Learn Hardcore Czech: Tento park se mi líbí víc než ulice, kde je pořád hlučno. - I like this park more than the street where it is noisy all the time.

Czech doesn’t say I like something the same way English does. It uses the verb líbit se, which literally means “to be pleasing (to someone)”.

The basic pattern is:

Něco se někomu líbí.
= Something is pleasing to someone.
= Someone likes something.

So:

Tento park se mi líbí.
= This park is pleasing to me.
= I like this park.

Here:

Tento park is the grammatical subject (nominative).
se is the reflexive particle that is part of the verb líbit se.
mi is the indirect object in the dative (to me).
líbí is the 3rd person singular form.

A sentence like já líbím tento park is simply ungrammatical in Czech; líbit se must be used with se and a dative person: něco se mi líbí.

What exactly does mi mean in se mi líbí, and how is it different from mně?

Both mi and mně are forms of já (I) in the dative case (to me, for me).

mi – short, clitic form; typically unstressed.
mně – long form; stressed, used for emphasis or after prepositions.

In Tento park se mi líbí:

mi = to me (indirect object of líbit se).
The neutral, usual form here is mi, because it’s in the clitic cluster (se mi).

You could say:

Mně se ten park líbí. – stressing that I like it (maybe as opposed to someone else).
Ten park se líbí mně. – very strong emphasis on me, often contrastive.

But in a neutral sentence with no special emphasis, se mi líbí is the most natural.

What is the function of se in se mi líbí? Can I just say Tento park mi líbí?

se is the reflexive particle that is an essential part of the verb líbit se. The “dictionary form” is líbit se, not just líbit.

The structure is:

líbit se někomu = to be pleasing to someone.

Without se, the verb changes meaning or becomes incorrect in this pattern.

Tento park mi líbí is wrong in standard Czech.

So you must say:

Tento park se mi líbí.
Ten film se ti líbí? – Do you like that film?
Nelíbí se jim ta hudba. – They don’t like that music.

The se cannot be dropped.

Why is the word order Tento park se mi líbí, not Tento park mi se líbí or Se mi líbí tento park?

Czech has a preferred position for short unstressed words called clitics (like se, mi, si, ti, jsem, bych). They typically go in second position in the sentence or clause.

In Tento park se mi líbí:

Tento park – first position (a full, stressed phrase).
se mi – clitics in the “second position” cluster.
líbí – the main verb.

So the clitic order is:

The first stressed element (here: Tento park)
Then clitics (se mi)
Then the main verb (líbí)

Grammatical and natural:

Tento park se mi líbí.

Also natural:

Mně se ten park líbí víc. (Here, Mně is the first element, then se, then the rest.)

Ungrammatical or very unnatural:

Tento park mi se líbí. – wrong clitic order.
Se mi líbí tento park – possible if Se is not treated as a clitic (e.g., in special emphasis or poetic language), but in ordinary speech you would rather say Mně se líbí tento park if you want this order.

For a learner, it’s safest to follow the pattern:

[stressed phrase] + se + mi + [verb]
e.g. Tento park se mi líbí.

Why is víc used here, and what is the difference between víc and více?

víc and více both mean more. They are basically the same word; víc is the shorter, more colloquial form.

In this sentence:

Tento park se mi líbí víc než ulice…
= I like this park more than the street…

You could also say:

Tento park se mi líbí více než ulice…

Differences:

víc – very common in everyday spoken Czech, neutral in informal contexts.
více – a bit more formal or careful; more common in writing or formal speech.

Grammatically both are correct here.

What does než do, and why is it než ulice and not something like než ulici?

než means than and introduces the second part of a comparison.

The structure here is:

Tento park se mi líbí víc než ulice…
= This park pleases me more than the street…

About the case:

Tento park is the subject (nominative).
After než, in this kind of comparison, the compared element is usually in the same case as it would be if the sentence were complete.

You could imagine the “full” sentence as:

Tento park se mi líbí víc než (se mi líbí) ulice.

Since ulice would also be the subject of (se mi líbí), it’s nominative: ulice.

That’s why než ulice (not ulici) sounds natural and standard here.

Contrast this with a different verb:

Mám radši tento park než tu ulici.
Here, mám radši takes a direct object in the accusative, so:
- ten park (accusative = nominative here)
- tu ulici (accusative of ta ulice).

So:

With líbit se, each liked thing is a subject (nominative).
With mám rád / mám radši, each liked thing is an object (accusative).

What is the role of kde in ulice, kde je pořád hlučno? Could I use která instead?

kde means where and here it introduces a relative clause describing the street:

ulice, kde je pořád hlučno
= the street where it is always noisy.

This is like English:

the street where it’s always noisy.

You can also use a relative pronoun která:

ulice, která je pořád hlučná
= the street which is always noisy.

