Learn Hardcore Czech: Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu, proto jsem musel jít do práce pěšky. - The bus driver drove slowly today, so I had to go to work on foot.

řidič autobusu literally means driver of (the) bus.
Czech often uses the genitive to show this kind of relationship/“possession”:
- řidič autobusu – driver of the bus
- učitel angličtiny – teacher of English
- majitel domu – owner of the house

So autobus → autobusu (genitive) because it answers “driver of what?”

Could I say autobusový řidič instead of řidič autobusu? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say autobusový řidič, and it is correct.

Nuance:

autobusový řidič = “bus driver” as an occupation, a general description.
řidič autobusu = “driver of the bus” – slightly more concrete; it can feel more like a specific bus in a specific situation.

In many everyday contexts they are practically interchangeable, and both will be understood as “the bus driver.” In this sentence, řidič autobusu is the more natural choice.

Why does the sentence use jel and not řídil? What is the difference between jet and řídit?

jet = to go/travel by a vehicle (by car, bus, train, etc.). It’s intransitive.
- jel = past tense, “went (by vehicle) / was driving/riding.”
řídit = to drive, operate, steer a vehicle. It’s usually transitive when you mention the vehicle:
- řídit auto – to drive a car
- řídit autobus – to drive a bus

In this sentence:

Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu – “The bus driver went (drove) slowly today.”
We already know he’s the driver, so jel naturally implies “he was (the one) driving slowly.”

You could say řidič autobusu dnes řídil pomalu, but it sounds a bit odd and overly focused on the act of steering. Native speakers strongly prefer jel here.

What is the difference between jel and jezdil?

This is about single vs repeated / habitual motion:

jet – jel: one specific trip, one-direction motion.
- Dnes jel pomalu. – He drove slowly today (on this trip).
jezdit – jezdil: repeated, habitual, or “back and forth” motion.
- Řidič autobusu jezdil pomalu. – The bus driver used to drive slowly / drove slowly in general.

With dnes (today, a specific occasion), jel is the natural choice: one concrete journey today.

Why is dnes placed after řidič autobusu? Could it go somewhere else?

Czech word order is quite flexible. All of these are grammatically correct:

Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu…
Dnes řidič autobusu jel pomalu…
Řidič autobusu jel dnes pomalu…

Differences are mostly about emphasis and rhythm:

Dnes řidič autobusu jel pomalu… – puts extra emphasis on today (“Today, the bus driver drove slowly…”).
Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu… – neutral, natural rhythm for a narrative.
Řidič autobusu jel dnes pomalu… – slightly highlights jel and dnes together (“he today drove slowly”).

So dnes can move around; the meaning doesn’t really change, only the focus.

Why is it pomalu and not pomalý?

Because pomalu is an adverb (“slowly”), while pomalý is an adjective (“slow”).

Use pomalu to describe how someone does something:
- jel pomalu – he drove slowly
- mluví pomalu – he/she speaks slowly
Use pomalý to describe a noun:
- pomalý autobus – a slow bus
- pomalý řidič – a slow driver

So in jel pomalu, we need an adverb (manner of driving), not an adjective.

What exactly does proto mean here, and how is it different from tak, takže, and protože?

In this sentence, proto means “therefore / that’s why / so.”

Comparison:

proto – “therefore / for that reason” (connective adverb)
- Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu, proto jsem musel jít do práce pěšky.
  “The bus driver drove slowly today, therefore I had to walk to work.”
tak – can be “so / then / like this,” often weaker or more conversational:
- Bylo pozdě, tak jsem šel domů. – It was late, so I went home.
takže – conjunction “so / therefore,” introducing a result clause:
- Řidič jel pomalu, takže jsem přišel pozdě. – The driver went slowly, so I arrived late.
protože – “because,” introducing the reason clause:
- Přišel jsem pozdě, protože řidič jel pomalu. – I was late because the driver went slowly.

So proto presents a result (therefore), while protože introduces a cause (because).

Why is there a comma before proto?

