Learn Hardcore Czech: Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače, takže není moc zdravý. - My brother doesn't exercise and still sits at the computer, so he is not very healthy.

Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače, takže není moc zdravý.

My brother doesn't exercise and still sits at the computer, so he is not very healthy.

Breakdown of Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače, takže není moc zdravý.

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Questions & Answers about Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače, takže není moc zdravý.

Why is "necvičí" written as one word and not "ne cvičí"?

In Czech, the basic way to negate a verb is to attach the prefix ne- directly to the verb as one word.

cvičí = he/she exercises
ne + cvičí → necvičí = he/she does not exercise

So:

✅ Můj bratr necvičí. = My brother doesn’t exercise.
❌ Můj bratr ne cvičí. – This is wrong in standard Czech spelling.

The same pattern applies to most verbs:

má → nemá (has → doesn’t have)
chce → nechce (wants → doesn’t want)
dělá → nedělá (does → doesn’t do)

What is the nuance of "necvičí" here? Does it mean “is not exercising right now” or “doesn’t exercise in general”?

Czech doesn’t have a separate continuous tense like English (is exercising). The present tense usually covers both:

Teď necvičí.
Could mean He is not exercising now or He doesn’t exercise (as a habit), depending on context.

In your sentence:

Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače…

The context (stále sedí u počítače – he constantly sits at the computer) clearly suggests a habitual meaning:

He doesn’t exercise (as a habit).
He leads an inactive lifestyle.

Why is it "stále sedí u počítače" and not "sedí stále u počítače"? Is the word order important?

Both word orders are grammatically correct; Czech has flexible word order. However, the position of stále slightly changes what feels emphasized.

Stále sedí u počítače.
Neutral, common. Slight emphasis on the fact that he is constantly sitting.
Sedí stále u počítače.
Very similar in meaning; may sound a bit more like you’re focusing on where he is constantly sitting (at the computer), but the difference is subtle.

Other possible orders:

Stále u počítače sedí. – Emphasizes location a bit more.
U počítače stále sedí. – Also fine, slightly shifting focus.

In everyday speech, "stále sedí u počítače" is a very natural, neutral choice.

Why is it "u počítače" and not "na počítači"? And why počítače and not počítač?

Two things are happening here: the preposition choice and the case.

Preposition: "u" vs "na"
- u
  - genitive = at / by / next to something
    - u počítače = at the computer (sitting at the desk, using it)
- na
  - locative = on or at in some places (e.g. at school, at the office), but "na počítači" would usually mean:
    - literally on top of the computer (physically sitting/standing on it), or
    - sometimes “on the computer” in the sense of stored on the computer (e.g. mám to na počítači = I have it on my computer).
In this context, we want “at the computer” → u počítače.
Case change: počítač → počítače
- u always takes the genitive case.
- Singular počítač (nominative) → počítače (genitive).

So:

✅ stále sedí u počítače = he keeps sitting at the computer.
❌ stále sedí na počítači – would sound like he is sitting on top of the computer.

What does "stále" mean exactly? Is it the same as “always” or “still”?

Stále can mean:

constantly, all the time, continually
still (in the sense of “it is still the case”)

In your sentence:

stále sedí u počítače

it means something like:

he keeps sitting at the computer
he is always/constantly at the computer

Rough equivalents:

stále ≈ pořád / furt (colloquial)
- Pořád sedí u počítače. – He’s always at the computer.

Always in the strict sense of “every single time” is usually vždy or vždycky, but stále and pořád often overlap in everyday usage.

What does "takže" do in this sentence? Is it like “so” or “therefore”? Why is there a comma before it?

Takže is a conjunction meaning:

so, therefore, as a result

In your sentence:

Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače, takže není moc zdravý.

it connects cause and effect:

Cause: he doesn’t exercise and keeps sitting at the computer,
Effect: so he is not very healthy.

The comma is there because takže links two main clauses:

(1) Můj bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače
(2) [takže] není moc zdravý

In writing:

✅ ..., takže ... is standard.
In spoken language, you’ll sometimes hear sentences starting with Takže… as a discourse marker, similar to English So…

What does "moc" mean in "není moc zdravý"? Is it positive (“very”) or negative (“not very”)?

Moc literally means much / a lot / very, but its effect depends on the negation.

Je moc zdravý. – He is very healthy.
Není moc zdravý. – Literally: He is not much healthy → idiomatically:
He is not very healthy.

So in your sentence:

…takže není moc zdravý.

it softens the statement a bit:

without moc: není zdravý = he is unhealthy (stronger)
with moc: není moc zdravý = he is not very healthy / not in great health (somewhat milder).

Why is it "zdravý" and not some other form? What is it agreeing with?

Zdravý is an adjective meaning healthy. In Czech, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.

The subject is:

Můj bratr = my brother
- bratr is masculine, singular, nominative (subject form).

So the adjective must also be:

masculine
singular
nominative

That form is zdravý.

Examples of agreement:

Můj bratr je zdravý. – My brother is healthy.
Moje sestra je zdravá. – My sister is healthy. (feminine: zdravá)
Moji rodiče jsou zdraví. – My parents are healthy. (masc. plural: zdraví)

In your sentence, the implied structure is:

(On) není moc zdravý. – (He) is not very healthy.
On (he) is masculine singular, so zdravý is correct.

Could you say "není velmi zdravý" instead of "není moc zdravý"?

You can say není velmi zdravý, but it’s less common and feels more formal or bookish in this context.

Naturalness:

není moc zdravý – very natural, colloquial/neutral speech.
není velmi zdravý – understandable, but sounds more like careful or written style; in everyday speech, people usually prefer moc or zvlášť:
- není moc zdravý
- není zvlášť zdravý – not particularly healthy

So, while velmi does mean very, in negative sentences about health or qualities, moc is more idiomatic.

Why is it "Můj bratr" and not just "Bratr"? Can you leave out "můj"?

You absolutely can leave out můj:

Bratr necvičí a stále sedí u počítače…
= My brother doesn’t exercise...

In many contexts, bratr will be understood as “my brother” from the situation. Czech often omits possessive pronouns where English requires them, especially with family members and body parts.

However:

Můj bratr makes it explicitly clear and can add a slight emphasis:
- My brother (as opposed to someone else’s brother).

Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on how explicit or emphatic you want to be.

Why is there no word for “he” before "necvičí" or "není moc zdravý"? Shouldn’t it be like “He doesn’t exercise”?

Czech is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (on, ona, oni, etc.) are often left out because the verb ending already shows the person.

(On) necvičí. – He doesn’t exercise.
(On) není moc zdravý. – He is not very healthy.

We know it’s “he” from:

context (můj bratr),
and the verb/adjective forms: necvičí, zdravý (masculine).

You would say on necvičí only if you wanted to stress the subject, e.g.:

On necvičí, ale já cvičím. – He doesn’t exercise, but I do.

If I want to talk about my sister instead, how would the sentence change?

You need to change the nouns, possessive, and adjective to the feminine forms:

Můj bratr (my brother) → Moje sestra (my sister)
zdravý (healthy – masculine) → zdravá (healthy – feminine)

So the full sentence becomes:

Moje sestra necvičí a stále sedí u počítače, takže není moc zdravá.
= My sister doesn’t exercise and keeps sitting at the computer, so she isn’t very healthy.

Only those gender-related words change; the verbs (necvičí, sedí, není) stay the same.