Nechci zapomenout klíče, když jdu z domu.

I don't want to forget the keys when I leave the house.

Breakdown of Nechci zapomenout klíče, když jdu z domu.

• já: I
• dům: the house
• chtít: to want
• jít: to go
• z: from
• když: when
• zapomenout: to forget
• klíč: the key

Questions & Answers about Nechci zapomenout klíče, když jdu z domu.

Why is it nechci zapomenout and not nechci zapomínat?

Czech verbs have aspect: imperfective vs. perfective.

• zapomenout = perfective = to forget (one complete event)
• zapomínat = imperfective = to be forgetting / to forget repeatedly or in general

In this sentence you mean one concrete future situation (when you leave the house), so Czech prefers the perfective:

• Nechci zapomenout klíče.
  = I don’t want to (end up) forgetting the keys (in that specific moment).

Nechci zapomínat klíče would sound more like:

• I don’t want to keep forgetting the keys (as a habit).
  That’s a different meaning.

Can I say Já nechci zapomenout klíče? When do I actually use já?

Yes, Já nechci zapomenout klíče is grammatically correct.

In Czech, subject pronouns (já, ty, on…) are usually dropped because the verb ending already shows the person.

• Nechci zapomenout klíče.
  = I don’t want to forget the keys. (neutral)
• Já nechci zapomenout klíče.
  = I don’t want to forget the keys. (emphasis on I, for contrast)

You add já mainly for emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Já nechci zapomenout klíče, ale ty na to pořád nemyslíš.
  = I don’t want to forget the keys, but you never think about it.

What form is klíče, and why is it used here?

Klíče is:

• the accusative plural form of klíč (a key).

zapomenout takes a direct object in the accusative:

• zapomenout co? → klíče (what? → keys)

A quick mini-paradigm:

• singular:
  • nominative: klíč (a key)
  • accusative: klíč (I forget a key → zapomenu klíč)
• plural:
  • nominative: klíče (keys)
  • accusative: klíče (I forget the keys → zapomenu klíče)

So Nechci zapomenout klíče literally = I don’t want to forget (the) keys.

Could I also say Nechci zapomenout na klíče? What’s the difference?

Yes, Nechci zapomenout na klíče is also correct, but there is a nuance.

Czech allows two patterns:

1. zapomenout co (accusative, no preposition)

   • Nechci zapomenout klíče.
     Focuses on the thing itself as the object you might leave/forget.

2. zapomenout na co (na + accusative)

   • Nechci zapomenout na klíče.
     Focuses more on the mental act of remembering something:
     I don’t want to forget about the keys.

In everyday speech, there is a very natural third option:

3. zapomenout si co = to forget to take something / leave it behind
   
   • Nechci si zapomenout klíče.
     Literally: I don’t want to forget myself the keys → idiomatically:
     I don’t want to leave my keys behind / forget to take my keys.

For “not leaving your keys at home when you go out”, Nechci si zapomenout klíče is probably the most idiomatic.

How would I clearly say “I don’t want to forget my keys”? Where is “my” in Czech?

In Czech, the possessive is often understood from context, especially with things that obviously belong to you (keys, phone, wallet).

• Nechci zapomenout klíče.
  is normally understood as I don’t want to forget my keys.

If you want to make “my” explicit, you have two options:

1. moje klíče (my keys, non-reflexive)

   • Nechci zapomenout moje klíče. – grammatically OK, but a bit clumsy here.

2. svoje klíče (my own keys, reflexive – preferred with 1st person)

   • Nechci zapomenout svoje klíče.
   • Nechci si zapomenout svoje klíče. (very natural)

With first person subject, svoje is usually better than moje in this type of sentence.

Why is there a comma before když jdu z domu?

Czech uses a comma before most subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions such as když (when), protože (because), jestli (if), etc.

• Nechci zapomenout klíče, když jdu z domu.
  Main clause: Nechci zapomenout klíče
  Subordinate time clause: když jdu z domu

The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause, similar to English in a sentence like:

• I don’t want to forget the keys, when I leave the house.

