Learn Hardcore Czech: Počkej prosím, přijdu včas. - Please wait, I will come on time.

Počkej comes from the verb počekat / počkat (to wait a bit / to wait) and is in the imperative form, 2nd person singular, used when speaking to one person informally.

Počkej = Wait (you, singular, informal)!
It’s addressed to “ty” (informal you), but ty is omitted.
It uses a perfective verb (po-čekat), which suggests “wait until something happens” rather than “keep waiting indefinitely”.

What is the difference between Počkej and Počkejte?

Both are imperatives of the same verb počekat / počkat (to wait), but they differ in person and politeness:

Počkej – 2nd person singular, informal
- Used with friends, family, children, people you “tutkat” (use ty with).
Počkejte – 2nd person plural, or formal singular
- Used with more than one person, or with strangers, older people, in service situations, etc. (the vy form).

So if you want to be polite to a stranger, you’d normally say:

Počkejte, prosím, přijdu včas.

Where can I put prosím in this sentence, and does the position change the meaning or politeness?

In Počkej prosím, přijdu včas, prosím means please and can move around a bit without changing the basic meaning:

Possible placements:

Počkej, prosím, přijdu včas.
Prosím, počkej, přijdu včas.
Počkej, přijdu včas, prosím. (less common, more emotional/insistent)

The most natural are:

Počkej, prosím, přijdu včas.
Prosím, počkej, přijdu včas.

The position changes the rhythm and emphasis slightly, but not the level of politeness in any strong way. Adding things like prosím tě / prosím vás can sound more personal or more polite:

Počkej, prosím tě, přijdu včas. (to a friend)
Počkejte, prosím vás, přijdu včas. (polite / formal)

Why is there a comma before přijdu včas? Could I leave it out?

In Czech, a comma is normally used between two clauses (two verbs with their own subjects), even if the subject is not written.

Here we have:

Počkej prosím – imperative clause ([You] wait, please)
přijdu včas – future clause (I’ll arrive on time)

Two separate clauses ⇒ comma is standard:

Počkej prosím, přijdu včas.

In casual writing or very informal messages, some Czechs might omit the comma, but in correct written Czech you should keep it.

Why does přijdu mean “I will come” and not “I come”?

Czech often uses the present tense form of a perfective verb to express future meaning.

přijít = to come, to arrive (perfective)
přijdu = I come / I will come (formally present tense, but for perfective verbs this form is future)

So:

Přijdu včas. = I will come on time.

If you want a present continuous meaning (I am coming), you often use an imperfective verb:

Jdu. = I’m going / I’m walking (now)
Jedu. = I’m going / travelling by vehicle (now)

But přijdu in this sentence clearly refers to future action.

What exactly does včas mean, and how is it different from na čas or brzy?

včas means “on time / in time, not late”.

Přijdu včas. = I will come on time.

Comparisons:

včas – on time; before it’s too late; not delayed
- Musíš přijít včas. = You must come on time.
na čas – very similar to včas, often interchangeable, maybe slightly more colloquial
- Přišel na čas. = He came on time.
brzy – early / soon (focus on being earlier than expected or just soon)
- Přijdu brzy. = I’ll come soon / I’ll come early.

In this sentence, včas is exactly right because the idea is “Don’t worry, I won’t be late.”

Why don’t we say Já přijdu včas? Where is the “I”?

Czech is a pro‑drop language, meaning the subject pronoun (já, ty, on, etc.) is often omitted, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

přijdu — the ending -u tells us it’s 1st person singular = já (I).

So:

Přijdu včas. = I will come on time.
Já přijdu včas. is also correct, but já adds emphasis, like:
- I will come on time (maybe in contrast to someone else, or to reassure strongly).

In neutral speech, Přijdu včas without já is more natural.

Why is it Počkej, not Čekej or Počkáš?

All three forms exist but have different meanings:

čekat = to wait (imperfective)
- Čekej! = Keep waiting! / Wait (in progress)! – focuses on the process.
počekat / počkat = to wait (for some time / until something) (perfective)
- Počkej! = Wait (until something happens)! – more about the result or completion.
Počkáš. = You will wait. (indicative future, not imperative)

In this sentence, we want an imperative addressed to you, and we want the meaning “hold on / wait a bit until I arrive”, so:

Počkej is the natural choice.

How polite or impolite does Počkej prosím, přijdu včas sound? Would it be okay with a stranger?

With a friend / family member: completely fine and polite.
With a stranger / in a formal situation: it can sound too informal because of Počkej (the ty form).

For politeness with strangers or in formal contexts, you should use vy form:

Počkejte, prosím, přijdu včas.

You can make it even more polite / soft:

Počkejte, prosím vás, přijdu včas.
Chvilku počkejte, prosím, přijdu včas. (Please wait a moment, I’ll come on time.)

How do you pronounce Počkej, prosím, přijdu včas? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Yes, a few:

Počkej:
- Poč- = roughly “poch” but with č like English ch in church.
- -kej = kay.
- Stress is on the first syllable: PO-čkej.
prosím:
- pro- like pro in program, but a bit shorter.
- -sím = seem with long í; stress on PRO‑sím.
přijdu:
- ř – this is the famous Czech sound, somewhere between r and zh (as in measure), vibrated.
- při- roughly p-rzhi (one syllable).
- -jdu like y-du (ydoo), with soft j = English y.
- Stress: PŘIJ-du (on first syllable).
včas:
- vč is like fch in German “Fuchs”, but in Czech it’s still two consonants: v
  - č.
- Pronounced something like fchass (but with č as in church).
- Stress on the single syllable: včas.

Word stress in Czech is always on the first syllable of each word, which helps once you know it.