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Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.

Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
When I eat only meat all evening, I feel sick.

Breakdown of Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.

já
I
být
to be
celý
all
večer
the evening
jíst
to eat
mi
me
když
when
jen
only
maso
the meat
špatně
sick
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Questions & Answers about Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.

What exactly does když mean here, and how is it different from other words like protože or jestli?

Když means “when/whenever” in the sense of “every time that / in the situation where”.

  • Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
    → When(ever) I eat only meat all evening, I feel sick.

It introduces a condition / time under which something happens. It’s close to English “when” used in a general, habitual sense.

Compare:

  • Protože = because (gives a reason)

    • Protože jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
      → Because I eat only meat all evening, I feel sick.

  • Jestli = if / whether (a real condition or question)

    • Jestli budu jíst celý večer jen maso, bude mi špatně.
      → If I eat only meat all evening, I will feel sick.

So když = “when(ever)” (a time/condition that actually happens or is expected), not “because” and not “if” in the hypothetical sense.

Why is there a comma before je mi špatně?

In Czech, you normally put a comma between a dependent clause and the main clause, even when English wouldn’t.

  • Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
    • Když jím celý večer jen maso = dependent clause (introduced by když)
    • je mi špatně = main clause

English: When I eat only meat all evening(,) I feel sick. – the comma is optional in English, but in Czech it is required in this structure.

If you reverse the order, there is still a comma:

  • Je mi špatně, když jím celý večer jen maso.
Why is it jím and not já jím? Don’t we need the pronoun “I”?

In Czech, subject pronouns (já, ty, on, ona, …) are usually dropped, because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

  • jím = I eat
  • jíš = you eat (sg.)
  • jí = he/she/they eat

So já jím is grammatically fine but usually unnecessary and sounds emphatic:

  • Já jím celý večer jen maso.
    → I (as opposed to someone else) eat only meat all evening.

In your sentence the neutral, natural form is simply:

  • Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
What does jím come from, and is it related to jíst?

Yes. Jím is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb jíst (to eat).

Partial conjugation of jíst (present):

  • (já) jím – I eat
  • (ty) jíš – you eat
  • (on/ona/ono) jí – he/she/it eats
  • (my) jíme – we eat
  • (vy) jíte – you eat (pl./formal)
  • (oni) jí – they eat

So the structure když + present tense here expresses a general / habitual situation: when(ever) I eat…

Why is celý večer without any preposition like “for” or “during”? What case is it?

Celý večer is in the accusative and expresses duration of time. In Czech you can express “for X time” just with a noun in the accusative:

  • celý večer = the whole evening / all evening
  • celý den = all day
  • celý týden = all week

So:

  • Jím celý večer.
    → I eat all evening.

You might also see a version with a preposition:

  • (po) celý večer – literally “(for) the whole evening”

But in everyday speech, celý večer without a preposition is very common and natural for duration.

What does jen mean here, and is it the same as jenom or pouze? Can it move around in the sentence?

Jen means “only / just”.

  • jen maso = only meat

Variants:

  • jen – very common
  • jenom – slightly longer, same meaning, also very common
  • pouze – more formal / written, “only, exclusively”

So you could say:

  • Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
  • Když jím celý večer jenom maso, je mi špatně.
  • Když jím celý večer pouze maso, je mi špatně.

Word order: jen usually stands right before the word it limits:

  • jen maso – only meat
  • celý večer jen jím – I just keep eating all evening
  • jen celý večer – only for the whole evening (not longer, not shorter)

Moving jen can change the focus slightly:

  • Když jím jen celý večer maso, je mi špatně.
    → slightly odd; sounds like you’re limiting the time (“only in the evening”), not the food.

In your sentence the natural place is before “maso”, because that’s what is restricted: you eat only meat.

Why is it maso and not some other form like masu? Is this accusative?

Yes, maso here is accusative singular of maso (neuter noun: meat).

  • Dictionary (nominative) form: maso
  • Accusative singular: maso (same form as nominative for neuter nouns ending in -o)

It’s the direct object of the verb jím (I eat what? → maso).

Czech doesn’t have articles (a/the), so maso can mean:

  • meat
  • some meat
  • the meat

Context decides which English article fits best. Here it’s understood as “only meat (as a type of food)”.

What does je mi špatně literally mean, and why is it not something like jsem špatný?

Je mi špatně is an impersonal expression meaning “I feel sick / I feel bad (physically)”.

Literally, it’s close to:

  • Je mi špatně.
    → It is bad to me. / It is bad for me.

Structurally:

  • je – 3rd person singular of být (to be)
  • mi – to me (dative of já)
  • špatně – “badly” (adverb)

Czech often uses this kind of structure for feelings or states:

  • Je mi dobře. – I feel good / I’m fine.
  • Je mi zima. – I’m cold. (literally: “It is cold to me.”)
  • Je mi horko. – I’m hot.

If you said jsem špatný, it would mean “I am bad” in a moral or qualitative sense (a bad person, bad at something), not “I feel ill.”

What’s the difference between mi and mě / mně? Why is it mi here?

All three forms relate to “I / me”, but they are different cases and clitic vs. full forms.

  • mi – short dative form (to me), clitic
  • mně – long dative form (to me), stressed / after prepositions
  • mě – accusative (and also genitive in spoken Czech) form (me)

In je mi špatně:

  • mi is dative (to me), because the state is happening to me.

Compare:

  • Je mi zima. – I’m cold. (dative, short form)
  • Je mně zima. – also possible but sounds unusual here; long form is used mostly for emphasis or after prepositions.
  • Vidíš mě? – Do you see me? (accusative)

So mi is correct here because the construction je mi + adverb/adjective always uses the dative form of the pronoun.

What part of speech is špatně, and how is it different from špatný?

Špatně is an adverb meaning “badly / poorly / unwell”.

  • Je mi špatně. – I feel sick / unwell.
  • Děláš to špatně. – You’re doing it badly.

Špatný is an adjective meaning “bad”:

  • špatný film – a bad movie
  • špatný člověk – a bad person

Some related forms:

  • špatná, špatné – feminine / neuter adjective forms
  • špatně – adverb: badly
  • špatno – an older/poetic/neuter form used in some fixed expressions (Je mi špatno. → also “I feel sick”).

In your sentence, we’re describing how it is to me (my state) → adverb špatně.

Can the word order be changed? For example: Když celý večer jím jen maso, je mi špatně?

Yes, Czech word order is fairly flexible, and several variants are possible. All of these are grammatically correct:

  1. Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
  2. Když celý večer jím jen maso, je mi špatně.
  3. Když jím jen maso celý večer, je mi špatně.

The default, most neutral version is probably (1). Moving celý večer earlier, as in (2), gives a slight emphasis to the time (“When the whole evening I eat only meat…”), but it’s still very natural.

Putting jen right before maso is important, because that clearly marks “only meat” as the restricted element. If you moved jen to other positions, you might change the meaning or make the sentence sound odd.

Why is the present tense jím used, even though this sounds like a general rule? Would a future tense ever be used?

In Czech, the present tense is commonly used for general truths, habits, and repeated situations, just like in English:

  • Když jím celý večer jen maso, je mi špatně.
    → When(ever) I eat only meat all evening, I feel sick. (habit / general rule)

The future tense would be used if you talk about a specific future situation:

  • Když budu jíst celý večer jen maso, bude mi špatně.
    → If/When I eat only meat all evening (on that future occasion), I will feel sick.

So:

  • present + present → general rule / habitual situation
  • future + future → specific future event or prediction.