Why is it když jdu, not když půjdu or když odejdu?

All of these can exist, but they’re not the same:

1. když jdu z domu

   • literally: when I go / am going out of the house
   • Czech often uses the present tense in a time clause referring to the future:
     
     • when I leave the house (later today) → když jdu z domu
   • This is the most neutral, everyday choice.

2. když půjdu z domu

   • půjdu = future of jít (I will go)
   • když půjdu z domu suggests one specific future occasion, often planned:
     • when I (will) go out of the house (that time)
   • Often you would then use až instead of když:
     • Až půjdu z domu, nechci zapomenout klíče.
       = When I go out (then), I don’t want to forget the keys.

3. když odejdu z domu

   • odejdu (perfective) = when I (have) left / when I leave (as an event is completed)
   • Focuses on the moment of leaving being finished; it can sound a bit more formal or specific.

For a general, habitual situation (“whenever I leave the house”), když jdu z domu is exactly right.

What does jdu z domu literally mean, and why is domu in that form?

Literally:

• jdu = I go / I am walking
• z = from / out of
• dům = house
• domu is the genitive singular of dům, used after z

The preposition z (from, out of) requires the genitive case:

• z čeho? → z domu (from what? → from the house)

So jdu z domu = I am going from the house / I am leaving the house.

Why z domu and not od domu or something like z domu ven?

The choice of preposition changes the nuance:

• z domu = from inside the house, out of it

  • This is exactly what you want when talking about leaving the house.

• od domu = from near / from the vicinity of the house

  • More like “from in front of the house / from the area of the house”.
  • Used e.g. jdu od domu k zastávce – I’m going from the house (area) to the bus stop.

As for z domu ven:

• ven = out(doors) / outside
• jdu z domu ven literally = I am going out of the house (outside).
  This is also correct, but z domu alone already implies going out, so ven is optional and often omitted unless you want to emphasize “outside”.

Could I say když odcházím z domu instead of když jdu z domu?

Yes, that’s also correct:

• když odcházím z domu = when I am leaving the house (emphasis on the act of leaving)

Subtle differences:

• jdu z domu – neutral, everyday; literally “I go from the house”.
• odcházím z domu – focuses more on “I am departing / I am in the process of leaving”.

Both work; když jdu z domu is a bit simpler and very common in speech.

How could I make this sentence sound even more natural in everyday spoken Czech?

Your sentence is already correct and understandable. A few very natural spoken variants might be:

• Nechci si doma zapomenout klíče.
  = I don’t want to forget my keys at home.

• Nechci si zapomenout klíče, až půjdu z domu.
  = I don’t want to forget my keys when I go out.

• Nechci zapomenout klíče doma.
  = I don’t want to forget the keys at home.

The key everyday features you’ll hear:

• adding si with zapomenout (forget to take something, leave it behind),
• often specifying doma (at home),
• sometimes using až
  • future (až půjdu z domu) for one specific future event.

How do you pronounce nechci and klíče?

Approximate pronunciation (for an English speaker):

• nechci → [NECH-tsi]

  • ne like ne in never
  • ch is a voiceless velar fricative, like German Bach, Scottish loch.
  • ci sounds like tsi (similar to ts in cats
    • i in sit).
  • Stress on the first syllable: NECH-ci

• klíče → [KLEE-cheh]

  • k as in key
  • lí = long ee sound; the accent mark í means it is long.
  • č like ch in church.
  • e like e in met (short).
  • Stress again on the first syllable: KLÍ-če

What tense is nechci, and how does chtít conjugate?

Nechci is the present tense, 1st person singular of the verb chtít (to want), with the negative prefix ne-.

Present tense of chtít:

• já chci / nechci – I want / I don’t want
• ty chceš / nechceš – you want / you don’t want (singular, informal)
• on / ona / ono chce / nechce – he / she / it wants / doesn’t want
• my chceme / nechceme – we want / we don’t want
• vy chcete / nechcete – you want / you don’t want (plural or formal)
• oni chtějí / nechtějí – they want / they don’t want

So Nechci zapomenout klíče = I don’t want to forget the keys.