Learn Hardcore Czech: Za pět minut musím odejít do práce, ale teď se ještě cítím klidně. - In five minutes I have to leave for work, but now I still feel calm.

So v pěti minutách is not used for in five minutes in the future; it would sound like “in the span of five minutes” and is very unnatural here. For “in five minutes (from now)”, use za pět minut.

Why is it pět minut and not pět minuty? What case is that?

Two things are happening:

The preposition za in the time sense takes the accusative.
After numbers 5 and higher, the noun goes into the genitive plural form.

So:

pět is the numeral (here in accusative, but its form looks the same as nominative).
minut is genitive plural of minuta (sg. nom.).

This is a general pattern:

pět minut (five minutes)
pět hodin (five hours)
pět dní (five days)

You do not say pět minuty; that would be wrong. Just memorize that 5+ uses the genitive plural of the noun.

Can I move za pět minut somewhere else, like Musím za pět minut odejít do práce? Does word order change the meaning?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, and both are correct:

Za pět minut musím odejít do práce.
Musím za pět minut odejít do práce.

The meaning is basically the same. The difference is in what you emphasize:

Za pět minut musím… – the time frame “in five minutes” is emphasized first.
Musím za pět minut odejít… – you start with the obligation “I must…”, then specify when.

In neutral speech, placing the time expression first is very common, but both orders are natural.

Why is it musím and not budu muset if it’s about the future?

Modal verbs like muset (musím) commonly use present tense even for future obligations, especially when you add a time phrase:

Za pět minut musím odejít. = I have to leave in five minutes. (future)
Zítra musím do práce. = I have to go to work tomorrow.

You can say budu muset odejít, but:

Za pět minut budu muset odejít do práce.

sounds a bit more distant, like you’re describing a future situation from some remove. In everyday speech, with a clear future time expression, present tense of musím is the normal choice for near future obligations.

Why is it odejít and not just jít or odcházet?

This is about aspect and prefixes:

jít = to go (on foot), no idea of leaving something behind
odejít = to leave, go away (perfective, one completed act of leaving)
odcházet = to be leaving, to leave repeatedly / habitually (imperfective)

In Za pět minut musím odejít do práce, you’re talking about one concrete act of leaving, at a specific time (in five minutes). That fits a perfective verb (odejít) very well.

Alternatives:

Za pět minut musím jít do práce. – also acceptable and common; it focuses more on going to work than on leaving (here).
Za pět minut musím odcházet do práce. – can mean something like “In five minutes I should be in the process of leaving for work”; more about the ongoing process or a routine.

The sentence with odejít emphasizes the moment of departure.

Why is it do práce and not na práci?

In Czech, do and na split up meanings that in English all look like “to work” or “to the office / workplace”.

do práce (do + genitive) is used when you mean “to work / to my job / to the workplace (as a place)”:
- Jdu do práce. = I’m going to work (to my workplace).
na práci (na + accusative) is used for “for work / for doing some work”:
- Nemám čas na práci. = I don’t have time for work.
- Nástroje na práci. = tools for work.

Since the sentence means “leave to go to my job / workplace”, you must use do práce, not na práci.

Why is there no já? Why not Já musím odejít and Já se cítím klidně?

Czech is a “pro‑drop” language: the subject pronoun is usually omitted because it’s clear from the verb ending.

musím already tells us it’s 1st person singular (I must).
cítím also clearly means I feel.

You only add já when you want to emphasize the subject:

Já musím odejít (ne ty). = I have to leave (not you).
Já se teď ještě cítím klidně. = I (personally) still feel calm now.

In the neutral sentence, leaving já out is more natural.

What is the role of se in cítím se? Why can’t I just say cítím klidně?

Cítit se with se is a reflexive verb meaning “to feel (in a certain state)”, like English “I feel good / bad / calm.”

cítit (without se) = to feel, sense (something):
- Cítím bolest. = I feel pain.
- Cítím chlad. = I feel cold (as a physical sensation).
cítit se (with se) = to feel (as in one’s state or condition):
- Cítím se dobře. = I feel good.
- Cítím se unavený. = I feel tired.
- Teď se ještě cítím klidně. = Right now I still feel calm.

In this sentence you talk about your emotional/mental state, so you must use cítit se, not plain cítit.

Why is se placed after teď: teď se ještě cítím, and not teď ještě se cítím?

Se is a clitic – a short, unstressed word that normally goes in the second position in the clause.

Basic rule:
Take the first stressed word/phrase in the clause, and clitics like se, si, mi, ti, ho go immediately after it.

In Teď se ještě cítím klidně:

First stressed word: Teď (now).
Then comes the clitic: se.
Then other words: ještě cítím klidně.

So:

Teď se ještě cítím klidně. ✅ (natural)
Teď ještě se cítím klidně. ❌ (ungrammatical / very wrong)

If you start the clause with the verb:

Ještě se teď cítím klidně. – here Ještě is first, then se is second.

What exactly does ještě mean here, and why is it placed before cítím?

Ještě usually means “still / yet”, depending on context:

With a positive verb: often “still”
- Ještě mám čas. = I still have time.
With a negative verb: often “yet”
- Ještě nemám čas. = I don’t have time yet.

In Teď se ještě cítím klidně, ještě adds the idea that this state may change soon:

Right now I *still feel calm (but maybe soon I won’t).*

Word order:

Teď se ještě cítím klidně. – neutral, very natural.
Ještě se teď cítím klidně. – also possible; emphasizes “still” a bit more.

You normally put ještě before the verb (and after any clitic like se):
… se ještě cítím …, … ještě musím …, etc.

Why is it klidně and not klidný? I thought it should be an adjective, like I feel calm.

Czech often uses adverbs (ending in -ě / -e) with verbs like cítit se, mít se, žít, etc., where English uses adjectives.

Cítím se dobře. = I feel good.
Cítím se špatně. = I feel bad.
Mám se fajn. = I’m doing fine.

So:

klidný = calm (adjective)
klidně = calmly / in a calm way (adverb)

In practice, Cítím se klidně means “I feel (in a) calm (way/state)”, essentially the same as English I feel calm.

You can also see Cítím se klidný, but Cítím se klidně sounds more idiomatic, parallel to dobře / špatně / nervózně.

Why is there a comma before ale?

In Czech, you almost always put a comma before the conjunction ale when it connects two clauses or parts of the sentence:

… musím odejít do práce, ale teď se ještě cítím klidně.

There are two coordinated clauses:

Za pět minut musím odejít do práce
(ale) teď se ještě cítím klidně

Because ale links them, a comma is mandatory before it. This is a standard rule in Czech punctuation.

Can I swap the two parts of the sentence, like Teď se ještě cítím klidně, ale za pět minut musím odejít do práce?

Yes, that version is perfectly correct and natural:

Teď se ještě cítím klidně, ale za pět minut musím odejít do práce.

Czech allows you to change the order of clauses linked by ale without changing the basic meaning. What changes is what you present first / emphasize:

Original: Za pět minut musím odejít do práce, ale teď se ještě cítím klidně.
- First: the future obligation.
- Second: your current calm state.
Swapped: Teď se ještě cítím klidně, ale za pět minut musím odejít do práce.
- First: your current calm state.
- Second: the coming obligation.

Both sentences are fine; choose the order that fits what you want to stress.