Learn Hardcore Czech: Myslím na ně.

Myslím na ně.

I think of them.

Breakdown of Myslím na ně.

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Questions & Answers about Myslím na ně.

Why do we say Myslím na ně and not just Myslím je? Why is na needed?

In Czech, the verb myslet in the sense of “to think of/about someone or something (have them in your thoughts)” normally takes the preposition na + accusative:

myslet na někoho / na něco = to think (have thoughts) of/about someone or something

So:

Myslím na ně. = I’m thinking of them / They are on my mind.

Without na, myslet tends to mean “to think something (have an opinion)”:

Myslím, že… = I think that…
Myslím si, že… = I think that… / In my opinion…

But Myslím je is not idiomatic in the sense “I’m thinking of them.” You really need na for this meaning.

What case is ně, and why is it ně and not something like oni, je, or nich?

Ně here is the accusative plural of the 3rd‑person pronoun oni / ony / ona when used after most prepositions (it’s a special “short” prepositional form).

Base nominative forms (they):

oni (masculine animate)
ony (feminine, masculine inanimate)
ona (neuter plural)

Accusative plural (direct object):

je (after most verbs, without preposition)
ně (after most prepositions, like na, pro, o, za)

So:

Vidím je. = I see them. (no preposition → je)
Myslím na ně. = I think of them. (preposition → na ně)

Nich is locative plural (about them, on them, in them, etc. when the verb governs locative):

Mluvím o nich. = I’m talking about them. (o
- locative)
Sedím na nich. = I’m sitting on them. (na
- locative of location: where?)

Here, myslet na governs accusative, so we must use na ně, not na nich.

Can ně refer only to people, or also to things? Does it show gender?

Ně can refer to people or things, and it does not show gender on its own. It’s simply “them” in the accusative plural after a preposition.

Context tells you what ně refers to:

Myslím na ně. (talking about your parents) → I’m thinking of them (my parents).
Myslím na ně. (talking about exams) → I’m thinking of them (the exams).

The gender and type (people vs. things) are encoded in the antecedent noun, not in ně itself.

What’s the difference between myslet na and myslet o?

They are both translated with “think about” in English, but they’re different in Czech:

myslet na + accusative
- Means “have in your thoughts, keep in mind, think of (often emotionally)”
- Myslím na ně. = They’re on my mind / I’m thinking of them.
- Mysli na to! = Remember it! / Don’t forget it!
myslet o + locative
- Means “have an opinion about”
- Myslím o nich dobře. = I think well of them / I have a good opinion of them.
- Co o tom myslíš? = What do you think about it? (what’s your opinion?)

So Myslím na ně. is about them occupying your thoughts, not about your opinion of them.

Does Myslím na ně. mean “I’m thinking of them right now” or “I think about them in general”? How is tense handled?

Czech has only one present tense form for both English simple present and present continuous. So Myslím na ně. can mean either:

I’m thinking of them (right now).
I think about them (often / in general).

Context or added words will clarify:

Teď na ně myslím. = Right now I’m thinking of them.
Často na ně myslím. = I often think of them.

Can I change the word order, for example Na ně myslím? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, and it mainly affects emphasis, not basic meaning.

Myslím na ně. – neutral, “I think of them.”
Na ně myslím. – emphasizes “them”: It’s them I’m thinking of (not someone else).
Já myslím na ně. – emphasizes “I”: It’s me who is thinking of them (not you / not others).

All are grammatically correct; you choose based on what you want to highlight.

Why is there no si here? What would Myslím si na ně mean?

In this structure, si is not used. The natural phrase is simply:

Myslím na ně.

Myslet si is used when you express an opinion, usually followed by že or an object:

Myslím si, že máš pravdu. = I think you’re right.
Co si o tom myslíš? = What do you think about it?

Myslím si na ně is either wrong or sounds very odd. When you mean “they’re on my mind,” say Myslím na ně without si.

Does Myslím na ně. mean “I miss them”?

Not exactly.

Myslím na ně. = I’m thinking of them / They’re on my mind.
This may imply that you care or perhaps miss them, but the core meaning is “thinking of.”
The usual way to say “I miss them” is:
- Stýská se mi po nich. = I miss them.
  (literally: It is longing to me for them.)

So if you specifically want to express missing, use stýská se mi po nich, not Myslím na ně.

How would I make a question like “Do you think of them?” using this pattern?

You just change the verb to the appropriate person and use question intonation:

Myslíš na ně? – Do you (sg., informal) think of them?
Myslíte na ně? – Do you (pl./formal) think of them?

Other persons:

Myslí na ně? – Does he/she/it think of them?
Myslíme na ně? – Do we think of them?

Can I drop já in Já myslím na ně? When would I keep it?

Yes, you almost always drop the subject pronoun in Czech because the verb ending shows the person:

Myslím na ně. = I’m thinking of them.
(normal, neutral)

You use Já when you want to emphasize “I”:

Já myslím na ně. (and you don’t)
Já na ně myslím, ale oni na mě nemyslí.
I think of them, but they don’t think of me.

So the basic everyday sentence is simply Myslím na ně.

How does myslet conjugate in the present tense?

Present tense of myslet:

(já) myslím – I think
(ty) myslíš – you (sg., informal) think
(on/ona/ono) myslí – he/she/it thinks
(my) myslíme – we think
(vy) myslíte – you (pl. or formal) think
(oni/ony/ona) myslí – they think

So Myslím na ně. is 1st person singular present.

If I want to say “I always think of you (plural/formal)” instead, how would the sentence change?

You change only the pronoun:

Vždycky myslím na vás. = I always think of you. (you = plural or formal singular)

Compare:

Myslím na tebe. = I think of you (informal singular)
Myslím na něj. = I think of him
Myslím na ni. = I think of her
Myslím na ně. = I think of them (people or things)