Learn Hardcore Czech: Když jsem dlouho doma sám, někdy se nudím. - When I am home alone for a long time, I sometimes get bored.

In Když jsem dlouho doma sám, někdy se nudím, we are not asking a question; we’re introducing a time condition (when I’m home alone for a long time), so když is correct and kdy would be wrong here.

Why is there no “já” (I) in Když jsem dlouho doma sám? Can I say Když já jsem…?

In Czech, the personal pronoun (já, ty, on, etc.) is often dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person.

jsem can only be 1st person singular → I am.

So Když jsem dlouho doma sám automatically means When I am home alone for a long time.

You can say Když já jsem dlouho doma sám…, but then já is emphatic, like:

When *I am home alone for a long time (as opposed to someone else)…*

In normal, neutral speech, you omit já here.

Why is the word order Když jsem dlouho doma sám and not Když dlouho jsem doma sám?

Czech word order is flexible, but auxiliary verbs (like jsem) usually stay right after the conjunction or the subject in neutral sentences.

Neutral: Když jsem dlouho doma sám…
Když dlouho jsem doma sám… sounds unnatural and marked.

Also, Czech tends to keep the verb early in the clause, and put adverbs like dlouho (for a long time) after the verb:

jsem dlouho doma sám (I am for a long time at home alone)

You can move things around for emphasis, but the given sentence is the most natural neutral order.

What exactly does doma mean, and how is it different from domů or dům?

dům = a house (noun, basic dictionary form)
- Ten dům je starý. – That house is old.
doma = at home (adverb-like form, location, “where?”)
- Jsem doma. – I am at home.
domů = home in the sense of to home (direction, “where to?”)
- Jdu domů. – I’m going home.

In Když jsem dlouho doma sám, doma answers “Where am I?” → I am at home.
So doma is the correct form.

Why is it dlouho and not dlouhý or dlouhá here?

Dlouho is an adverb meaning “for a long time / long” in the sense of duration.

dlouhý, dlouhá, dlouhé = adjective “long” that describes a noun:
- dlouhý film – a long film
- dlouhá cesta – a long journey

In the sentence Když jsem dlouho doma sám, dlouho modifies the time I am at home (for a long time), not a noun, so the adverb form dlouho is required, not the adjective dlouhý/dlouhá.

Can I change the order of dlouho, doma, and sám? For example: Když jsem sám doma dlouho?

You have some flexibility, and all of these are grammatically possible:

Když jsem dlouho doma sám… (original)
Když jsem dlouho sám doma…
Když jsem sám dlouho doma…

They all mean essentially the same: When I’m home alone for a long time, …

Subtle nuances:

Putting sám earlier (jsem sám dlouho doma) slightly highlights the “alone” part.
Putting dlouho earlier highlights the long duration.

But these are minor; all three orders would be understood and acceptable in everyday speech. The original is very natural and neutral.

What does sám mean here, and how does it change with gender?

Sám means “alone / by oneself”.

It behaves like an adjective and agrees with the subject in gender and number:

Já jsem sám. – I (male) am alone.
Já jsem sama. – I (female) am alone.
My jsme sami. – We (all male or mixed) are alone.
My jsme samy. – We (all female) are alone.

In Když jsem dlouho doma sám, the speaker is grammatically masculine singular.
A woman would say:

Když jsem dlouho doma sama, někdy se nudím.

What does se nudím literally mean, and why do we need se?

The verb is nudit se = “to be bored” / “to get bored” (reflexive verb in Czech).

nudit (někoho) = to bore (someone)
- Ten film mě nudí. – That film bores me.
nudit se = to be bored
- Nudím se. – I am bored / I’m getting bored.

The reflexive pronoun se is part of the verb; without it, the meaning changes:

někdy se nudím – I sometimes get bored / I’m sometimes bored.
někdy nudím – I sometimes bore (people). (missing someone as an object, and sounds incomplete)

So in někdy se nudím, se is necessary to express the correct “I am bored” meaning.

Why is se placed before nudím and not after it?

In Czech, short clitic words (like se, si, mi, ti, ho, mě, etc.) usually come right after the first stressed element in the clause and before the main verb.

So the natural orders are:

Někdy se nudím.
Já se někdy nudím.
Doma se někdy nudím.

But not:

*Někdy nudím se. (this is wrong in standard Czech)

Therefore, in někdy se nudím, se correctly comes immediately in the clitic position, before nudím.

Why is the tense present (nudím) when English might say “I get bored”? Is this also about aspect?

Yes, this is both tense and aspect.

nudím se is a present tense form of an imperfective verb (nudit se).

In Czech, we often use the present tense of an imperfective verb to express general, repeated, habitual actions:

Když mám hlad, jím. – When I am hungry, I eat.
Když jsem dlouho doma sám, někdy se nudím. – When I am home alone for a long time, I sometimes (get) bored.

English uses forms like “I get bored” or “I become bored,” but Czech is fine with the simple present: nudím se.

For a one-time future situation, you might say:

Když budu dlouho doma sám, asi se začnu nudit.
When I’m (going to be) home alone for a long time, I’ll probably start getting bored.

Can někdy be placed in other positions, like Se někdy nudím or Nudím se někdy?

Yes, někdy (sometimes) is flexible:

Někdy se nudím. – neutral, adverb at the beginning
Já se někdy nudím. – slightly more emphasis on já
Doma se někdy nudím. – emphasis on at home
Nudím se někdy. – possible, but sounds a bit less neutral and often needs some specific context/contrast.

What you should avoid in standard word order:

*Se někdy nudím. – starting the sentence with se is wrong in normal statements (clitics don’t go first).

So Někdy se nudím is the best neutral version.

Is když here closer to English “when” or “if”?

In this sentence it is mostly like “when / whenever”:

Když jsem dlouho doma sám, někdy se nudím.
When / whenever I’m home alone for a long time, I sometimes get bored.

Když can sometimes translate as “if”, especially when talking about conditions:

Když máš čas, zavolej mi. – If you have time, call me.

Here, however, it describes a repeated situation tied to time, so “when/whenever” is the most natural English equivalent.

Why is sám in the same form as the subject and not in some different case, like sámem?

After být (to be), the word describing the subject is usually in the nominative case, agreeing with the subject, just like an adjective:

Jsem unavený. – I am tired.
Jsem sám. – I am alone.

So sám is in nominative masculine singular, matching the (implied) subject já.

Forms like samým or sámem belong in other structures (instrumental or different syntactic roles) and are not used here. The correct predicate form after jsem is simply sám (or sama for a woman).

Could the sentence mean “Sometimes I bore myself” instead of “Sometimes I’m bored”?

No. In Czech:

nudit se = to be bored / get bored (reflexive, standard meaning)
- Někdy se nudím. – Sometimes I’m bored.

Czech does not interpret se here as “myself” in the English reflexive-verb sense (to bore myself).
If you wanted “I bore myself” in a very literal sense, you’d need a different wording, and even then it would sound odd or humorous.

So někdy se nudím is simply “sometimes I am bored / I get bored”, not “I bore myself.”