Learn Hardcore Czech: Chci studovat jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci. - I want to study languages because I need them at work.

chci is 1st person singular of chtít (to want), so it can only mean I want.
Saying Já chci studovat jazyky is grammatically correct, but já is only used when you want to emphasize I (e.g. contrast: Já chci, ale on nechce – I want to, but he doesn’t).

So the natural, neutral version is just Chci studovat jazyky.

How does chci studovat express “I want to study”? There’s no “to”.

In English, you need “want to do something”.
In Czech, chtít is followed directly by an infinitive:

chci studovat – I want to study
chce pracovat – he/she wants to work
chceme cestovat – we want to travel

The infinitive form studovat (to study) itself covers the English “to study”. No extra word like “to” is needed.

What is the difference between studovat jazyky and učit se jazyky?

Both can translate as “to learn / study languages”, but there is a nuance:

studovat jazyky – more formal or academic:
- studying them systematically, often in school, at university, in a course
- can also mean “to major in languages”
učit se jazyky – more general “to learn languages”:
- can be at home, from apps, casually, any kind of learning
- literally “to teach oneself languages” (it’s reflexive: učit se)

In your sentence, both:

Chci studovat jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci.
Chci se učit jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci.

are possible. The first sounds a bit more like “take language courses” or “study them seriously”.

Why does jazyky have that -y ending? What case is it?

Jazyky is the plural of jazyk (a language / a tongue).

Here it is the direct object of studovat (to study), so it’s in the accusative plural.

(Já) studuji jazyky. – I study languages.
- verb: studuji
- object: jazyky (accusative plural)

For masculine inanimate nouns like jazyk, the nominative plural and accusative plural look the same:

nominative plural: jazyky (Languages are difficult – Jazyky jsou těžké.)
accusative plural: jazyky (I study languages – Studuji jazyky.)

Context and word order tell you which function it has.

Why is there no article like “the” or “a” before jazyky?

Czech has no articles (no direct equivalent of a/an/the). Nouns normally appear without them:

jazyk – a language / the language
jazyky – languages / the languages

If you really want to emphasize these specific languages, Czechs often use demonstratives:

ty jazyky – those/the languages (already mentioned or specific ones)
nějaké jazyky – some languages

But in your sentence, just jazyky is the natural way to say languages in general.

What does protože mean, and how is it different from že?

Protože means “because” and introduces a reason clause:

Chci studovat jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci.
– I want to study languages because I need them at work.

Že means “that” (in reported speech or statements):

Říká, že studuje jazyky. – He/She says that he/she studies languages.
Vím, že je potřebuje v práci. – I know that he/she needs them at work.

You cannot replace protože with že in your sentence; they have different functions.

Why is there a comma before protože?

In Czech, you normally put a comma before most conjunctions that introduce a subordinate clause, including protože.

Chci studovat jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci.
- main clause: Chci studovat jazyky
- subordinate clause: protože je potřebuji v práci

So the comma rule here is very similar to English:
“I want to study languages, because I need them at work.”

In protože je potřebuji v práci, what does je mean? What does it refer to?

Je here is the object pronoun meaning “them”.

It refers back to jazyky (languages).
potřebuji je = I need them.

Czech object pronouns agree in number and gender with the noun they replace. For jazyk / jazyky (masculine inanimate plural), the correct accusative pronoun is je:

Vidím jazyky. → Vidím je. – I see languages → I see them.
Potřebuji jazyky. → Potřebuji je. – I need languages → I need them.

Why is the pronoun je before the verb (je potřebuji) and not after it (potřebuji je)?

Short object pronouns like je, ho, ji, mi, ti, se are clitics. They usually like to stand very early in the clause, often in the “second position”:

Protože je potřebuji v práci.
– protože (because) + je (them) + potřebuji (I need)…

This is very natural Czech word order.

However, Potřebuji je v práci is also correct and common. The choice between:

Protože je potřebuji v práci.
Protože je v práci potřebuji.
Protože je potřebuji.

is mostly about rhythm and emphasis, not basic grammar. In everyday speech you will hear both je potřebuji and potřebuji je.

What is the difference between potřebuji and potřebuju?

Both are 1st person singular of potřebovat (to need) and both mean “I need”:

potřebuji – more formal / standard (you’ll see it in writing, textbooks, news)
potřebuju – more colloquial / spoken, very common in everyday conversation

In your sentence, either is fine:

protože je potřebuji v práci – slightly more formal
protože je potřebuju v práci – more informal, spoken style

Where is the word “I” in the second clause protože je potřebuji v práci?

Just like in the first clause, “I” is contained in the verb ending:

potřebuji = I need
- stem: potřeb-
- ending -u / -ji = 1st person singular

So protože je potřebuji v práci literally is:

“because them I-need at work”

Czech doesn’t need to repeat já (I) unless you want to stress it.

Why is it v práci and not something like na práci or u práce?

V práci literally means “in (my) work / at work” and is the standard way to say “at work” in Czech.

v
- práce (work) in the locative case → v práci

Other prepositions would change the meaning:

na práci – usually “for work” or “for the job” (e.g. čas na práci – time for work)
u práce – very unusual; could mean “by the work” physically, but it’s not how you say “at work”.

So for the workplace context, you say v práci or v zaměstnání (also “at work / in employment”). Here v práci is the natural choice.

Can Chci studovat jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci also refer to the future, like “because I will need them at work”?

Yes, context can make it sound future-oriented, even though the verbs are in the present tense.

Literally it’s “I want to study languages because I need them at work” (general or present truth).
If you’re talking about a future job, listeners may understand it as “because I will need them at work”.

If you want to make the future crystal clear, you can use the future form of potřebovat:

Chci studovat jazyky, protože je budu potřebovat v práci.
– I want to study languages because I will need them at work.

Are there other possible word orders, and do they change the meaning?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, and different orders usually change emphasis, not the basic meaning. For example:

Chci studovat jazyky, protože je potřebuji v práci.
– neutral, slight emphasis on v práci coming last.
Chci studovat jazyky, protože je v práci potřebuji.
– emphasizes that at work is the place where you need them.
Chci studovat jazyky, protože v práci je potřebuji.
– stronger emphasis on v práci (“At work is where I need them”).

All are grammatically fine. The version you gave is the most neutral and common.