Breakdown of Jsem unavený, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
Questions & Answers about Jsem unavený, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
In Czech, proto (“therefore / so”) is treated almost like starting a new main clause that explains the result of the first one.
So we have two independent clauses:
- Jsem unavený, – I am tired,
- proto dnes nechci jít nikam. – therefore I don’t want to go anywhere today.
They are separated by a comma, just like in English: “I am tired, so I don’t want to go anywhere today.”
In writing, you should almost always put a comma before proto when it links two clauses like this.
proto = therefore, so → introduces a result clause
- Jsem unavený, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
→ I am tired, therefore I don’t want to go anywhere today.
- Jsem unavený, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
protože = because → introduces a reason clause
- Nechci jít nikam, protože jsem unavený.
→ I don’t want to go anywhere because I am tired.
- Nechci jít nikam, protože jsem unavený.
You can’t just replace proto with protože in the original sentence without changing the word order and the logic.
- ✅ Nechci jít nikam, protože jsem unavený. (correct “because”-sentence)
- ❌ Jsem unavený, protože dnes nechci jít nikam. – this literally means
“I am tired because I don’t want to go anywhere today”, which reverses the cause and effect.
In Czech the subject pronoun (já, ty, on, etc.) is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person.
- Jsem unavený. – I am tired.
- Jsi unavený? – Are you tired?
You only add já for emphasis or contrast:
- Já jsem unavený, ale ty ne.
I am tired, but you aren’t.
So Jsem unavený is the most natural, neutral version here.
Unavený is an adjective meaning “tired”, and it must agree in gender and number with the subject.
- Jsem unavený. – said by a man (masculine singular)
- Jsem unavená. – said by a woman (feminine singular)
For plurals:
- Jsme unavení. – we are tired (group with at least one man)
- Jsme unavené. – we are tired (group of only women)
So your example sentence is how a male speaker would say it. A female speaker would say:
- Jsem unavená, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
Yes, Czech word order is more flexible than English. All of these are grammatically correct, with slightly different emphasis:
- … proto dnes nechci jít nikam. (neutral)
- … proto dnes nikam nechci jít. – light emphasis on nikam (“not anywhere at all”)
- … proto nechci dnes jít nikam. – emphasis moves to dnes (“not today, maybe another day”)
Important rules:
- The negated verb (nechci) usually comes early in the clause.
- Adverbs like dnes and nikam can move around for nuance, but putting them both after the verb (e.g. nechci jít dnes nikam) is also fine.
So you can play with the order, but „proto dnes nechci jít nikam“ is the most neutral.
This is about the negative vs positive forms:
někam = somewhere / anywhere (in a non‑negative sentence)
- Chci jít někam. – I want to go somewhere.
nikam = nowhere / (not) anywhere (in a negative sentence)
- Nechci jít nikam. – I don’t want to go anywhere / I want to go nowhere.
Czech uses double negation as the normal, correct form:
- Nechci jít nikam. – literally “I don’t want to go nowhere”
(but it means exactly “I don’t want to go anywhere.”)
Using někam with a negative verb (nechci jít někam) sounds wrong or at least very odd in standard Czech.
Yes, in standard Czech you must use double negation:
- Nechci jít nikam. – I don’t want to go anywhere.
- Nikdy nic neříká. – He never says anything.
- Nikoho neznám. – I don’t know anyone.
The pattern is:
negative verb (ne-) + negative pronoun/adverb (nikdo, nic, nikam, nikdy…)
Unlike English, this is not emphatic or “non‑standard”; it is the normal grammar.
In Czech, the present tense is often used for decisions, plans, and intentions about the near future, especially with verbs like chtít (to want) and jít (to go on foot).
- Nechci jít nikam. – I don’t want to go anywhere (now / today).
- Zítra jdu k doktorovi. – I’m going to the doctor tomorrow.
So „Nechci jít nikam“ naturally means you don’t want to go anywhere today/this evening, etc., even though the action is in the future.
Czech has several verbs for “to go”:
- jít – to go on foot, one specific time (single movement)
- chodit – to go (on foot) habitually / repeatedly
- jet – to go by vehicle (car, bus, train, etc.), one specific time
- jezdit – to go by vehicle habitually / repeatedly
In „nechci jít nikam“ you are talking about one specific instance of going (probably today), and the means of transport is not emphasized. Jít is the neutral choice here.
You could also say, for example:
- Nechci dnes nikam jet. – I don’t want to go anywhere by car/bus/etc. today.
- Nechci nikam chodit. – I don’t want to go anywhere (habitually / in general).
- dnes = today (neutral, slightly more formal/written)
- dneska = today (more colloquial, everyday speech)
Both are correct here:
- Jsem unavený, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
- Jsem unavený, proto dneska nechci jít nikam.
In normal conversation, dneska is very common. In more formal writing, dnes is preferred.
Yes, you can. Both are common, but they sound slightly different:
proto = therefore, so
- A bit more neutral and logical, like stating a reasoned consequence.
takže = so, and so, therefore
- More colloquial and conversational, often used in spoken language.
So:
- Jsem unavený, proto dnes nechci jít nikam.
– neutral, could be written or spoken. - Jsem unavený, takže dnes nechci jít nikam.
– sounds a bit more informal, spoken style.
Both are fully correct.
In careful pronunciation, jsem is:
- /jsɛm/ – like “ysem”
But in normal fast speech, the j often disappears, and people say just:
- sem – /sɛm/
So you may hear:
- Jsem unavený → Sem unavený in casual conversation.
Both are the same word; the spelling always stays jsem, but everyday pronunciation is often reduced.