Difference:

kde je pořád hlučno – focuses on the place and a general state there (“where it is noisy”).
která je pořád hlučná – describes a property of the street itself (“which is noisy”).

Both are correct; kde je pořád hlučno usually sounds a bit more natural when talking about typical atmosphere at a location (noise, quiet, dark, cold, etc.).

What exactly does pořád mean here, and how is it different from vždycky or stále?

pořád is an adverb that (in this context) means all the time / constantly.

In kde je pořád hlučno:

pořád ≈ constantly, the whole time, pretty much always.

Comparison:

pořád – very common, slightly colloquial; can mean:
- constantly / all the time (Kde je pořád hlučno.)
- still (Pořád tam bydlí. = He still lives there.)
vždycky – means always, more absolute:
- Kde je vždycky hlučno. – where it’s always noisy (sounds a bit stronger, like literally always).
stále – still / continually, a bit more formal:
- Kde je stále hlučno. – where it is continually/still noisy.

In everyday speech, pořád is very natural here.

Why is it je pořád hlučno and not je pořád hlučný or je pořád hlučná?

hlučno is a predicate form of the adjective hlučný (noisy), used in impersonal expressions like je hlučno = it is noisy.

Pattern:

je + adjective in -o → describes a general state or atmosphere:
- je teplo – it’s warm.
- je zima – it’s cold.
- je veselo – people are cheerful / it’s cheerful.
- je mi smutno – I feel sad (lit. “it is sad to me”).
- je hlučno – it’s noisy.

In kde je pořád hlučno:

There is no explicit subject like ulice.
kde marks a place, and je hlučno describes the general sound situation there.

If you wanted a normal adjective agreeing with a subject, you’d say:

Ta ulice je pořád hlučná. – That street is always noisy. (subject = ulice, adjective = hlučná)

Both ideas are possible as relative clauses:

ulice, kde je pořád hlučno – the street where it is always noisy.
ulice, která je pořád hlučná – the street which is always noisy.

The original uses the impersonal “atmosphere” expression je hlučno.

Can I say Tento park mám radši než ulici, kde je pořád hlučno instead? How is that different from se mi líbí víc?

Yes, you can say:

Tento park mám radši než ulici, kde je pořád hlučno.

Meaning:

I like this park more than the street where it’s always noisy.

Differences:

Verb choice
- se mi líbí víc uses líbit se:
  - Tento park se mi líbí víc než ulice…
- mám radši uses mít rád (to like):
  - Tento park mám radši než (tu) ulici…
Grammar / cases
With mám radši:
- Tento park – direct object (accusative, identical in form to nominative).
- ulici – also direct object, accusative of ulice. So: než (tu) ulici.
With líbit se:
- Tento park and ulice are subjects → nominative:
  - Tento park se mi líbí víc než ulice…
Style / nuance
- se mi líbí víc is slightly more neutral, often used about things, places, appearances.
- mám radši can feel a bit more personal/active, but in many contexts they are close in meaning.

Both versions are idiomatic; the original just uses the very common líbit se pattern.

Why is it Tento park and not Tenhle park or just Ten park? What’s the difference?

All of these are possible; they just differ in style and nuance:

tento park – neutral to slightly formal or careful; very common in written Czech and in clear, standard speech.
tenhle park – more colloquial / spoken; very common in everyday conversation.
ten park – also common; can mean that park in contrast to another one, context-dependent.

Rough feel:

Tento park se mi líbí víc… – “This park I like more…” (standard, textbook-like).
Tenhle park se mi líbí víc… – same meaning, but more casual, conversational.
Ten park se mi líbí víc… – “That park I like more…”, often implying a contrast (maybe “that one, not the other one”).

For a learner’s sentence, tento is very safe and standard.

Can I change the word order, for example to Více se mi líbí tento park než ulice, kde je pořád hlučno?

Yes, Czech word order is relatively flexible, and you can move elements to change emphasis.

Some natural variants:

Tento park se mi líbí víc než ulice, kde je pořád hlučno.
– Neutral focus: “This park I like more than the street…”
Více se mi líbí tento park než ulice, kde je pořád hlučno.
– Slight emphasis on více (the degree of preference).
Mně se víc líbí tento park než ulice, kde je pořád hlučno.
– Emphasis on mně (“I like this park more than…” maybe contrasting with someone else).
Více se mi líbí tento park než ta ulice, kde je pořád hlučno.
– Adding ta to highlight a specific street.

Rules to keep in mind:

Clitics (se, mi) still want to be in the second position of the clause (after the first stressed element).
Moving words mainly changes focus and emphasis, not basic meaning.

So your version Více se mi líbí tento park než ulice… is correct and natural, just with a slightly different emphasis.