Learn Hardcore Czech: Když jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně a nechci jít nikam. - When I am ill, I feel bad and I don’t want to go anywhere.

Kdy = the question word “when?”
- Kdy jsi byl nemocný? – When were you ill?
Když = “when / whenever” in non‑question clauses, usually meaning:
- a condition or situation: When I am ill…
- something that happens whenever another thing happens

So in a normal sentence like “When I’m ill, I feel bad…”, you must use Když, not Kdy:

✅ Když jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně…
❌ Kdy jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně… (ungrammatical)

Why is the subject “I” (já) not written in Když jsem nemocný or cítím se?

In Czech, you normally omit personal pronouns like já (I), ty (you), etc., because the verb ending already shows the person.

jsem = I am
cítím = I feel
nechci = I don’t want

So:

Když jsem nemocný literally: When am ill → clearly “I am” from jsem
cítím se: I feel
nechci jít: I don’t want to go

You can add já for emphasis:

Když *já jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně.
→ When **I am ill (as opposed to someone else), I feel bad.*

But in neutral sentences it’s more natural to leave it out.

Why is there a comma after Když jsem nemocný? Do you always need it?

Yes, in Czech you generally put a comma between clauses, especially when the first is an introductory “when/if” clause with když:

Když jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně…
Když prší, zůstanu doma. – When it rains, I stay at home.

So the typical pattern is: > Když + clause, main clause

You can also reverse the order, and no comma is then needed:

Cítím se špatně a nechci jít nikam, když jsem nemocný.
(Here, the comma before když is optional and style‑dependent, but more common than not.)

In your original sentence, with Když… at the beginning, the comma is required.

Why is it jsem nemocný and not jsem špatně for “I am ill”?

There’s an important difference:

nemocný is an adjective = ill, sick
- jsem nemocný – I am ill (literally “I am ill/sick”)
špatně is an adverb = badly or bad in the sense of “in a bad way”
- cítím se špatně – I feel bad (literally “I feel in a bad way”)

So:

To say “I am ill/sick” → use jsem nemocný
To say “I feel bad / I don’t feel well” → use cítím se špatně or je mi špatně

You cannot say jsem špatně to mean “I’m sick.” That would sound like “I am (located) badly / in the wrong place” in some contexts, and in general it’s just wrong here.

How does nemocný change for feminine or plural?

Nemocný is an adjective and must agree with the gender and number of the subject:

Masculine singular:
- Jsem nemocný – I (a man) am ill.
Feminine singular:
- Jsem nemocná – I (a woman) am ill.
Neuter singular (for neuter nouns):
- Dítě je nemocné – The child is ill.
Masculine animate plural:
- Jsme nemocní – We (a group of people including at least one man) are ill.
Feminine plural:
- Jsme nemocné – We (all women) are ill.

So a woman would say:

Když *jsem nemocná, cítím se špatně…*

What does the se in cítím se actually do? Why not just cítím špatně?

cítit se is the reflexive form of cítit, and it usually means:

cítit se = to feel (in oneself, one’s state)
- cítím se špatně – I feel bad / unwell

Without se, cítit usually means to feel something external:

Cítím bolest. – I feel pain.
Cítím vůni. – I smell a scent.

So:

cítím se špatně = I feel (my state is) bad
cítím špatně would sound wrong in this meaning; it’s not used to say I feel bad.

Think of se here as marking “my own state”.

Could I say špatně se cítím instead of cítím se špatně?

Yes, both are grammatically correct, but word order changes the emphasis:

Cítím se špatně.
→ neutral: I feel bad.
Špatně se cítím.
→ emphasizes špatně: I feel *bad, (not good / not okay).*
Sounds a bit more emotional or contrastive.

In your full sentence, the neutral version cítím se špatně is the most natural.

How do nechci and jít work together? Is there anything special about negation here?

nechci is chtít (to want) in the 1st person singular, negative:

chci – I want
nechci – I don’t want

Then you add the infinitive:

nechci jít – I don’t want to go

In Czech, negation is usually put directly on the finite verb with ne-:

jdu – I go
nejdu – I’m not going
chci jít – I want to go
nechci jít – I don’t want to go

So nechci jít is perfectly regular: I don’t want to go.

Why is it nikam and not something like někam or nikde?

These words are related but different:

někam = somewhere (direction)
- Chci jít někam. – I want to go somewhere.
nikam = nowhere (direction)
- Nechci jít nikam. – I don’t want to go anywhere / I want to go nowhere.
nikde = nowhere (location)
- Nejsem nikde. – I’m nowhere (to be found).
- More naturally: Nejsem nikde vidět. – You can’t see me anywhere.

So in your sentence, the verb is jít (to go = movement), so you need the directional form:

✅ nechci jít nikam – I don’t want to go anywhere
❌ nechci jít nikde – ungrammatical with jít

Also, note the double negation is normal and required in Czech:

nechci
- nikam together = I don’t want to go anywhere.

Why is the double negative nechci jít nikam correct in Czech but wrong in English?

In English, a double negative is usually considered wrong or non‑standard:

I don’t want to go nowhere → logically means “I do want to go somewhere” (in formal logic)

In Czech, it works differently:

Negatives reinforce each other, they do not cancel.

So:

Nechci jít nikam.
Literally: I don’t want to go nowhere.
Meaning: I don’t want to go anywhere. (standard, correct Czech)

Other examples:

Nikdy jsem tam nebyl. – I have never been there. (literally: Never I was not there.)
Nikdo nic neřekl. – Nobody said anything. (literally: Nobody nothing didn’t say.)

So in Czech: negative verb + negative pronoun/adverb is the rule.

Why is it jít and not chodit or jet? They all seem to mean “to go”.

Czech distinguishes type of movement and sometimes means of transport:

jít – to go on foot, one specific trip
- Nechci jít nikam. – I don’t want to (go / walk) anywhere (this time).
chodit – to walk / go repeatedly, habitually
- Když jsem nemocný, nechci *chodit do školy.*
  → When I’m ill, I don’t want to go (regularly) to school.
jet – to go by vehicle (car, bus, train, etc.), one specific trip
- Nechci *jet nikam autem.* – I don’t want to go anywhere by car.

In your general sentence about illness, you just mean “go anywhere (in general)”, so the simple, neutral jít is fine.

Why is the verb in present tense (jsem, cítím, nechci) even though it describes a general situation, not right now?

In Czech (and in English, actually), the present tense can express:

Right now:
- Jsem nemocný. – I am (currently) ill.
General truths / habits:
- Když jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně a nechci jít nikam.
  → Whenever I am ill, I feel bad and don’t want to go anywhere.

So the present tense here is habitual: it describes what always (or usually) happens when you are ill. No special tense is needed; simple present is correct.

Is když more like “when” or “if” in this sentence? Could I also translate it as “if”?

In Czech, když can cover both English meanings, “when” and “if”, depending on context:

Time / habit → closer to “when/whenever”
- Když jsem nemocný, cítím se špatně…
  → When(ever) I am ill, I feel bad…
Condition / possibility → closer to “if”
- Když budeš nemocný, zůstaň doma.
  → If you are ill, stay at home.

Your sentence can be translated with either:

When I’m ill, I feel bad and don’t want to go anywhere.
If I’m ill, I feel bad and don’t want to go anywhere.

In normal context, “when” (habitual) feels slightly more natural in English, but když itself is fine for both.