Breakdown of Dnes si chci půjčit jednu krátkou knihu a zítra ji vrátit.
já
I
chtít
to want
a
and
kniha
the book
Questions & Answers about Dnes si chci půjčit jednu krátkou knihu a zítra ji vrátit.
What does si mean in Dnes si chci půjčit…, and can I leave it out?
Si is a reflexive pronoun in the dative. Here it shows that you are borrowing the book for yourself / for your own benefit.
- Dnes si chci půjčit knihu.
= Today I want to borrow a book (for myself).
If you say:
- Dnes chci půjčit knihu.
this usually means I want to lend a book (to someone) rather than borrow. So in practice:
So you should not leave out si here if you mean borrow.
Why is the word order Dnes si chci půjčit and not Dnes chci si půjčit?