatively flexible, and all of these are grammatically correct:

1. Mám otázku pro ni.
   – Neutral: I have a question for her.

2. Mám pro ni otázku.
   – Very common, slightly emphasizing “for her” as a unit: I have a question for her.

3. Pro ni mám otázku.
   – Emphasizes “for her” even more, often in contrast:
   – For her I have a question (not, say, a message / not for someone else).

The basic meaning is the same in all three; the difference is which part you stress or “highlight” in the sentence. In everyday speech, Mám pro ni otázku and Mám otázku pro ni are both very natural.

Here is “I have a question for …” with common pronouns:

• Mám otázku pro mě. – I have a question for me (rare, special context).
• Mám otázku pro tebe. – … for you (singular, informal).
• Mám otázku pro vás. – … for you (formal singular or plural).
• Mám otázku pro něj. – … for him / it (masc.).
• Mám otázku pro ni. – … for her.
• Mám otázku pro nás. – … for us.
• Mám otázku pro ně. – … for them.

All these pronouns are in the accusative after pro.

Example:

• Mám otázku pro vás. – I have a question for you (sir / madam / you all).

It’s correct and understandable, but in real-life conversation Czechs often prefer slightly different patterns, especially with a person actually present.

More common openings are:

• Mám na vás otázku. – I have a question for you. (very natural, especially formal)
• Mám na tebe otázku. – I have a question for you. (informal)
• Můžu se na něco zeptat? – Can I ask something?
• Chtěl bych se na něco zeptat. – I’d like to ask something.
• Měl bych na vás jednu otázku. – I’d have one question for you. (very polite)

Mám otázku pro ni is most natural when you’re talking about a third person:

• Mám otázku pro ni, ale dnes tady není.
  I have a question for her, but she isn’t here today.

Both otázka and dotaz mean “question”, but they feel a bit different:

• otázka – the standard, neutral word for question

  • Mám otázku. – I have a question.
  • Odpovím na tvoje otázky. – I’ll answer your questions.

• dotaz – sounds more formal / official / technical

  • Often used in customer support, public notices, forms, emails.
  • Mám dotaz na vaši nabídku. – I have a question about your offer.
  • Váš dotaz byl zaznamenán. – Your query has been recorded.

You could say Mám dotaz pro ni, but more natural would be:

• Mám na ni dotaz. – I have a question for her / about her.

So for everyday speech, Mám otázku (pro ni) is safer and more general.

Czech often uses mít + noun where English might use a direct verb. Examples:

• mít otázku – to have a question
• mít hlad – to be hungry
• mít strach – to be afraid

Mám otázku pro ni literally is “I have a question for her”, which matches English.

If you want to use a real “ask” verb, you would say:

• Chci se jí na něco zeptat. – I want to ask her something.
• Ptám se jí na to. – I’m asking her about it.
• Zeptám se jí později. – I’ll ask her later.

So mít otázku emphasizes possessing a question; ptát se / zeptat se emphasizes the act of asking.

In the plural, otázka changes like this (nominative & accusative):

• Singular: otázka / otázku
• Plural: otázky

Examples:

• Mám dvě otázky pro ni. – I have two questions for her.
• Mám tři otázky pro ni. – I have three questions for her.
• Mám nějaké otázky pro ni. – I have some questions for her.
• Mám hodně otázek pro ni. – I have many questions for her.

Note: with words like několik, pár, hodně, málo, the noun goes into genitive plural:

• několik otázek – several questions
• pár otázek – a few questions
• hodně otázek – many questions

So a more advanced example:

• Mám několik otázek pro ni. – I have several questions for her.