Learn Hardcore Czech: Když začne silný déšť, je naše silnice před domem plná vody. - When heavy rain starts, our road in front of the house is full of water.

když začne silný déšť = when a heavy rain starts / when it starts raining heavily
- Focus on the beginning of the event.
- Uses the perfective verb začne (from začít, “to begin”).
když prší = when it rains / when it is raining
- Describes the ongoing state.
- Uses the imperfective verb prší (from pršet, “to rain”).

In your sentence, the idea is: “As soon as the heavy rain begins, our road in front of the house is full of water,” so začne is a good choice.

Why is the word order když začne silný déšť and not když silný déšť začne?

Both orders are grammatically correct:

Když začne silný déšť…
Když silný déšť začne…

The first one (Když začne silný déšť) is simply more natural and common in everyday speech. In Czech, word order is flexible, and you can move the verb and subject around to change rhythm or focus:

Když silný déšť začne… might sound a bit more emphatic on silný déšť, almost like “When that heavy rain starts…”

For neutral style, Když začne silný déšť is the default.

What is the difference between silný déšť, velký déšť, and těžký déšť?

In this context:

silný déšť = heavy / strong rain
→ This is the normal, idiomatic way to say “heavy rain” in Czech.
velký déšť literally “big rain”
→ Can be understood, but is not the usual collocation for “heavy rain”. It may sound a bit off or poetic.
těžký déšť literally “heavy (weight) rain”
→ Sounds unnatural in this meaning; it’s not how Czechs normally talk about rain.

So for “heavy rain”, you should learn and use silný déšť.

What exactly does silnice mean? How is it different from ulice and cesta?

silnice
- A road (for cars), often outside city centers, but also the main roads through towns.
- More like a car road / carriageway.
ulice
- A street, typically in a town or city, with buildings along it.
cesta
- Very general: way, path, journey.
- Can mean:
  - a path or track
  - your trip/journey (“cesta do Prahy” – journey to Prague)

In your sentence, naše silnice před domem suggests the road in front of the house (used by cars), not just any path.

Why is it plná vody and not something like plná vodou?

The adjective plný (“full”) normally takes the genitive case in standard Czech:

plný čeho? → plná vody = “full of water”
plný lidí = full of people
plný energie = full of energy

You can sometimes hear plný with the instrumental in spoken Czech (e.g. plný vodou), but:

plný + genitive (plná vody) is the standard, correct form.
plný + instrumental is more colloquial and less recommended in careful writing.

So plná vody is exactly right here.

Why is před domem in this form? Why not před dům?

The preposition před can take two different cases:

před + instrumental = location (“in front of”)
- před domem = in front of the house (where something is)
před + accusative = movement towards a place (“to in front of”)
- před dům = to in front of the house (movement, direction)

In your sentence we talk about where the road is full of water:

naše silnice před domem = “our road in front of the house”

So před domem (instrumental) is correct.

Why is there a comma before je naše silnice…?

The comma separates a subordinate clause from the main clause:

Když začne silný déšť, = subordinate clause (“When a heavy rain starts,”)
je naše silnice před domem plná vody. = main clause (“our road in front of the house is full of water.”)

In Czech, you normally put a comma between a subordinate clause introduced by words like když, že, protože, etc. and the main clause.

So the comma is required here.

Why is it je naše silnice… plná and not something like jsou naše silnice… plná?

The verb and adjective agree with silnice, which is:

feminine, singular

So:

silnice je plná = the road is full (fem. sg.)
If it were plural: silnice jsou plné = the roads are full (fem. pl.)

naše also agrees with silnice:

naše silnice (feminine singular)
- masculine animate would be náš (e.g. náš pes – our dog)
- neuter would be naše as well, but with a different noun (e.g. naše auto – our car)

So the forms je and plná are correct because silnice is singular and feminine.

Why is začne in the present tense if this is a general repeated situation?

Czech often uses the present tense to describe general truths, habits, and repeated situations, just like English:

Když začne silný déšť, je naše silnice… plná vody.
= Whenever a heavy rain starts, our road is full of water.

This is the generic present (“whenever X happens, Y happens”), not a single event in the future or past.

You could also talk about the future:

Když začne silný déšť, bude naše silnice… plná vody.
= When a heavy rain starts, our road will be full of water.
But that’s more clearly future-oriented. Your original sentence is about what usually happens.

What is the difference between když and až for “when”? Could I say Až začne silný déšť?

Both když and až can be translated as “when”, but they are used differently:

když
- Neutral “when(ever)”.
- Used for repeated, general situations and for past events.
- Když začne silný déšť, je silnice plná vody.
  → Whenever a heavy rain starts, the road is full of water.
až
- More future-oriented: “when (in the future), once”.
- Often implies a one-time or future event.
- Až začne silný déšť, bude silnice plná vody.
  → When (once) the heavy rain starts, the road will be full of water.

In your sentence, which describes a general, habitual situation, když is the natural choice.

Can I change the word order to Naše silnice před domem je plná vody, když začne silný déšť?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct and understandable:

Naše silnice před domem je plná vody, když začne silný déšť.

It’s just a different word order. The meaning is practically the same:

Original: Starts with the condition → “When a heavy rain starts, our road…”
Changed: Starts with the result → “Our road… is full of water when a heavy rain starts.”

Czech word order is flexible, so both are fine; the choice is mostly about style and focus.

How do I pronounce déšť and why is it written like that?

déšť is pronounced approximately like:

[déshtʲ] → something like “desht” in English (with a soft t at the end)

Key points:

déšť has a long é (length matters in Czech).
The cluster šť represents a shch-like sound, similar to how šťastný (“happy”) is pronounced.
The final ť is a palatalized t, like a slightly “soft” ty sound.

You don’t need to think about every detail at the beginning; just aim for something like “desht” with a long é: dééš(t).