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Moje babička dnes spí špatně.

Moje babička dnes spí špatně.
Today my grandmother is sleeping badly.

Breakdown of Moje babička dnes spí špatně.

můj
my
dnes
today
spát
to sleep
babička
the grandmother
špatně
sick
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Questions & Answers about Moje babička dnes spí špatně.

Why is it moje babička and not můj babička?

In Czech, possessive pronouns agree with the gender of the noun they modify.

  • babička is feminine.
  • The feminine form of můj (my) is moje (or shorter má).

So:

  • moje babička = my grandmother ✔
  • můj babička ✘ (wrong, mixing masculine pronoun with feminine noun)

You could also say má babička; it is grammatically correct but sounds a bit more formal, old‑fashioned, or literary in everyday speech.

Why is there no word for “is” like in “is sleeping”?

Czech normally does not distinguish between “sleep” and “be sleeping” the way English does.

  • spí covers both “sleeps” (habitually) and “is sleeping” (right now).

So:

  • Moje babička dnes spí špatně.
    can correspond to:
    • “My grandmother is sleeping badly today.” (today, right now / these days)
    • or in some contexts “My grandmother sleeps badly today.”

You only add je (is) when the main verb is a noun or adjective, e.g. Moje babička je unavená. = My grandmother is tired.

What form of the verb is spí, and what is the infinitive?
  • spí is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb spát (to sleep).

  • Conjugation (present tense) of spát:

    • já spím – I sleep / am sleeping
    • ty spíš – you sleep / are sleeping (sg., informal)
    • on/ona/ono spí – he/she/it sleeps / is sleeping
    • my spíme – we sleep / are sleeping
    • vy spíte – you sleep / are sleeping (pl. or formal)
    • oni spí – they sleep / are sleeping

So Moje babička spí = Ona spí = She sleeps / She is sleeping.

What is the difference between špatně and špatný?

  • špatný = bad (adjective)

    • describes nouns: špatný den (a bad day), špatný film (a bad movie)

  • špatně = badly / poorly (adverb)

    • describes verbs: spí špatně (sleeps badly), vidím špatně (I see badly)

In Moje babička dnes spí špatně, you need the adverb, because it describes how she sleeps, not what kind of grandmother she is.

Can I change the word order, like Moje babička dnes špatně spí or Dnes moje babička spí špatně?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, but emphasis changes:

  1. Moje babička dnes spí špatně.
    – Neutral: My grandmother is sleeping badly today.

  2. Moje babička dnes špatně spí.
    – Slight emphasis on špatně (the “badly” part), but still quite normal.

  3. Dnes moje babička spí špatně.
    – Emphasis on dnes (today) – “Today, my grandmother is sleeping badly.”

  4. Dnes špatně spí moje babička.
    – Stronger emphasis on today and badly, and babička feels like “as for who is affected, it’s my grandmother.” More stylistic / expressive.

All are grammatically correct; neutral everyday choice would be (1).

Could I also say Dnes moje babička špatně spí? Does that sound okay?

Yes, Dnes moje babička špatně spí is also correct and natural.

It has:

  • fronted Dnes = “Today, …”
  • the rest moje babička špatně spí = “my grandmother sleeps badly”

The difference between Dnes moje babička spí špatně and Dnes moje babička špatně spí is very subtle; both are fine in spoken Czech. In many contexts they will sound almost the same to learners.

Why is it babička and not something like babička je spát špatně?

Czech does not use an infinitive after je (is) the way English sometimes does.

You need a finite (conjugated) verb form:

  • spát = to sleep (infinitive)
  • spí = sleeps / is sleeping (3rd person singular)

So:

  • ✔ Moje babička dnes spí špatně.
  • ✘ Moje babička dnes je spát špatně.

If you use je, it must link to an adjective or noun:

  • Moje babička je unavená. = My grandmother is tired.
  • Moje babička je učitelka. = My grandmother is a teacher.
Why is there no article like “the” or “a” before babička?

Czech has no articles (no a/an or the). Context gives you that information.

So babička on its own could correspond to:

  • “a grandmother”
  • “the grandmother”
  • often simply “grandma” in English

In this sentence, because you say moje babička, the meaning is clearly “my grandmother”. You never add a separate word for “the” or “a”.

Is babička a diminutive? Is it the normal word for “grandmother”?

Yes, babička is formally a diminutive (from bába / babka), but it’s also the standard everyday word for “grandmother / grandma”.

Typical options:

  • babička – neutral, affectionate, most common
  • babka – more colloquial, can sound rough or dialectal
  • bába – can be affectionate in some contexts, but often sounds rude / negative about an older woman

So Moje babička is exactly what you’d normally say for “my grandmother / my grandma.”

Can I say dneska instead of dnes? What’s the difference?

Yes:

  • dnes – neutral, standard, slightly more formal
  • dneska – informal/colloquial, very common in speech

Both mean “today”.

So you can say:

  • Moje babička dnes spí špatně.
  • Moje babička dneska spí špatně.

Both are correct; dnes is a bit more “textbook/standard”, dneska is what you’ll often hear in casual conversation.

How do you pronounce babička and where is the stress?

Pronunciation: [ˈbabɪtʃka] (approx.)

  • ba – like ba in bar (short)
  • bi – like bi in bit
  • -čka – like chka in English witch + k, but smoother: tchka.

In Czech, stress is always on the first syllable of a word:

  • BA-bi-čka

So Moje babička dnes spí špatně is stressed as:

  • MO-je BA-bi-čka DNES spí ŠPAT-ně

(each word stressed on its first syllable).

How would I say “My grandmother slept badly today” in the past tense?

You change spí (present) to spala (past, feminine singular of spát):

  • Moje babička dnes spala špatně.
    = My grandmother slept badly today.

For a man (grandfather):

  • Můj dědeček dnes spal špatně. = My grandfather slept badly today.