Learn Hardcore Czech: Na jaře se děti těší na prázdniny a na podzim se zase těší na první sníh. - In spring the children look forward to the holidays and in autumn they again look forward to the first snow.

Se is a reflexive pronoun, but in this sentence it’s mainly there because těšit se na is a fixed reflexive verb that means “to look forward to”.

těšit (without se) = to please / to make someone happy
- To dítě těší rodiče. = That child makes the parents happy.
těšit se na + accusative = to look forward to something
- Děti se těší na prázdniny. = The children look forward to the holidays.

So se doesn’t mean “themselves” here in the way English reflexives do; it’s just part of the verb těšit se na. You must include it whenever you use this meaning.

Why is na used twice: na jaře, na prázdniny, na podzim, na první sníh? Does na mean the same thing in all of them?

No, na has different functions here:

na jaře – “in spring”
- Time expression, basically meaning “in”.
- na
  - locative (jaře) → “in (the) spring”.
na podzim – “in autumn/fall”
- Also a time expression meaning “in”.
- Formally it’s na
  - accusative (podzim), but you learn na podzim as a fixed phrase: “in autumn”.
těšit se na prázdniny / na první sníh – “to look forward to the holidays / the first snow”
- Here na is part of the verb pattern těšit se na + accusative = to look forward to.
- na prázdniny, na první sníh are objects of the verb.

So:

With seasons/time, na ≈ “in” (na jaře, na podzim).
With těšit se na, na ≈ “to” (look forward to).

Why is the word order Na jaře se děti těší, not Na jaře děti se těší or Děti se na jaře těší?

Word order in Czech is more flexible than in English, but clitics like se (short unstressed words) have special rules: they usually stand in the second position in the clause.

In Na jaře se děti těší na prázdniny:

Na jaře = first (stressed) element
se = moves right after that, into the second position
děti těší na prázdniny = the rest of the clause

Other correct options are possible:

Děti se na jaře těší na prázdniny.
Na jaře děti se těší na prázdniny. (less natural)

But Na jaře se děti těší… is very natural because:

It puts the time expression Na jaře first (topic: “in spring”),
and respects the clitic rule: se goes right after the first stressed phrase.

What exactly does těšit se na mean, and how is it different from just těšit?

těšit se na + accusative = to look forward to something
- Děti se těší na prázdniny. = The children are looking forward to the holidays.
těšit + accusative (without se) = to please / to make someone happy
- Děti těší rodiče. = The children please their parents / make their parents happy.

So:

If you want to say “look forward to X”, you must use těšit se na X.
If you leave out se, you change the meaning to “to please someone”.

Why is prázdniny plural? In English we often say "holiday" or "vacation" in the singular.

In Czech, prázdniny is always plural (there is no standard singular form in this meaning):

prázdniny = (school) holidays, vacation (for pupils/students)
Typically refers to school breaks, especially the long summer break.

Compare:

prázdniny – holidays for pupils/students (e.g. summer holidays, spring break).
dovolená (usually singular) – vacation/leave for workers/employees.

So in this sentence, na prázdniny = “for the (school) holidays” or “for vacation”, but grammatically it must be plural in Czech.

What case is used in na prázdniny and na první sníh?

Both are accusative:

prázdniny – accusative plural (same form as nominative plural)
první sníh – sníh is masculine inanimate; accusative singular has the same form as nominative singular (sníh).

The verb těšit se na always takes na + accusative:

těšit se na
- accusative
  - těšit se na prázdniny
  - těšit se na první sníh
  - těšit se na víkend (weekend)
  - těšit se na film (a movie)

What does zase add in a na podzim se zase těší na první sníh?

Zase can mean “again”, “in turn”, or “on the other hand”, depending on context. Here it has a contrastive, slightly “balancing” meaning:

Na jaře … they look forward to the holidays,
a na podzim se zase těší na první sníh.
→ “and in autumn they (on the other hand / then) look forward to the first snow.”

It suggests a switch: in one part of the year they look forward to one thing, later in the year to something else.

Why is the present tense těší used, even though this describes a general, repeated habit?

Czech uses the present tense for:

Actions happening right now, and
Habits / regular occurrences, just like English simple present.

In this sentence, Na jaře se děti těší… a na podzim se zase těší… describes a general, recurring pattern every year. English might also use the simple present:

In spring, children look forward to the holidays, and in autumn they look forward to the first snow again.

So the Czech present těší is the normal choice here.

Why is there no comma before a na podzim?

In Czech, you usually don’t put a comma before a (and) when it simply connects two main clauses or two parts of a sentence of equal status, especially if the subject is the same and not repeated.

Here:

Na jaře se děti těší na prázdniny
a
na podzim se zase těší na první sníh.

Both parts share the same logical subject (děti) and are joined by a as a simple coordination, so no comma is used.

You would use a comma with a if it introduces, for example, a subordinate clause or a change of structure, but not in a straightforward “X and Y” like this.

Can I change the order to Děti se na jaře těší na prázdniny a na podzim zase na první sníh?

Yes, that sentence is correct and natural:

Děti se na jaře těší na prázdniny a na podzim zase na první sníh.

Differences in nuance:

Original: Na jaře se děti těší…
→ starts with “In spring”, emphasizing the time; then mentions the children.
Your version: Děti se na jaře těší…
→ starts with “Children”, emphasizing them as the topic.

Both are fine; Czech allows this kind of flexibility. Just remember to keep se in the second position in each clause.

What cases are na jaře and na podzim, and why are they different?

na jaře
- jaro → jaře (locative singular)
- na
  - locative = “on / in” (here: “in spring”)
na podzim
- podzim → form podzim here is accusative singular (same as nominative)
- na
  - accusative often expresses time: na Vánoce (at Christmas), na Velikonoce (at Easter), na podzim (in autumn).

So:

na jaře = na
- locative
na podzim = na
- accusative

Learners usually just memorize these fixed time expressions (na jaře, v létě, na podzim, v zimě) rather than trying to reason out the case every time.

What is the grammatical role of děti in this sentence?

Děti is:

the subject of both clauses,
nominative plural of dítě (child),
grammatically it follows a feminine plural pattern (even though it can refer to boys and girls together).

In the full, non-elliptical version you could think of it as:

Na jaře se děti těší na prázdniny a (děti) se na podzim zase těší na první sníh.

The second děti is omitted because it’s obvious from context, but it’s still the logical subject of se (děti) zase těší.

How do you pronounce the ř in jaře, and is it the same sound as in řeka?

Yes, it’s the same ř sound as in řeka (river), dobře (well), tři (three).

Basic tips:

It’s a sound unique to Czech.
Imagine saying ž (as in measure) or ř in “zh” while your tongue is in the position for r, and let it vibrate.
In jaře, the stress is on the first syllable: JA-ře.

Phonetically, ř is often described as a “voiced, rolled, fricative r”. It usually takes practice and listening to native speakers to get it right, but jaře and řeka have the same consonant sound.