Learn Hardcore Czech: Moje babička je miluje.

If you tried to read je as is, you’d get something like My grandmother is loves them, which is ungrammatical, so it must be the object pronoun them.

Why does je come between Moje babička and miluje? Could I say Moje babička miluje je instead?

Short object pronouns like je, ho, ji, mě, tě, etc. are usually clitics: they tend to stand very early in the clause, often in “second position” (after the first stressed element).

So the neutral order is:

Moje babička je miluje. (Subject – pronoun – verb)

You can say Moje babička miluje je, but:

It is less neutral and often sounds like you are emphasising je (them), for example in contrast:
- Moje babička miluje je, ne mě.
  My grandmother loves them, not me.

In everyday speech, the standard, unmarked order here is Moje babička je miluje.

Can je here also mean her or it, or is it always them?

In Czech, je is a bit overloaded; it can stand for several English pronouns, depending on number, gender and case.

As a direct object (accusative), je can mean:

them (for all three plural genders: oni, ony, ona)
her or it in some contexts (feminine singular, but more often ji is used)

In Moje babička je miluje, the verb miluje is 3rd person singular and the object je is plural, so the most natural interpretation is them:

Moje babička (she)
je (them)
miluje (loves)

So in this specific sentence, je is understood as them.

Why is the verb miluje and not milují?

The verb must agree with the subject, not the object.

Subject: Moje babička = my grandmother → 3rd person singular, feminine
Verb: miluje = 3rd person singular (he/she/it loves)

If you used milují (3rd person plural), you would be saying something like:

Moje babička je milují.
Literally: My grandmother them love.
This is wrong, because the verb would be plural but the subject is singular.

Compare:

Moje babička je miluje. – My grandmother loves them. (one grandmother)
Moji prarodiče je milují. – My grandparents love them. (plural subject → milují)

What is the base form of miluje, and how is it conjugated?

The base (infinitive) form is milovat = to love.

Present tense (typical -ovat verb, informal spelling):

já miluju – I love
ty miluješ – you (sg, informal) love
on/ona/ono miluje – he/she/it loves
my milujeme – we love
vy milujete – you (pl or formal) love
oni/ony/ona milují (also milujou in spoken Czech) – they love

So miluje is 3rd person singular.

Why moje babička and not můj babička? How does moje agree with the noun?

Czech possessive my has several forms:

můj – for masculine singular (e.g. můj bratr – my brother)
moje (or má) – for feminine singular (e.g. moje sestra – my sister)
moje – for neuter singular (e.g. moje dítě – my child)
moji / moje / moje – for plurals, depending on gender

Babička (grandmother) is feminine, so you use the feminine form:

moje babička – my grandmother

Můj babička is incorrect because můj is masculine, and the noun is feminine.

What is the difference between moje babička and má babička?

Both are grammatically correct and mean my grandmother.

moje babička – the full form, very common in normal speech and writing
má babička – the short form, often feels a bit more formal, literary, or stylistically marked today

In everyday conversation, learners are safest using moje babička.
You will still see and hear má babička, especially in literature, songs, or more elevated style.

Is babička just the formal word for grandmother, or does it feel more like grandma / granny?

Babička is grammatically a diminutive of bába / baba, but in modern Czech it is the standard everyday word for grandmother. It roughly corresponds to English grandma / granny, i.e. warm and familiar.

Some nuances:

babička – common, neutral, affectionate; also used in formal contexts if you’re just naming the relative
babi / babička moje etc. – more intimate, childlike or emotional
bábuša / babča – very colloquial, regional, or playful

So Moje babička je miluje feels completely normal and neutral, not childish or slangy.

Why is there no word for does or is in the Czech sentence, as in English My grandmother loves them / My grandmother does love them?

Czech does not use:

do/does as an auxiliary in questions/emphasis, or
an extra is with normal present-tense verbs.

A single present-tense verb is enough:

Moje babička je miluje.
Literally: My grandmother them loves.

To add emphasis like does love, Czech usually changes word order or adds particles, not an auxiliary verb:

Moje babička je opravdu miluje. – My grandmother really loves them.
Ona je miluje. – She loves them. (stressing the subject)

Can I omit moje and just say Babička je miluje?

Yes, you can say:

Babička je miluje.

This typically means Grandma loves them, with whose grandmother understood from context. In many conversations, that’s perfectly natural — especially within a family or when it is clear which grandmother you are talking about.

But:

Moje babička je miluje. is more explicit: My grandmother loves them.

So whether you can drop moje depends on how clear the context already is.

Can I drop je and just say Moje babička miluje?

Normally, no. The verb milovat is transitive: it almost always needs a direct object (what / whom she loves).

Moje babička je miluje. – My grandmother loves them. (complete)
Moje babička miluje. – My grandmother loves… (and then you are waiting for what/who)

You could finish it with a general noun:

Moje babička miluje přírodu. – My grandmother loves nature.
Moje babička miluje psy. – My grandmother loves dogs.

But you normally cannot just stop at miluje and expect the sentence to feel complete.

Is the word order Moje babička je miluje fixed, or can I move the words around?

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but not completely free. All of these are possible, with different emphasis:

Moje babička je miluje. – neutral/standard: My grandmother loves them.
Je moje babička miluje. – emphasises je (them) and de‑emphasises the subject; can sound slightly stylised.
Moje babička miluje je. – puts je in a more stressed position; often contrastive.
Je miluje moje babička. – emphasises the subject (it’s my grandmother who loves them).

For a learner, Moje babička je miluje is the safest, most natural basic word order.