K večeři si dnes dám horkou polévku a malý salát.

For dinner today I will have hot soup and a small salad.

Breakdown of K večeři si dnes dám horkou polévku a malý salát.

• já: I
• malý: small
• a: and
• dnes: today
• večeře: the dinner
• k: for
• dát si: to have
• horký: hot
• polévka: the soup
• salát: the salad

Questions & Answers about K večeři si dnes dám horkou polévku a malý salát.

What does the preposition k express in k večeři? Can I also say na večeři?

K is a preposition that normally means “to, towards, with (as part of something)” and takes the dative case.

In the phrase k večeři, it means roughly “for dinner / with dinner (as the dinner meal)” – i.e. what you are going to eat for dinner.

You can also say na večeři, but there is a nuance:

• k večeři – focuses on the content of the meal

  • K večeři si dám polévku. – What I will have for dinner (as the meal).

• na večeři – often focuses on the event/occasion (going, being invited)

  • Jdu na večeři s kamarády. – I’m going out to dinner with friends.
  • Pozval mě na večeři. – He invited me to dinner.

In your sentence, because we’re listing the food that makes up the meal, k večeři is the most natural choice.

Why does večeři end in -i here? What case is it?

Večeře (“dinner”) is a feminine noun. After the preposition k, Czech uses the dative case.

The singular forms of večeře (key ones) are:

• Nominative (basic dictionary form): večeře – “dinner” (as subject)
• Dative: večeři – “to/for dinner”

Because we have k + dative, we get k večeři.

So večeři here is dative singular, required by the preposition k.

What does si mean in dám si? Can I leave it out and just say dám?

Si is a reflexive clitic that often adds the idea “for myself / for my own benefit”.

In practice, with food and drink, dát si is the standard, idiomatic way to say “to have (to eat/drink), to order.”

• Dám si polévku. – I’ll have soup. / I’ll order soup.

If you say just dám polévku, it normally means “I’ll give soup (to someone else)”, not “I’ll have soup.”

So:

• Dám si horkou polévku – natural: I’ll have (for myself) some hot soup.
• Dám horkou polévku – sounds like “I will give (someone) hot soup.”

Conclusion: Don’t leave out si here if you mean “I’ll have (for myself).”

Why is dám used for the future here? Isn’t that a present tense form?

Formally, dám is the present tense of the perfective verb dát (“to give”).

In Czech, the present tense of perfective verbs refers to future actions:

• dát (perfective) – dám = I will give / I’ll have
• dávat (imperfective) – dávám = I give / I am giving (habitually, right now)

So:

• Dám si horkou polévku. – I’ll have hot soup.
• Dávám si horkou polévku. – I (regularly) have hot soup / I am having hot soup (now).

That’s why dám here naturally means “I will have”, not a present moment.

Why is the word order K večeři si dnes dám...? Could I move dnes or si somewhere else?

Czech word order is fairly flexible, but there are rules, especially for clitics like si.

Key points:

1. Si is a clitic that usually goes in second position in the clause, right after the first stressed element.

   • K večeři si dnes dám… – first element = K večeři, then si.
   • Dnes si k večeři dám… – first element = Dnes, then si.

2. Dnes (today) is an adverb of time and can move around for emphasis:

   • Dnes si k večeři dám… – neutral: Today, for dinner, I’ll have…
   • K večeři si dnes dám… – slightly more emphasis on “for dinner” first.
   • Dám si dnes k večeři… – emphasis starting with “I’ll have…”

All of these are grammatical and natural. The crucial restriction is that si must stay in that “second position” zone, not at the very end, so:

• ✅ Dnes si dám…
• ❌ Dnes dám si… (sounds wrong in standard Czech)

Why is it horkou polévku and not horká polévka?

Because horkou polévku is a direct object of the verb dám si and must be in the accusative case.

• polévka – feminine noun (“soup”)
• Accusative singular of polévka = polévku

The adjective horký (“hot”) must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun:

• Feminine, accusative singular adjective ending: -ou
  → hork
  • ou = horkou

Compare:

• Horká polévka je dobrá. – Hot soup is good.
  
  • horká polévka = nominative (subject)
• Dám si horkou polévku. – I’ll have hot soup.
  
  • horkou polévku = accusative (object)

So the -ou / -u endings signal that “hot soup” is the thing you’re having, not the subject of the sentence.

Why is it malý salát and not malou / malého / malým salát?

Salát (“salad”) is masculine inanimate.

For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular form is the same as the nominative singular:

• Nominative: salát
• Accusative: salát

The adjective malý must agree with that:

• Masculine inanimate, nominative/accusative singular adjective: malý

So for “a small salad” as the direct object:

• malý salát = correct (masculine inanimate accusative)

Other forms you mentioned are for different cases/genders:

• malou – feminine accusative (e.g. malou polévku)
• malého / malým – various masculine forms (genitive, instrumental, etc.)

Here we need masculine inanimate accusative, so malý salát is right.

How strong is the meaning of horkou? Does it mean just “warm” or really hot?

Horký in Czech usually means really hot, often very hot to the touch or almost too hot to eat/drink comfortably.

Contrast:

• teplý – warm, pleasantly warm
  
  • teplá polévka – warm soup
• horký – hot, noticeably hot / very hot
  
  • horká polévka – hot soup (could burn your mouth)

So horkou polévku suggests properly hot soup, not just lukewarm.

Why are there no words for “a” or “the” before horkou polévku and malý salát?

Czech does not have articles (a/an, the) at all.

Definiteness or indefiniteness is usually understood from context, word order, or extra words (like nějaký = “some / a certain”).

So:

• dám si horkou polévku a malý salát can mean:
  • “I’ll have a hot soup and a small salad.”
  • “I’ll have the hot soup and the small salad.”
    depending on the situation.

The sentence itself doesn’t mark “a” vs “the”; your listener works it out from context.

Could I use i instead of a between horkou polévku and malý salát? What’s the difference?

Both a and i can be translated as “and”, but there is a nuance:

• a – neutral “and”, simply links items

  • horkou polévku a malý salát – hot soup and a small salad.

• i – means “and also / as well”, often adds a feeling of addition or emphasis

  • horkou polévku i malý salát – hot soup and also a small salad (maybe a bit more marked that you’re getting both).

Your original a is the most neutral and common here, but i is grammatically fine and just slightly more emphatic.

Could I say k večeři budu mít horkou polévku a malý salát instead of k večeři si dám…?

Yes, k večeři budu mít horkou polévku a malý salát is grammatical and means essentially “I will have hot soup and a small salad for dinner.”

Nuance:

• dám si – very common when choosing or ordering food/drink, sounds natural in:

  • at home deciding what to eat
  • in a restaurant ordering

• budu mít – literally “I will have,” a bit more neutral/descriptive, used e.g.:

  • talking about future plans:
    
    • Zítra k večeři budu mít jen salát. – Tomorrow I’ll only have salad for dinner.

Both are fine, but dám si is the most idiomatic in a “What will I have for dinner?” context.

How would the sentence change if I left out dnes? Is dnes necessary?

Dnes (“today”) is not grammatically necessary; it just specifies when.

• With dnes:

  • K večeři si dnes dám horkou polévku a malý salát.
    – Today, for dinner, I’ll have…

• Without dnes:

  • K večeři si dám horkou polévku a malý salát.
    – For dinner (implicit time from context), I’ll have…

Leaving out dnes simply removes the explicit “today” information. The structure and grammar of the rest of the sentence stay the same.