Cvičím jen málo, ale moje kamarádka běhá pravidelně každý týden.

I exercise only a little, but my (female) friend runs regularly every week.

Breakdown of Cvičím jen málo, ale moje kamarádka běhá pravidelně každý týden.

• já: I
• můj: my
• ale: but
• každý: every

Questions & Answers about Cvičím jen málo, ale moje kamarádka běhá pravidelně každý týden.

Why is there no word for “I” in “Cvičím jen málo”?

Czech usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person.

• cvič-ím → the ending -ím clearly marks 1st person singular (“I”).
• So cvičím already means “I exercise”.

You only say já cvičím when you want to emphasize I (not someone else), e.g.:
Já cvičím jen málo, ale ona běhá pravidelně. = I exercise only a little, but she runs regularly.

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What’s the difference between “cvičit” and “běhat”? Aren’t they both “to exercise”?

They’re related to physical activity, but not the same:

• cvičit = to exercise, to work out, to do physical training/gym-type exercise
  
  • Cvičím jen málo. = I don’t exercise much.
• běhat = to run (habitually, repeatedly)
  
  • Moje kamarádka běhá pravidelně. = My friend runs regularly.

So in this sentence:

• cvičím is general exercise,
• běhá is specifically running as a sport.

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Why is it “jen málo” and not something like ?