Learn Hardcore Czech: Někdy je kuchyně špinavá, ale dnes je velmi čistá. - Sometimes the kitchen is dirty, but today it is very clean.

In this sentence, Někdy je kuchyně špinavá is understood as Sometimes the kitchen is dirty, because we usually talk about a specific, known kitchen (e.g. at home).

Why is it kuchyně špinavá and not kuchyně špinavý?

Adjectives in Czech agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

kuchyně is feminine singular (nominative).
Therefore the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:
- špinavá (feminine)
- špinavý (masculine)

So:

ta kuchyně je špinavá – the kitchen is dirty
ten pokoj je špinavý – the room is dirty

What does někdy mean exactly? Is it “sometimes” or “sometime”?

Někdy most often means sometimes – something that happens occasionally or from time to time:

Někdy je kuchyně špinavá. – Sometimes the kitchen is dirty.
Někdy chodím běhat ráno. – I sometimes go running in the morning.

It can also mean at some time (in the future/past), like English sometime, but that use is less common in beginner sentences:

Přijď někdy na návštěvu. – Come visit sometime.

In your sentence, it clearly means sometimes.

Why is it je kuchyně špinavá and not kuchyně je špinavá? Is this word order special?

Both word orders are possible:

Někdy je kuchyně špinavá.
Někdy je špinavá kuchyně.

Czech word order is relatively flexible. Here:

Někdy (sometimes) is put first to set the time frame.
je kuchyně špinavá is a neutral, natural order after that.

If you say Kuchyně je někdy špinavá, it’s still correct but the rhythm and emphasis are slightly different (more focus on the kitchen itself). The original version emphasizes the time frequency (“Sometimes…”).

Why is there a comma before ale? Do we always use a comma with ale?

Yes, in standard written Czech, ale (but) almost always starts a new clause and must be preceded by a comma:

…, ale dnes je velmi čistá. – …, but today it is very clean.
Chci jít ven, ale prší. – I want to go out, but it’s raining.

So the comma before ale is a normal, required punctuation rule.

What’s the difference between dnes and dneska?

Both mean today.

dnes – a bit more neutral / standard, often used in writing and formal speech
dneska – more colloquial, very common in everyday speech

You could also say:

… ale dneska je velmi čistá.

The meaning would be the same; only the style becomes slightly more informal.

Why is it dnes je velmi čistá and not je dnes velmi čistá? Where can I put dnes?

Dnes (today) is an adverb and is quite flexible in position. All of these are correct:

Dnes je kuchyně velmi čistá.
Kuchyně je dnes velmi čistá.
Dnes je velmi čistá kuchyně. (less common, special emphasis)

The original:

…, ale dnes je velmi čistá.

comes after kuchyně, so kuchyně is understood as the subject of je in the second clause. Czech often omits the repeated noun or pronoun when it’s clear from context.

Why is kuchyně not repeated in the second part? Could I say ale dnes je kuchyně velmi čistá?

You can repeat it:

Někdy je kuchyně špinavá, ale dnes je kuchyně velmi čistá.

This is grammatically correct but sounds a bit heavier and more repetitive.

Czech often drops elements that are already known from context, especially pronouns and sometimes nouns that are obvious, so:

…, ale dnes je velmi čistá.

sounds more natural and fluent in everyday speech.

What’s the difference between velmi and other words like moc, hodně, strašně?

All can mean very/a lot, but the style and strength differ:

velmi – neutral, a bit more formal/bookish:
- velmi čistá – very clean
moc – very common in spoken Czech, slightly informal:
- moc čistá
hodně – literally “a lot”, also used like “very”, informal:
- hodně čistá
strašně – literally “terribly”, used like “really/so much”, strong emphasis, informal:
- strašně čistá – really/so clean

In a textbook-style sentence, velmi is a typical choice.

Is čistá the only word for “clean”? What about “tidy” or “neat”?

čistý / čistá / čisté means clean (not dirty).

For tidy / neat / put in order, you often use uklizený / uklizená / uklizené:

Kuchyně je čistá. – The kitchen is clean (no dirt, no stains).
Kuchyně je uklizená. – The kitchen is tidied up (things are in order).

You can also combine them:

Kuchyně je čistá a uklizená. – The kitchen is clean and tidy.

Why is there no verb form like “is being cleaned”? How do you say the English continuous form?

Czech normally does not distinguish between:

is clean
is being cleaned
is getting clean

The simple present je čistá usually covers “is (in a clean state) right now” from context.

If you want to emphasize the action, you would say something like:

Teď se kuchyně uklízí. – The kitchen is being cleaned now.
Teď uklízím kuchyň. – I am cleaning the kitchen now.

But in your sentence, it’s describing the current state, so je velmi čistá is enough.

Is kuchyně always feminine? The ending -ě looks different from other feminine nouns.

Yes, kuchyně is feminine. It’s a regular feminine noun with this pattern:

ta kuchyně – the kitchen (nominative singular)
bez kuchyně – without (a/the) kitchen (genitive singular)
kuchyně jsou nové – the kitchens are new (nominative plural)

Czech has several common feminine endings: -a, -e, -ě, -ost, etc. So the -ě here is normal for a feminine noun.

Could I say občas instead of někdy? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Občas je kuchyně špinavá, ale dnes je velmi čistá.

někdy and občas are very close in meaning (sometimes/occasionally). Subtle feeling:

někdy – neutral “sometimes”
občas – “every now and then, from time to time”, often felt as slightly rarer or more occasional, but the difference is small.

In everyday speech, they are often interchangeable in sentences like this.