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Když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.

Když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.
When I go to work, I take my phone and wallet with me.
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Questions & Answers about Když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.

What does když mean, and how is it different from kdy?

Když is a conjunction meaning “when” in the sense of “whenever / at the time that” and it introduces a whole clause:

  • Když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.
    When(ever) I go to work, I take my phone and wallet with me.

Kdy is a question word meaning “when?”:

  • Kdy jdeš do práce? – When are you going to work?

So:

  • Use když to connect two clauses (when X happens, Y happens).
  • Use kdy to ask about the time something happens.
Why is jdu used here instead of chodím if the sentence describes a habit?

Both jdu and chodím can translate as “I go”, but they’re different motion verbs:

  • jít → jdu = going in one direction, one specific journey, often “I’m on my way”.
  • chodit → chodím = going repeatedly / habitually or back-and-forth.

In this sentence, Když jdu do práce is natural Czech for a repeated situation: “When I (am) going to work (on those occasions)…”. Czech speakers often use the “directional” verb jít even in general statements like this.

You could also say:

  • Když chodím do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.

This version emphasizes the habitual / regular nature a bit more, but both are acceptable. The original with jdu sounds very natural in everyday speech.

What is the function of do in do práce, and what case is práce?

Do is a preposition that usually means “to / into” and it requires the genitive case.

  • The noun práce (“work, job”) in the genitive singular is also práce – the form happens to be the same as the nominative.

So grammatically:

  • do
    • práce (genitive) = to work / to my workplace

Other examples with do + genitive:

  • jdu do školy – I’m going to school
  • jedu do města – I’m going to the town/city
Why is there a comma after práce?

Czech uses a comma to separate a dependent clause from the main clause.

  • Když jdu do práce = subordinate (dependent) clause, introduced by když
  • beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku = main clause

Rule: when a sentence starts with a když‑clause, you must put a comma before the main clause:

  • Když jsem unavený, jdu spát. – When I’m tired, I go to sleep.
  • Když prší, zůstanu doma. – When it rains, I stay at home.
What is the difference between beru and beru si?

The verb is brát = “to take” (imperfective).

  • beru = I take
  • beru si = I take for myself / with me (reflexive)

In this kind of sentence, brát si něco s sebou is the standard way to say you take something along/with you:

  • Beru si s sebou telefon. – I take my phone with me.

Plain beru telefon can mean “I’m taking the phone (from somewhere)” and doesn’t clearly express “I’m taking it along as I go”. The reflexive si helps to express that you’re taking it for your own use / with you.

What does the little word si mean in beru si?

Si is a reflexive pronoun in the dative case. It often expresses that the action is for the subject’s own benefit (“for myself, for yourself, etc.”).

In beru si telefon, literally:

  • beru si telefon ≈ I take (for myself) the phone / I take the phone with me

Common patterns with si:

  • dám si kávu – I’ll have (take for myself) a coffee
  • koupil jsem si auto – I bought myself a car
  • pustím si hudbu – I’ll put some music on (for myself)

So in this sentence si adds the nuance of personal use / taking something along.

What does s sebou mean literally, and can I drop one of the words?

Literally:

  • s = with
  • sebou = oneself (instrumental of sebe = “self”)

So s sebou literally means “with oneself”, and idiomatically “with me/you/him/her/us/them” depending on the subject:

  • Beru si s sebou telefon. – I take my phone with me.
  • Vezmi si to s sebou. – Take it with you.

Normally you keep both words. In colloquial speech, people sometimes just say sebou:

  • Mám to sebou. – I have it with me.

But in careful or written Czech, s sebou is the standard form, especially after a verb of taking/carrying.

Can I change the word order, for example: Beru si telefon i peněženku s sebou or Si beru s sebou…?

Some changes are fine, some are not.

✅ Natural options:

  • Když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.
  • Když jdu do práce, beru si telefon i peněženku s sebou.

Both are acceptable; s sebou can come before or after the objects. The original is slightly more common.

❌ But you cannot start the clause with si:

  • *Když jdu do práce, si beru s sebou telefon… – incorrect word order

The small word si is a clitic – it must stand after the first stressed part of the clause (usually after the verb or after the first word). So you see:

  • Beru si s sebou…
  • Vždycky si beru s sebou…
  • Do práce si beru s sebou…

but not Si beru… at the start.

Why does peněženka become peněženku in this sentence?

Peněženka (wallet) is a feminine noun. Here it’s the direct object of beru si, so it’s in the accusative case.

Feminine nouns ending in -a usually change to -u in the accusative singular:

  • kniha → knihu (book)
  • káva → kávu (coffee)
  • peněženka → peněženku (wallet)

So:

  • telefon (masc. inanimate) stays telefon in the accusative
  • peněženka (fem.) changes to peněženku in the accusative
What is the difference between i and a in telefon i peněženku?

Both can connect two nouns, but the nuance is different:

  • a = basic “and”

    • telefon a peněženku – phone and wallet (neutral)

  • i = “and also / as well / both … and …”, with a bit of emphasis that you include both items

    • telefon i peněženku – (both) phone and wallet

In English you might hear the nuance as:

  • beru si telefon a peněženku – I take my phone and my wallet.
  • beru si telefon i peněženku – I take my phone and my wallet (too / as well / both of them).

The version with i subtly underlines that you’re including each of those things.

Does Když jdu do práce, beru si… mean something happening now, or a general habit?

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

  • Když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku.
    = Whenever I go to work (in general), I take my phone and wallet with me.

Context usually makes it clear that this is a regular habit, not just something happening today.

If you wanted to talk just about today, right now, you’d normally be more specific in Czech, for example:

  • Dnes, když jdu do práce, beru si s sebou jen telefon.
    Today, as I’m going to work, I’m only taking my phone with me.
How would I say this about one specific future occasion instead of a general habit?

For a single future event, Czech prefers the future forms of the motion and “take” verbs:

  • Když půjdu do práce, vezmu si s sebou telefon i peněženku.
    When I go to work (that time), I will take my phone and wallet with me.

Here:

  • půjdu = future of jít
  • vezmu si = future of vzít si (perfective partner of brát si)

Compare:

  • Když jdu do práce, beru si… – whenever I go (habit).
  • Když půjdu do práce, vezmu si… – when I go (that time in the future).
What is the aspect difference between brát si and vzít si in this context?

Czech verbs come in imperfective / perfective pairs:

  • brát si (imperfective) – “to be taking / to take (regularly, in progress)”
  • vzít si (perfective) – “to take (once, as a complete act)”

In the sentence:

  • beru si s sebou telefon i peněženku
    the imperfective beru si matches the idea of a repeated habit.

For a single, completed future action, you switch to the perfective:

  • vezmu si s sebou telefon i peněženku. – I (will) take my phone and wallet with me (that time).

So:
brát si = good for habits, ongoing actions;
vzít si = good for one-time, completed actions, especially in the future.