Breakdown of Říkám jim, že zdraví je nejdůležitější.
Questions & Answers about Říkám jim, že zdraví je nejdůležitější.
In Czech, říkat (to say/tell) uses the dative case for the person you are saying something to.
- jim = to them (dative plural of oni)
- je = them as a direct object (accusative plural)
In English you say: I tell them, but grammatically it’s closer to I say (something) to them → that “to them” is dative in Czech, so jim is correct:
- Říkám jim, že… = I tell them that…
- If you said Říkám je, it would sound like “I am saying them”, which is wrong.
Czech distinguishes imperfective and perfective verbs.
říkám – imperfective, present tense of říkat
- Focus: ongoing, repeated, or general action
- Říkám jim, že… = I (regularly / right now) tell them that…
řeknu – perfective, future meaning of říct / říci
- Focus: a single, completed act
- Řeknu jim, že… = I will tell them that (once, at some point)
So in this sentence, říkám suggests a current or habitual statement, not a one-time future promise.
In Czech, you normally put a comma before že when it introduces a subordinate clause. Here:
- Říkám jim, = main clause
- že zdraví je nejdůležitější. = subordinate clause, “that health is the most important (thing).”
Czech punctuation rules are stricter here than English. Even where English might omit the comma (I tell them that health is…), Czech keeps it:
- Říkám jim, že…
- Myslím, že…
- Vím, že…
In this context, že is a conjunction meaning that, introducing a clause:
- Říkám jim, že… = I tell them that…
It’s very common after verbs of speaking, thinking, knowing, etc.:
- myslet si, že… – to think that…
- vědět, že… – to know that…
- říkat, že… – to say that…
You usually cannot drop že in standard Czech the way you sometimes drop “that” in English.
- English: I think (that) it’s true.
- Czech: Myslím, že je to pravda. (you keep že in standard language)
Czech has no articles at all (no “a / an / the”). So you just say:
- zdraví = health / the health (context decides)
The whole clause:
- zdraví je nejdůležitější can mean:
- health is the most important (thing), or
- good health is the most important, etc.
Czech relies on word order and context, not articles, to express definiteness.
Here, zdraví is:
- gender: neuter
- case: nominative
- number: singular
It’s the subject of the clause:
- zdraví (subject) je (verb “to be”) nejdůležitější (predicate adjective)
Note that zdraví ends in -í, which often (not always) signals a neuter noun in Czech.
Je is the 3rd person singular form of být (to be). We use singular because zdraví is a singular neuter noun.
- zdraví je… = health is…
- If the subject were plural, you’d use jsou:
- Lidé jsou důležití. = People are important.
So: one abstract concept (health) → singular je.
Yes, predicate adjectives in Czech agree with the subject in gender, number, and case.
- Subject: zdraví – neuter, singular, nominative
- Adjective: nejdůležitější – neuter, singular, nominative form
The form nejdůležitější is a bit tricky because this ending is shared by several genders/numbers, but here it functions as neuter singular to match zdraví.
nejdůležitější is the superlative of důležitý (important):
- Base adjective: důležitý = important
- Comparative: důležitější = more important
- Superlative: nejdůležitější = most important
So:
- důležitý – important
- důležitější – more important
- nejdůležitější – the most important
The prefix nej- + comparative stem usually forms the superlative in Czech.
Yes, Zdraví je to nejdůležitější is also correct, but slightly different in nuance.
Zdraví je nejdůležitější.
- “Health is the most important (thing).”
- More general, straightforward statement.
Zdraví je to nejdůležitější.
- Roughly: “Health is the very most important thing.”
- The to (“that”) adds a bit of emphasis, like pointing at an abstract list and saying: that one is the top priority.
Both are natural; your original sentence is perfectly fine and common.
Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English. You can say:
- Říkám jim, že zdraví je nejdůležitější. (neutral)
- Zdraví je nejdůležitější, říkám jim. (emphasis on the statement itself: “Health is the most important, I tell them.”)
The first version focuses more on the act of telling; the second foregrounds the message itself.
That word order (že je zdraví nejdůležitější) is possible, but it sounds less neutral and might feel more marked or emphatic, sometimes with a slightly different information structure (focusing on what is the most important).
The most natural, neutral order for a simple statement here is:
- že zdraví je nejdůležitější
If you change it to že je zdraví nejdůležitější, it can sound like you are contrasting it with other things: “that it’s health that is the most important.” In everyday speech, learners are safest sticking with the original order.
Pronunciation details:
- Ř: a special Czech sound, something like a rolled r combined with a soft zh (as in “measure”). Your tongue vibrates like for r, but with voicing similar to ž.
- ří-: sounds roughly like rzh-ee (with a long í).
- -kám: k like English k, and ám with a long á (held longer than English “a” in car), plus m.
So Říkám has:
- Stress on the first syllable: ŘÍ-kám
- Long vowels: í and á are both long in writing and speech.
The Czech present tense of an imperfective verb (říkat → říkám) can express:
- Right now:
- “I am telling them (right now) that health is the most important.”
- Habit / repeated action:
- “I (always / regularly) tell them that health is the most important.”
Context would clarify which. Grammatically, both readings are possible, just like English “I tell them” / “I’m telling them” in some contexts.