Because there are two main clauses joined by the connector proto:

Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu
(a) proto jsem musel jít do práce pěšky

Czech normally separates two independent clauses with a comma when they’re joined by words like proto, potom, pak, etc.

It’s similar to English punctuation in something like:

“The bus driver drove slowly today, therefore I had to walk to work.”
(In very formal English you might even use a semicolon: “..., therefore I had to …”)

Why do we say musel jít and not something like musel šel?

Because muset (“must, have to”) is a modal verb. In Czech, modal verbs are followed by the infinitive, not a finite past form.

Pattern:

muset + infinitive – to have to do something
- musel jsem jít – I had to go
- musela jít – she had to go
- musíme jít – we have to go

šel is already a past tense form of jít. You cannot stack a past tense form after musel. The past is already encoded in musel, so jít stays in the infinitive, just like English “had to go,” not “had to went.”

Could the word order be Proto jsem musel jít do práce pěšky or Proto jsem musel jít pěšky do práce instead?

Yes, both are correct:

Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu, proto jsem musel jít do práce pěšky.
Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu. Proto jsem musel jít do práce pěšky.
Řidič autobusu dnes jel pomalu, proto jsem musel jít pěšky do práce.

Differences:

Moving proto to the start of the second sentence (Proto jsem musel…) is very natural and maybe even a bit clearer.
do práce pěšky vs pěšky do práce:
- jít do práce pěšky – slightly more neutral.
- jít pěšky do práce – puts a bit more focus on pěšky (“to walk”).

All variants are fine; the change is about emphasis, not grammar.

Why is it do práce and not na práci? What case is práce here?

Práce is in the genitive singular after the preposition do.

do + genitive is used for movement into / to the inside of something, and also for going to many “places” that are institutions or activities:
- jít do práce – to go to work (place)
- jít do školy – to go to school
- jít do kina – to go to the cinema

na práci would mean something like “onto work” or “for work” (purpose), and is not used in the simple sense of “going to one’s job.”

So: do práce = “(to) work” as a destination; práce is genitive after do.

What is pěšky? Is it an adjective, an adverb, and can it be used on its own?

Pěšky is an adverb meaning “on foot / by walking.”

Usage:

Commonly with verbs of motion:
- jít pěšky – to go on foot / to walk
- chodit pěšky – to walk (somewhere) regularly / habitually
- půjdu tam pěšky. – I’ll go there on foot / I’ll walk there.

It is not used like an adjective (you don’t say pěšky člověk), and it normally doesn’t stand completely alone; it modifies a verb of motion.

Why is jít used here and not chodit in jít do práce pěšky?

Again, this is about single vs habitual motion:

jít – to go on foot once, in one direction (one occasion).
- Dnes musím jít do práce pěšky. – Today I have to walk to work (this one time).
chodit – to go/walk repeatedly, habitually, or “back and forth.”
- Každý den chodím do práce pěšky. – I walk to work every day.

In the sentence, it’s about what happened today because the bus driver was slow, so jít (one specific trip) is correct.

Why is it musel and not musela or muselo? How does gender agreement work here?

Czech past tense forms agree with the gender and number of the subject.

For já (I):

If the speaker is male:
- já jsem musel – I (male) had to
If the speaker is female:
- já jsem musela – I (female) had to

In writing, when the gender is unknown or irrelevant, you may sometimes see musel(a) to cover both. In normal speech, people always choose according to their real gender.

The English translation is often “I had to walk to work.” But literally it looks like “I had to go to work on foot.” Is jít pěšky the normal way to say “to walk” in Czech?

Yes. In everyday language, jít pěšky is the normal way to express “to walk (somewhere).”

jít pěšky do práce – to walk to work
jít pěšky domů – to walk home
Půjdu pěšky. – I’ll walk.

For habitual actions, you use chodit pěšky:

Do práce chodím pěšky. – I walk to work (as a habit).

Czech doesn’t usually use a single simple verb like English “to walk” for this; it prefers the combination jít/chodit + pěšky.