Learn Hardcore Czech: Moji rodiče říkají, že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma. - My parents say that they like it when we are all at home.

You may also see mí rodiče in books or more formal style; it’s grammatically correct, just more formal/old‑fashioned. In everyday speech moji rodiče is the most common.

What is the literal, word‑for‑word structure of Moji rodiče říkají, že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma?

Breaking it down:

Moji rodiče = my parents (nominative plural)
říkají = (they) say / (they) are saying
že = that
se = reflexive particle used with líbit se
jim = to them (dative plural of oni)
líbí = is pleasing
když = when / whenever
jsme = we are (1st person plural of být)
všichni = all (all of us)
doma = at home

A very literal gloss would be:

My parents say, that to-them is-pleasing, when we-are all at-home.

Natural English:

My parents say they like it when we’re all at home.

How does líbit se work? Why do we need se and jim, and what is the subject in this sentence?

Líbit se is a special verb that corresponds roughly to English “to be pleasing (to someone)”. The structure is:

někomu se něco líbí
(something is pleasing to someone / someone likes something)

někomu = to someone (dative)
něco = something (nominative – the grammatical subject)

Examples:

Mně se ten film líbí.
Literally: To me the film is pleasing.
Meaning: I like the film.
Dětem se líbí ta hra.
The children like the game.

In your sentence:

jim = to them (your parents → the people who like it)
líbí = is pleasing
The subject (the “thing” that pleases them) is the whole clause
když jsme všichni doma (when we’re all at home).

So že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma is literally:

that it is pleasing to them, when we are all at home.

In translation we flip it into normal English word order and say:

that they like it when we’re all at home.

Do I always need se with líbit? Could I just say jim líbí?

Yes, with this verb you essentially always use líbit se as a unit.

líbit se = to be pleasing (to someone) → to like
se is part of the normal construction; you do not drop it.

✅ Correct:

Mně se to líbí. – I like it.
Jim se líbí ta písnička. – They like the song.

❌ Incorrect (for standard Czech):

Mně to líbí.
Jim líbí ta písnička.

Without se, líbit on its own is not used in modern standard Czech with this meaning.

Could I use mít rád instead of líbit se here? What’s the difference?

Both can translate as “to like”, but they are used a bit differently:

mít rád (+ accusative)
- more like to be fond of, to love / to like in general
- common with people, animals, food, activities
- e.g. Mám rád kávu. – I like coffee.
líbit se (+ dative person)
- to be pleasing (to someone), often about appearance, impression, situation
- e.g. Líbí se mi ten dům. – I like (the look of) that house.
- Líbí se mi, když prší. – I like it when it rains.

In your sentence, a natural alternative would be:

Moji rodiče říkají, že mají rádi, když jsme všichni doma.

This also means:

My parents say they like it when we’re all at home.

Nuance:

líbit se here sounds like this situation is pleasant to them.
mít rád is more general: they like / enjoy it.

Both are acceptable in this context; líbit se is very idiomatic with “when‑clause” situations like this.

Why is there a comma before že and before když in this sentence?

In Czech, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like že, když, protože, jestli, aby are normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

Here the structure is:

Main clause: Moji rodiče říkají, …
Subordinate clause 1: že se jim líbí, …
Subordinate clause 2 (inside 1): když jsme všichni doma.

So you get:

Comma after říkají → before že.
Comma after líbí → before když.

Hence:

Moji rodiče říkají, že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma.

This is normal Czech punctuation, even though English wouldn’t necessarily put commas there.

In English I can say “My parents say they like it when…”, without “that”. Can I omit že in Czech?

Generally, no. In Czech you almost always need the conjunction že to introduce this kind of object clause.

✅ Moji rodiče říkají, že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma.
❌ Moji rodiče říkají, se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma.

Without že, the sentence is ungrammatical or at least very unnatural.

If you want to avoid že, you usually have to change the structure, for example by using direct speech:

Moji rodiče říkají: „Líbí se nám, když jsme všichni doma.“
My parents say: “We like it when we’re all at home.”

What is the difference between kdy and když, and why is když used here?

kdy = when? (interrogative adverb; used in questions)
- Kdy přijdeš? – When will you come?
když = when / whenever / if (conjunction introducing a subordinate clause)
- Když přijdeš, zavolej. – When you come, call me.

In your sentence, když introduces a subordinate clause describing a situation, not a question:

když jsme všichni doma – when we’re all at home

Using kdy here would be wrong, because we are not asking “when?”; we’re describing a condition/time.

