Questions & Answers about Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce.
In this sentence mám jít does not simply mean I go; it means I am supposed to go / I should go / I’m scheduled to go.
- mít + infinitive (mám jít, I have to go) often expresses:
- obligation: I’m supposed to go
- schedule: I’m due to go / I’m meant to go
If you said Nevím, kdy půjdu do práce, it would mean something more like I don’t know when I will (actually) go to work — focusing on what will eventually happen, not on some given schedule or obligation.
So:
- Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. ≈ I don’t know when I’m supposed to go to work.
- Nevím, kdy půjdu do práce. ≈ I don’t know when I will go to work (when it will happen).
Yes, mít literally means to have, but in mít + infinitive it works like a modal verb, similar to should / ought to / be supposed to.
Examples:
- Mám jít do práce. – I’m supposed to go to work / I should go to work.
- Máš zavolat doktorovi. – You’re supposed to call the doctor.
- Máme odejít v šest. – We’re supposed to leave at six.
So in Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce, the idea is: I don’t know at what time I’m supposed to go (according to some rule, schedule, boss, etc.).
You can say Nevím, kdy jít do práce, and it is grammatically correct, but the nuance is a bit different.
- Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. – most natural if you mean a fixed duty or schedule; there’s an implied I’m supposed to.
- Nevím, kdy jít do práce. – more neutral, like I don’t know when to go to work; it can sound a bit more like you’re thinking out loud about the right time, not necessarily about a timetable given by someone else.
For everyday speech about work schedules, mám jít is the most typical and safe choice.
Because kdy mám jít do práce is a subordinate clause (an indirect question) introduced by kdy (when).
In Czech, a subordinate clause is normally separated from the main clause by a comma:
- Nevím, kdy přijde. – I don’t know when he’ll come.
- Řekni mi, kde bydlíš. – Tell me where you live.
So Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. follows the standard rule: main clause (Nevím) + comma + subordinate clause (kdy mám jít do práce). In correct writing, the comma here is obligatory.
Both relate to when, but they are used in different situations:
kdy – for when? questions and indirect questions:
- Kdy jdeš do práce? – When are you going to work?
- Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. – I don’t know when I should go to work.
když – for temporal clauses describing a situation in time (when / whenever / while):
- Když jdu do práce, poslouchám hudbu. – When I go to work, I listen to music.
- Když přijdu domů, dám ti vědět. – When I get home, I’ll let you know.
Here, Nevím, kdy… is an indirect question (I don’t know when…), so kdy is required; když would be incorrect.
Czech has several different verbs for to go, and they are quite specific:
- jít – to go on foot, one direction, one specific occasion.
- jet – to go/travel by vehicle (bus, car, train, etc.), one specific trip.
- chodit – to go on foot repeatedly / habitually (to go regularly, to attend).
In Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce:
- jít suggests going (typically on foot) on that one specific occasion.
- If you usually commute by car or public transport, you would more naturally say:
- Nevím, kdy mám jet do práce. – I don’t know when I’m supposed to go (travel) to work.
Chodit would describe a habit, so something like Chodím do práce v osm. – I go to work at eight (usually). It doesn’t fit with Nevím, kdy mám… which is about a particular time.
The choice of preposition is partly grammatical and partly idiomatic:
- do + genitive expresses movement into / to a place:
- jít do školy – to go to school (building/institution)
- jet do města – to go to town
- jít do práce – to go to work (your workplace)
Here práce is feminine; its genitive singular form is also práce, so the phrase is do práce.
na práci would mean onto the work / for the work and is not used for going to your workplace. You might see:
- mám hodně práce – I have a lot of work (to do).
- dám se do práce – I’ll get down to work.
But for going to work (as a place), the fixed, idiomatic expression is jít/jet do práce.
You can change the word order, but it affects emphasis and naturalness.
Most neutral and common:
- Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce.
Other possibilities:
- Nevím, kdy mám do práce jít. – emphasizes do práce a bit more (when I’m supposed to go to work (as opposed to somewhere else)).
- Nevím, kdy do práce mám jít. – also possible, but sounds more marked; the fronted do práce is more emphatic.
For learners, it’s best to stick to the neutral pattern: kdy mám jít do práce (verb + infinitive before the destination).
In Czech, subject pronouns (já, ty, on, etc.) are usually dropped because the verb ending already shows the person:
- nevím = I don’t know
- nevíš = you (sg.) don’t know
- víme = we know
So Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. already clearly means I don’t know when I’m supposed to go to work.
You can add já for emphasis or contrast:
- Já nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. – I don’t know when I’m supposed to go to work (but maybe someone else knows).
Without emphasis, it’s more natural to omit já.
Yes, you can say Nevím, kdy bych měl jít do práce, and it is correct, but it feels a bit more tentative, hypothetical or polite.
mám jít – straightforward obligation according to some rule/schedule:
- Nevím, kdy mám jít do práce. – I don’t know when I’m supposed to go to work (according to my shift, my boss, etc.).
bych měl jít – conditional form, closer to English should in the sense of what would be best / what I ought to do:
- Nevím, kdy bych měl jít do práce. – I don’t know when I should go to work (what would be the right or advisable time).
So:
- Talking about a fixed work schedule → mám jít is more typical.
- Discussing what would be best, wise, or advisable → bych měl jít fits better.