Learn Hardcore Czech: V úterý má moje sestra schůzku s doktorkou. - On Tuesday my sister has a meeting with the lady doctor.

V úterý literally means “in Tuesday”, but it’s used idiomatically as “on Tuesday”.
The preposition v (“in”) requires the locative case, so:
- nominative: úterý (Tuesday)
- locative: v úterý (on Tuesday) – same form, but different function

You can put úterý alone at the start in a very telegraphic style (e.g. in a note or heading), but as a normal sentence, you need v úterý.

Why is it úterý after v? Shouldn’t the form change if it’s the locative case?

Yes, grammatically it is the locative case, but for this noun the form happens to be the same.

Neuter nouns ending in -í/-ý often have the same form in multiple cases.
úterý:
- nominative: úterý (Tuesday – subject)
- accusative: úterý (Tuesday – object)
- locative: v úterý (on Tuesday)

So even though you don’t see a change, v úterý is locative because the preposition v forces that case.

Could I also say V úterek instead of V úterý?

No, not in standard Czech.

The standard form of the day is úterý.
úterek exists as a colloquial or dialectal form in some regions, but it’s not standard and is much less common.
For correct, neutral Czech, use v úterý.

Why is the verb má in the present tense if the appointment is in the future?

Czech very often uses the present tense for scheduled or fixed future events, just like English does in sentences like:

“The train leaves at 7.”
“Tomorrow I have an exam.”

So:

V úterý má moje sestra schůzku…
literally: On Tuesday my sister *has an appointment…
meaning: My sister **has an appointment (scheduled) on Tuesday.*

You could also say V úterý bude mít… (she will have), but with appointments, timetables, and plans, the present tense is completely normal and very common.

What does má mean exactly? Is it always “has”?

Yes, má is the 3rd person singular of mít = to have.

mám – I have
máš – you have (sg, informal)
má – he/she/it has
máme – we have
máte – you have (pl/formal)
mají – they have

In this sentence má schůzku literally means “has a meeting/appointment”. It’s an idiomatic way to say someone has an appointment, especially with a doctor, hairdresser, at an office, etc.

Why is it moje sestra and not just sestra? Can you drop the possessive?

You can drop the possessive pronoun in some contexts, but it changes the nuance.

moje sestra = my sister (explicitly “mine”)
sestra alone usually means “(the) nurse” in everyday Czech, especially in a medical context, or just “sister” in a very generic sense.

In a neutral sentence like this, if you want to clearly say it’s your own sister, you normally say moje sestra.

You’ll often see possessives dropped with very close family members when it’s obvious from context (e.g. in conversation where “my mother” is clear), but moje sestra is the safest, clearest choice here.

What’s the difference between moje sestra and má sestra?

Both mean “my sister”, but:

moje sestra – more neutral, often clearer for learners
má sestra – slightly more formal/literary, more common in written language or more careful speech

Grammar:

moje is a possessive pronoun that doesn’t agree in gender with the noun (it’s the “default” form).
má is a short, agreeing possessive form, matching sestra (feminine singular).

In everyday spoken Czech, you’ll hear moje sestra very often. Má sestra is correct but can sound a bit more bookish.

Why is it schůzku and not schůzka?

Because schůzka is the direct object of the verb mít (“to have”), and direct objects take the accusative case.

Declension (singular):

nominative (dictionary form): schůzka – “(an) appointment/meeting”
accusative: schůzku – “(an) appointment/meeting” as object

So:

Schůzka je v úterý. – The appointment is on Tuesday. (subject → nominative)
V úterý má moje sestra schůzku. – On Tuesday my sister has an appointment. (object → accusative)

What exactly does schůzka mean? Is it always a doctor’s appointment?

schůzka is a general word for a meeting/appointment, not only with doctors.

It can mean:

an appointment (with a doctor, lawyer, hairdresser, etc.)
a meeting (with a colleague, client, friend)
sometimes a date (romantic), depending on context

Other related words:

rande – specifically a romantic date
setkání – a meeting/gathering (more neutral/official)
návštěva – a visit

In schůzku s doktorkou, the context clearly makes it a doctor’s appointment.

Why is it s doktorkou and not s doktorka or s doktorem?

Two separate reasons: preposition + case, and gender.

The preposition s (“with”) requires the instrumental case.
doktorka is the feminine form of doktor (“doctor”).

Declension of doktorka (singular):

nominative: doktorka – (a) female doctor (subject)
instrumental: s doktorkou – with (a) female doctor

So:

Mluvím s doktorkou. – I’m talking with (a female) doctor.
Mluvím s doktorem. – I’m talking with (a male) doctor.

In your sentence, the doctor is explicitly female, so we say s doktorkou.

Could I say s doktorem instead of s doktorkou?

Yes, but it would change the gender of the doctor:

s doktorkou – with a female doctor
s doktorem – with a male doctor

Grammatically both are correct; you choose based on who you mean.

What’s the difference between doktor and lékař / doktorka and lékařka?

All of these can translate as doctor, but with slightly different usage:

doktor / doktorka
- everyday, colloquial word for a doctor
- also used for people with a PhD or other doctorate (not only medical)
lékař / lékařka
- specifically a medical doctor
- more formal, often used in official, medical, or written contexts

In everyday speech about going to the doctor, doktor / doktorka is very common:

Mám schůzku s doktorkou. – I have an appointment with (the) doctor.

In hospital documents or official texts, you’re more likely to see lékař / lékařka.

Why is doktorkou ending in -ou?

Because it is the instrumental singular of a feminine noun ending in -ka.

Pattern (like učitelka, kamarádka, doktorka):

nominative: doktorka – (a) doctor (f)
genitive: doktorky
dative: doktorke / doktorce (standard: doktorce)
accusative: doktorku
locative: doktorke / doktorce (standard: doktorce)
instrumental: doktorkou

The preposition s always triggers the instrumental:

s doktorkou – with a (female) doctor
s kamarádkou – with a (female) friend
s učitelkou – with a (female) teacher

Why are úterý and sestra not capitalized? In English “Tuesday” is.

In Czech, days of the week and family members are written with a lowercase letter in the middle of a sentence:

úterý – Tuesday
pondělí – Monday
sestra – sister
bratr – brother

Czech only capitalizes:

the first word of a sentence
proper names (e.g. Anna, Praha, Česko)
certain official names and titles in specific contexts

So V úterý má moje sestra schůzku s doktorkou. is correctly capitalized.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move the parts around?

Czech word order is fairly flexible, and you can move elements to change emphasis. All of these are grammatically OK:

V úterý má moje sestra schůzku s doktorkou.
Neutral: focuses on when.
Moje sestra má v úterý schůzku s doktorkou.
Focus more on who has the appointment.
Moje sestra má schůzku s doktorkou v úterý.
Puts v úterý at the end for extra emphasis: It’s Tuesday, not some other day.

However, the original sentence is the most natural neutral version when you want to start with the time expression.

How do you pronounce úterý?

Approximate pronunciation: [oo-teh-ree]

Details:

ú – long “oo” sound, like in “food” (but held a bit longer)
t – plain t (no aspiration)
e – short “e” like in “bed”
r – a rolled/trilled r
ý – long “ee” sound, like in “see”, but longer

Stress in Czech is always on the first syllable, so:

Ú‑te‑rý – Ú is stressed.