Learn Hardcore Czech: Prosím tě, nechoď dnes pozdě, máme schůzku s učitelem. - Please, don't come late today, we have a meeting with the teacher.

Prosím tě is:
- informal (used with friends, family, people you tykat),
- often a bit more emotional or insistent than just Prosím,
- similar to English Please, (listen), don’t be late… or even Come on, don’t be late… depending on tone.
Prosím alone can be:
- neutral please,
- you’re welcome (in reply to děkuji),
- pardon? / what? when you didn’t hear.

So Prosím tě is like a more personal, informal Prosím, directly addressing the other person.

Why is it tě and not ty or tobě in Prosím tě?

Czech personal pronouns change form depending on their grammatical function (case):

ty = nominative (subject) → Ty jsi doma. (You are at home.)
tě (or tebe) = accusative (direct object) → Vidím tě. (I see you.)
tobě (or ti) = dative (indirect object) → Dám ti knihu. (I’ll give you a book.)

The verb prosím (I ask) takes a direct object: I ask you → prosím tě (accusative).

So tě is correct because it is the object of prosím, just like tě in slyším tě (I hear you).

If prosím tě is informal, what is the formal version?

The formal equivalent is Prosím vás.

tě → informal you (singular).
vás → formal you (singular) or you all (plural).

So for formal speech you’d say:

Prosím vás, nechoďte dnes pozdě, máme schůzku s učitelem.

Note also the plural/formal imperative nechoďte instead of nechoď.

What verb is nechoď from, and what form is it?

Nechoď is the imperative (command form) of the verb chodit (to go (regularly), to walk), 2nd person singular.

infinitive: chodit (imperfective, habitual)
present: chodím, chodíš, chodí…
imperative (sg.): choď!
with negation: nechoď! = don’t go / don’t (habitually) walk / don’t come (late)

In this sentence, Nechoď dnes pozdě means Don’t come late today.

Why is it nechoď and not nejdi or nepřijď?

All three are possible in different nuances:

nechoď (from chodit, habitual going)
- common in everyday speech for don’t come (to the place) / don’t show up,
- a bit less focused on the single act of arriving, more on the general act of “coming late”.
nejdi (from jít, one-time movement)
- literally don’t go (there),
- less natural if you mean don’t be late; it sounds more like don’t go at all.
nepřijď (from přijít, to come/arrive)
- very precise for don’t arrive late,
- Nepřijď dnes pozdě = Don’t arrive late today.

In everyday speech Nechoď dnes pozdě is perfectly idiomatic for Don’t be late today, even though literally it is Don’t (come/go) late today.

Why is the word order nechoď dnes pozdě and not dnes nechoď pozdě?

Both are grammatical; the default, most neutral order is:

Nechoď dnes pozdě.

Typical pattern: verb – time – manner.

nechoď (verb)
dnes (time: today)
pozdě (manner: late)

If you say Dnes nechoď pozdě, you put a bit more emphasis on dnes:

Today, don’t be late (even if you were late other days).

So the given sentence is the neutral choice; moving dnes to the front is more contrastive or emphatic.

What’s the difference between dnes and dneska?

Both mean today:

dnes
- stylistically neutral,
- used in both written and spoken language.
dneska
- more colloquial / spoken,
- very common in everyday conversation.

You could say either:

Nechoď dnes pozdě…
Nechoď dneska pozdě…

The meaning does not change, only the style (slightly more casual with dneska).

What exactly is pozdě, and how is it different from pozdní?

Pozdě is an adverb meaning late (in time):

Přišel pozdě. – He came late.
Nechoď dnes pozdě. – Don’t be late today.

Pozdní is an adjective meaning late (as a description of a noun):

pozdní večeře – a late dinner
pozdní vlak – a late train

So:

Use pozdě to describe how someone does something (comes, arrives, works).
Use pozdní to describe a thing (train, visit, call, etc.).

What does máme schůzku literally mean, and why is schůzku in that form?

Literally, máme schůzku = we have a meeting / appointment.

máme = we have (1st person plural of mít).
schůzku is the accusative singular of schůzka (meeting, appointment, date).

The verb mít (to have) normally takes a direct object in the accusative:

mám knihu – I have a book.
máme problém – We have a problem.
máme schůzku – We have a meeting.

So schůzku is accusative because it’s what we “have”.

Is schůzka always a business “meeting”? What other words could be used?

Schůzka is quite general. It can mean:

a business/official meeting,
an informal meeting,
a private appointment,
even a date (romantic), depending on context.

Other options:

setkání – meeting, gathering (often a bit more formal or neutral).
porada – work meeting / briefing (within a company or team).
rande (informal) – a date (usually romantic).

Here, with učitelem, schůzka means something like appointment/meeting with the teacher.

Why is it s učitelem and not s učitel or s učitelom?

The preposition s (with) requires the instrumental case in Czech.

Nominative: učitel – teacher.
Instrumental singular (masc. animate): učitelem – with (a) teacher.

Pattern: s + instrumental

s kamarádem – with a friend
s bratrem – with (my) brother
s učitelem – with the teacher

So s učitelem is the correct instrumental form; s učitel is ungrammatical, and s učitelom is a Slovak-like ending, not standard Czech.

Why is there no my in máme schůzku, even though English says “we have a meeting”?

In Czech, subject pronouns (já, ty, on, my, vy, oni) are usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

mám = I have → já is clear from the ending.
máš = you (sg.) have.
máme = we have → the ending -me marks my (we).

So:

Máme schůzku s učitelem. = We have a meeting with the teacher.

You only add my if you want to emphasize:

My máme schůzku s učitelem. – We (as opposed to someone else) have a meeting with the teacher.

Why is there a comma before máme schůzku s učitelem?

The sentence contains two independent clauses:

Prosím tě, nechoď dnes pozdě – Please, don’t be late today
máme schůzku s učitelem – we have a meeting with the teacher

In Czech, independent clauses joined in one sentence are often separated by a comma, even if there is no conjunction (because, and, so). It’s like saying in English:

Please don’t be late today, we have a meeting with the teacher.

So the comma marks the break between these two clauses.

Is this sentence formal or informal? How would I say it politely to someone I don’t know well?

As written, it is informal:

Prosím tě – informal you.
nechoď – informal singular imperative.

A more formal version to one person would be:

Prosím vás, nechoďte dnes pozdě, máme schůzku s panem učitelem.

Changes:

tě → vás (formal you),
nechoď → nechoďte (formal/plural imperative),
optionally panem učitelem (Mr. Teacher, the teacher, respectfully).