Why is it doma and not something like v domě or v domě?

doma is an adverb meaning “at home” as a state/location, not a physical “inside the building” in a neutral way.

Compare:

Jsem doma. – I’m at home. (the usual phrase)
Jsem v domě. – I’m in the house. (emphasis on being inside the building, not outside)

In your sentence the meaning is “when we’re all at home (not out somewhere else)”, so the natural word is doma.

Using v domě would sound more like emphasis on the physical house as an object, and would be unusual here.

Where is the word for “we” in když jsme všichni doma?

Czech usually omits personal subject pronouns (já, ty, on, my, vy, oni) because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

jsme = we are (1st person plural of být)

So:

když jsme všichni doma literally: when we‑are all at home

You could say když my jsme všichni doma, but that’s only used for strong emphasis on “we (as opposed to someone else)”. The neutral, normal sentence just uses jsme without my.

Can I change the word order inside když jsme všichni doma? For example, když všichni jsme doma or když jsme doma všichni?

Czech word order is relatively flexible, but there are preferences.

Most neutral here:

když jsme všichni doma – when we are all at home.

Also acceptable (slightly different emphasis, but still natural):

když jsme doma všichni – when we are at home, all of us.

More marked / less typical in everyday speech:

když všichni jsme doma – possible, but sounds a bit unusual; it puts extra emphasis on všichni (everyone).

Unnatural or clearly wrong variants would be ones that break the normal pattern too much (e.g. splitting když far from the verb or putting stressed words in strange places).

For everyday use, když jsme všichni doma is the best choice.

Could I say že jim se líbí instead of že se jim líbí? Does the order of se and jim matter?

Yes, the order matters.

Short, unstressed words like se, si, mi, ti, mu, nám, vám, jim (“clitics”) usually follow a specific order in the second position of the clause:

se / si
short personal pronouns (mi, ti, mu, nám, vám, jim)
auxiliary forms (jsem, jsi, …)

So the neutral order is:

že se jim líbí

This follows the rule: se first, then jim.

že jim se líbí is considered wrong or at least very unnatural in standard Czech.

You may see Jim se to líbí. at the beginning of a sentence – in that case Jim can be stressed (“They like it”), so it behaves more like a normal stressed word, not a clitic. But in the middle of the clause after že, the standard pattern is že se jim líbí.

What exactly does jim mean here, and how is it different from oni?

oni is the nominative plural form = they (used as subject).

jim is the dative plural of oni = to them / for them.

Because líbit se requires the person who likes something in the dative case, we use jim, not oni.

Pattern:

Oni říkají, že se jim líbí…
- Oni = they (subject of říkají)
- jim = to them (the ones for whom something is pleasing)

In your sentence, Moji rodiče is the subject, so oni is not written; jim is needed with líbí se.

Is říkají present tense here? How would I say “My parents said they like(d) it when we were all at home”?

Yes, říkají is present tense:

(oni) říkají = they say / they are saying.

To talk about the past:

A single past statement (they said once):
- Moji rodiče řekli, že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma.
  - řekli = they said (once)
  - líbí can stay present if their liking is still true now.
If you want everything firmly in the past:
- Moji rodiče řekli, že se jim líbilo, když jsme byli všichni doma.
  - líbilo = they liked (it)
  - byli = we were
Repeated / habitual past (they used to say):
- Moji rodiče říkali, že se jim líbí, když jsme všichni doma.
  - říkali = they used to say / they would say

So yes, říkají is present; for past you choose řekli (one time) or říkali (repeatedly) and adjust the rest depending on whether the liking is still valid or entirely in the past.

What case is rodiče in here, and how can I tell, since rodiče looks like both nominative and accusative plural?

The noun rodiče (parents) is one of those masculine animate nouns that have the same form for nominative plural and accusative plural.

The full paradigm (simplified):

sg nom: rodič – parent
pl nom: rodiče – parents
pl acc: rodiče – (I see) parents
pl gen: rodičů, etc.

In your sentence:

Moji rodiče říkají, …

Here rodiče is the subject of the verb říkají (Who is saying? → my parents), so it is nominative plural.

To decide the case, you must look at the function in the sentence, not just the form:

Subject → nominative:
Moji rodiče říkají… – My parents say…
Direct object → accusative:
Vidím své rodiče. – I see my parents. (here rodiče is accusative)