Learn Hardcore Czech: Dnes mám méně práce, proto se cítím dobře.

With Dnes at the start, you’re emphasizing today as the context.
With Mám dnes…, you’re emphasizing I have less work and just specifying today as extra information.

Word order is more flexible in Czech than in English, but starting with time expressions (like Dnes, Včera, Zítra) is very common and sounds natural.

Why is it mám méně práce and not something like pracuju méně?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

Mám méně práce = I have less work (assigned / to do).
You’re talking about the amount of work you have.
Pracuju méně = I work less.
You’re talking about how much you are working (your effort/time), regardless of how much work exists.

In the original sentence, the focus is that the amount of work is smaller today, so mám méně práce is the natural choice.

Why is it méně práce and not méně prácí or something else?

After méně (less), Czech normally uses the genitive case.

Práce is a feminine noun that looks the same in several cases. Here:

práce is genitive singular (of work) after méně.

So the structure is:

méně + genitive → méně práce (less work)
Similarly:
méně vody (less water)
méně času (less time)
méně peněz (less money)

You could see prácí in other contexts (it’s an instrumental plural form), but not after méně.

What’s the difference between méně and míň?

Both mean less:

méně – more neutral and standard; good for spoken and written Czech.
míň – more colloquial/informal; very common in everyday speech.

You could say:

Dnes mám méně práce, proto se cítím dobře. (neutral)
Dnes mám míň práce, proto se cítím dobře. (more casual)

Grammatically they work the same way (both take the genitive after them).

What is the role of proto here, and how is it different from protože?

proto = therefore, so, that’s why (a result)
protože = because (a reason)

In your sentence:

Dnes mám méně práce, proto se cítím dobře.
= I have less work today, therefore I feel good.

If you use protože, the structure changes:

Dnes se cítím dobře, protože mám méně práce.
= I feel good today because I have less work.

So:

proto starts a result clause.
protože starts a reason clause.

Why is there a comma before proto?

Czech normally separates independent clauses with a comma, especially when there is a linking word like proto, ale, a proto, etc.

Here we have two main clauses:

Dnes mám méně práce
proto se cítím dobře

They’re joined by proto in a “cause → result” relationship. So a comma is required:

Dnes mám méně práce, proto se cítím dobře.

In English, you might write:

Today I have less work, so I feel good.
which also often has a comma before so.

What does se in se cítím mean? Why do we need it?

Se is a reflexive pronoun and is an essential part of the verb cítit se (to feel – in the sense of how you feel physically or emotionally).

cítit (without se) = to feel something (to sense, to feel an emotion towards something).
cítit se (with se) = to feel (in oneself), to feel (good, bad, tired, etc.).

In your sentence, you’re talking about your own state, so you must use the reflexive form:

se cítím dobře = I feel good.

You cannot drop se here; cítím dobře by itself would sound incomplete or wrong in this meaning.

Can I change the position of se and say proto cítím se dobře?

No, cítím se is the natural word order.

In Czech, short pronouns like se, si, mi, ti, ho usually prefer the so‑called second position in the clause and follow the first stressed element.

In your clause:

proto se cítím dobře is correct.
proto cítím se dobře sounds wrong to native speakers.

Other natural options (with different emphasis) are:

Já se cítím dobře. (I feel good – stressing I.)
Dnes se cítím dobře. (Today I feel good.)

But in all of them, se stays immediately after the first stressed word in that small clause.

Why is it dobře and not dobrý?

Dobře is an adverb, while dobrý is an adjective.

dobrý = good (describes a noun)
- dobrý den (good day)
- dobrý člověk (a good person)
dobře = well / good (describes how something is done, or how someone feels)
- cítím se dobře (I feel well/good)
- spím dobře (I sleep well)

With cítit se, you want an adverb: cítím se dobře.

Could I say Dnes se cítím dobře, protože mám méně práce instead? Is there any difference?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct:

Dnes se cítím dobře, protože mám méně práce.

The meaning is essentially the same, but the structure and emphasis change:

Original:

Dnes mám méně práce, proto se cítím dobře.
→ Focuses first on less work, then gives the result (feeling good).

Alternative:

Dnes se cítím dobře, protože mám méně práce.
→ Focuses first on feeling good, then gives the reason (less work).

So both are fine; it’s just a question of what you want to highlight.

What case and gender is práce here?

In méně práce, the word práce is:

gender: feminine
number: singular
case: genitive (because of méně)

The base form you’d see in a dictionary is also práce (nominative singular). This noun has the same form in nominative singular and genitive singular, which can be confusing, but the function in this sentence is genitive because it follows méně.

Is the present tense in mám and cítím used the same way as English present simple here?

Yes, very similarly.

Dnes mám méně práce = Today I have less work.
(proto) se cítím dobře = (so) I feel good.

Czech present tense is used for what is true now / today / at this time, just like English present simple in this kind of sentence. There’s no special tense needed to express “today” or “right now” here; the adverb Dnes gives that time frame.