Learn Hardcore Czech: Prosím tě, kde je moje peněženka?

In everyday speech it functions as a softener or attention-getter, similar to English “hey, please”, “please, could you…”, or even a friendly “come on, where is my wallet?”

It is not grammatically necessary; you can simply say Kde je moje peněženka? and it is still correct. Prosím tě just makes it more emotional, informal, and conversational.

When should I use tě and when vás in expressions like this?

tě and vás both mean you, but they differ in formality and number:

Prosím tě – informal singular “you”
- Used with friends, family, people your age or younger.
Prosím vás – formal singular or plural “you”
- Used with strangers, older people, in professional settings, and for addressing a group.

So to a stranger you would normally say:

Prosím vás, kde je moje peněženka?
rather than Prosím tě…, which would sound too familiar.

Is Prosím tě polite, or can it sound rude?

Prosím tě is informal and friendly, not automatically rude.

Among friends or family, it sounds natural:
Prosím tě, kde je moje peněženka? – Hey, where’s my wallet, please?
With a stranger or in a formal situation, it can sound too casual or even a bit cheeky.

For polite/formal speech, prefer:

Prosím vás, kde je moje peněženka?
Or more neutral: Nevíte, kde je moje peněženka? – Do you (happen to) know where my wallet is?

Why is it moje peněženka and not something like mojí peněženky?

Because here peněženka (wallet) is the subject of the verb je (is), so it must be in the nominative case:

Kde je moje peněženka?
- Where is my wallet?
- peněženka = nominative singular (subject)
- moje agrees with peněženka in gender, number, and case.

Forms like mojí peněženky are different cases (e.g. genitive or dative) and would be used in different structures, for example:

Nemůžu najít moji/mojí peněženku. – I can’t find my wallet. (accusative: object)
Bez mojí peněženky nemůžu platit. – Without my wallet I can’t pay. (genitive)

Why is it moje and not můj?

The possessive pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it modifies.

peněženka is a feminine noun (ending in -a in nominative singular).
For a feminine singular noun in nominative, you use moje (or a shorter literary form má).

Some basic forms of “my”:

můj – masculine (e.g. můj telefon – my phone)
moje / má – feminine (e.g. moje peněženka – my wallet)
moje / mé – neuter (e.g. moje auto – my car)

So můj peněženka would be grammatically wrong.

Could I say Kde mám peněženku? instead of Kde je moje peněženka??

Yes, you can, and it’s common, but the nuance is a bit different:

Kde je moje peněženka?
Focuses on location: Where is my wallet? (literally, Where is my wallet located?)
Kde mám peněženku?
Literally Where do I have (my) wallet?, often implying:
Where am I keeping it / where did I put it?

Both are natural in everyday Czech; Kde je moje peněženka? is closer to the English Where is my wallet?

What is the grammatical gender of peněženka, and does that affect the sentence?

peněženka is feminine singular.

This affects:

The form of moje (feminine agreement).
The form of adjectives and past participles that might be used with it.
Its case endings in other sentences.

Some useful forms of peněženka:

Nominative (subject): peněženka – Moje peněženka je doma.
Accusative (object): peněženku – Ztratil jsem peněženku.
Genitive (of): peněženky – Bez peněženky nemůžu platit.

In Kde je moje peněženka?, it’s nominative, so the base form peněženka is used.

Can the word order change, like Kde je peněženka moje? or Moje peněženka je kde??

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but not all permutations sound natural in everyday speech.

Neutral, most common:
Kde je moje peněženka?
With slight emphasis on moje:
Kde je ta moje peněženka? – like Where is that (damn) wallet of mine?
Kde je peněženka moje? – possible, but sounds unusual or poetic.
Moje peněženka je kde? – sounds very odd in normal speech; could appear in very marked, expressive contexts, but you can treat it as incorrect for practical purposes.

So, stick with Kde je moje peněženka? as the natural pattern.

Why do we need je? Could I just say Kde moje peněženka? like in some languages?

No, in Czech you must use the verb “to be” in this kind of sentence.

je = is (3rd person singular of být – to be).

So:

Kde je moje peněženka? = correct
Kde moje peněženka? = ungrammatical

Unlike some languages that can omit is in certain contexts, Czech normally keeps the verb být in present tense sentences like this.

What is the stress and pronunciation pattern for Prosím tě, kde je moje peněženka?

Key points:

In Czech, stress is always on the first syllable of each word:
- PRO-sím tě, KDE je MO-je PE-ně-žen-ka?
Pronunciation tips:
- Prosím: PRO-seem (but short i, not English “ee”); r is trilled.
- tě: like tye (soft ť
  - je).
- kde: cluster kd pronounced together, like gde but voiceless/clustered.
- moje: MO-ye.
- peněženka: PE-nye-zhen-ka
  - ně = palatalized “n” + “ye”
  - ž = like zh in measure.

Each word has clear, even rhythm; no strong intonation differences like in English, aside from the rising question intonation at the end.

Which case is tě in, and why is that form used after prosím?

tě is the accusative form of the informal singular ty (“you”).

The verb prosit (to ask, to beg) normally takes a direct object in the accusative:

Prosím tě – I ask you / please (you).
Full (less common) form would be Prosím tebe, but tě is the standard clitic form here.

So the structure is literally [I ask] [you], and that is why the accusative tě is used.