Learn Hardcore Czech: Moje maminka říká, že ne všechno je možné, ale že je možné mít dobrý den i s málem peněz. - My mom says that not everything is possible, but that it is possible to have a good day even with little money.

Style / feel:
- moje sounds a bit more neutral and is very common in spoken language.
- má can sound a little more formal, literary, or “tidier” in writing.
Position: Short forms like má, tvá, svá often fit better earlier in the sentence or in more formal/poetic style, but in everyday speech moje is probably more frequent.

So here, Moje maminka říká… is perfectly natural and common Czech.

Why is there a comma before že in říká, že?

In Czech, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like že (that), když (when/if), protože (because), etc. are normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

Moje maminka říká, že…
- Moje maminka říká = main clause (My mum says)
- že ne všechno je možné… = subordinate clause (that not everything is possible…)

So the comma before že is mandatory here. This is a standard punctuation rule in Czech, not optional style.

Why is že repeated: že ne všechno je možné, ale že je možné…? Could we omit the second že?

The repetition of že is natural and quite common:

…říká, že ne všechno je možné, ale že je možné mít dobrý den…
= …says that not everything is possible, but that it is possible to have a good day…

You can omit the second že:

…říká, že ne všechno je možné, ale je možné mít dobrý den…

Both versions are grammatically correct. Differences:

With repeated že (ale že…):
- Slightly clearer structure.
- Feels a bit more careful or emphatic.
Without repeated že:
- Slightly more colloquial, a bit more compact.

So the original is completely standard and maybe a bit more “carefully” phrased.

Why is it ne všechno je možné and not všechno není možné? Don’t they both mean “not everything is possible”?

They look similar but the focus of negation is not identical:

ne všechno je možné
= not everything is possible (some things are, some are not)
→ The negation applies to “all”. It explicitly allows that something is possible.
všechno není možné
Literally: everything is not possible.
In context this often also means “not everything is possible”, but it can sound a bit more like:
- “It’s not the case that everything is possible,”
  sometimes with a tone like “far from it”.

Czech tends to prefer “ne všechno je možné” when you clearly mean “only some things are possible, not all of them.” It cleanly marks that the set is partly possible, partly impossible.

Why is the word order ne všechno je možné instead of je ne všechno možné?

Czech word order is flexible but not completely free. Some sequences sound unnatural.

ne všechno je možné is the normal, natural order:
- ne všechno (not everything) – this whole phrase is the subject
- je možné – predicate (is possible)
je ne všechno možné is not idiomatic; Czech wouldn’t place ne in that position. The negation is attached to všechno (all), not to je (is), so it should come in front of všechno:

Correct options:

Ne všechno je možné.
(With different emphasis) Všechno není možné.

But je ne všechno možné is wrong as a sentence.

What exactly does je možné mít dobrý den mean? Why “je možné” and not just something like můžeš mít dobrý den?

The phrase je možné + infinitive is an impersonal construction meaning “it is possible to…”.

je možné mít dobrý den
= it is possible to have a good day

Why use this instead of můžeš mít dobrý den (“you can have a good day”)?

je možné mít dobrý den
- Neutral, general statement about possibility.
- No specific subject is mentioned; it’s like English “one can have / it is possible to have a good day.”
můžeš mít dobrý den
- Specifically addresses “you” (2nd person singular).
- More personal or direct.

The original sentence is about a general life truth, so the impersonal je možné mít… fits better.

Why is je možné in the neuter form? What is it agreeing with?

Možné is the neuter singular form of the adjective možný (possible).

In je možné mít dobrý den, there is an implicit “it”:

(To) mít dobrý den = having a good day
→ treated as a neutral “thing”
→ to je možné → (je) možné

So structurally you can think of it like:

(To) mít dobrý den je možné.
→ verb phrase mít dobrý den acts like a neuter noun
→ možné is neuter to match that.

In actual usage, the “to” is often dropped, and we just say je možné + infinitive, but the neuter agreement remains.

What case is s málem peněz, and why is it formed like that?

The phrase s málem peněz is a combination of:

s = preposition “with” that takes instrumental case
málem = instrumental of málo (“little, a small amount”)
peněz = genitive plural of peníze (“money”)

Structure:

s + instrumental → s málem = “with a small amount”
málo / málem + genitive → málem peněz = “a small amount of money”

So:

s málem peněz = “with a small amount of money” / “with little money”

This is a regular Czech pattern:

s málem času – with little time
s málem zkušeností – with few experiences / little experience

Why is it peněz and not peníze in s málem peněz?

Peníze is a plural noun:

Nominative: peníze (money)
Genitive plural: peněz

The word málo / málem normally requires the genitive for the thing being measured:

málo peněz – little money
hodně peněz – a lot of money
spousta peněz – loads of money

So we get:

s málem peněz
= with a small amount of money

Using peníze there (s málem peníze) would be grammatically wrong.

Is málem here the same word as málem meaning “almost”? That’s confusing.

They look the same, but in this sentence they function differently.

málem as the instrumental of málo (a little, small amount)
- Used after s:
  - s málem peněz – with little money
  - s málem času – with little time
málem as an adverb meaning “almost, nearly”
- Example:
  - Málem jsem spadl. – I almost fell.
  - Málem jsme to nestihli. – We almost didn’t make it.

In your sentence, context makes it clear:

s málem peněz → only “with little money” makes sense
It cannot mean “with almost money”.

So same form, different grammatical roles and meanings, distinguished by context.

What does i mean in i s málem peněz? How is that different from také or dokonce?

Here i means roughly “even”:

…je možné mít dobrý den i s málem peněz.
= it is possible to have a good day even with little money.

Compare:

také = “also, too, as well”
dokonce = “even, even to the point that, actually”

You could say:

…je možné mít dobrý den i s málem peněz. (most natural)
…je možné mít dobrý den i s málem peněz, dokonce i bez peněz.
– even with little money, even without money.

Using také s málem peněz would sound more like just adding another item in a list (“also with little money”), missing the sense of surprising contrast that English “even” has. So i is the right choice here.

Why is the present tense říká used? In English I might say “My mum said…”.

Czech present tense říká is very often used for:

general, habitual statements
- Moje maminka říká… = “My mum says (in general, as a rule)…”

English can also use the present:

My mum says that not everything is possible… (a thing she often says)

If you wanted one specific past event, you would use:

Moje maminka řekla, že… – My mum said that…

So říká here suggests this is something your mum regularly says, a kind of life motto or repeated advice.

Is there any nuance in using maminka instead of matka?

Yes, there is a clear nuance:

maminka
- diminutive, affectionate
- like “mum / mommy” in English
- warm, personal, commonly used in families and informal speech.
matka
- neutral, more formal, sometimes even cold
- like “mother” (in a more official or distant tone)
- often used in official forms, biology (“matka a otec”), legal language, etc.

So Moje maminka říká… feels warm and personal, which matches the content of the sentence (a comforting life lesson). Moje matka říká… would sound more detached or formal.