Learn Hardcore Czech: V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni. - On Saturday I often clean in the kitchen.

You just need to learn that “on Saturday” = v sobotu, not v sobota. The change in ending is the regular case change from nominative to accusative.

Why don’t we say já in the sentence? How do we know it means “I”?

Czech usually drops subject pronouns (like já, ty, on), because the verb ending already tells you the person and number.

In uklízím the ending -ím clearly marks 1st person singular (“I”). So:

uklízím = “I clean / I am cleaning”
uklízíš = “you (sg) clean”
uklízí = “he / she / it cleans”

You can include já for emphasis:

Já v sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni.
– “I often clean in the kitchen on Saturday (not someone else).”

But in a neutral statement, já is normally omitted.

What does the ending -ím in uklízím show?

The ending -ím on uklízím tells you several things:

Person & number:
- 1st person singular → “I”
Tense:
- Present tense
Aspect & verb type:
- This is the present tense of an imperfective verb (uklízet, “to clean (be cleaning, clean regularly)”).
- It belongs to a conjugation type where many verbs have endings like -ím, -íš, -í, -íme, -íte, -í.

Full present conjugation of uklízet:

(já) uklízím – I clean
(ty) uklízíš – you clean
(on/ona/ono) uklízí – he/she/it cleans
(my) uklízíme – we clean
(vy) uklízíte – you (pl/formal) clean
(oni/ony/ona) uklízejí / uklízí – they clean

So just from uklízím, you already know “present tense, I”.

What is the difference between uklízím and uklidím?

This is about verb aspect, which is very important in Czech:

uklízím comes from uklízet (imperfective)
- Focus on process, repetition, or habit
- V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni.
  – “On Saturdays I often clean in the kitchen.” (habitual)
uklidím comes from uklidit (perfective)
- Focus on completion / single finished action
- V sobotu uklidím kuchyni.
  – “On Saturday I will clean (and finish cleaning) the kitchen.”

Two key points:

For habits and repeated actions, use the imperfective:
- uklízím každou sobotu – I clean every Saturday
A perfective verb in the “present” form often refers to the future:
- uklidím ≈ “I will clean (and get it done)”

So choosing uklízím here correctly signals a repeated / habitual action, not a single completed event.

What exactly does často mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

Často means “often / frequently”. It’s an adverb of frequency.

In neutral sentences it typically comes before the verb:

V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni.
– “I often clean in the kitchen on Saturday / On Saturdays I often clean in the kitchen.”

Other possible (still natural) placements:

Často v sobotu uklízím v kuchyni.
– Emphasizes how often this happens; “I often, on Saturdays, clean in the kitchen.”
V sobotu uklízím často v kuchyni.
– Grammatically fine, but sounds a bit less natural; the usual place is simply často uklízím.

In general, putting často just before the verb (často uklízím) is the safest and most idiomatic choice.

Can I change the word order, like Často uklízím v kuchyni v sobotu? Does it change the meaning?

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but it’s not completely free; it affects emphasis and what feels natural.

Some variants:

V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni.
– Neutral, common: time (v sobotu) first, then adverb and verb.
Často v sobotu uklízím v kuchyni.
– Emphasizes frequency (často) a bit more. Still natural.
V kuchyni v sobotu často uklízím.
– Puts place first, like “In the kitchen, on Saturday I often clean.” Emphasizes location.
Často uklízím v kuchyni v sobotu.
– Grammatically OK, but sounds heavier and can feel like you’re especially highlighting “on Saturday” at the end. In speech, intonation would show the emphasis.

Rough guideline:

Czech often puts known or background information earlier in the sentence, and new or emphasized information later.
Your version Často uklízím v kuchyni v sobotu is understandable, but the original V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni is more typical and smoother in everyday speech.

Why is it v kuchyni and not v kuchyně or v kuchyní?

The noun kuchyně (“kitchen”) is feminine. Its basic (nominative) singular form is:

Nominative: kuchyně – “a/the kitchen”

After v meaning “in (a place)”, Czech uses the locative case. The locative singular of kuchyně is:

Locative: kuchyni – “in the kitchen”

So we say:

v kuchyni – “in the kitchen” (where? → locative)

Not:

v kuchyně – wrong form here
v kuchyní – wrong case/ending here

Compare:

jsem v kuchyni – I am in the kitchen (location → locative)
jdu do kuchyně – I am going to the kitchen (movement “to” → genitive after do)

Why does v sobotu use one form and v kuchyni another, even though both use v?

The preposition v can govern different cases depending on its meaning:

Time (on a day / at a point in time) → accusative
- v sobotu – on Saturday (accusative of sobota)
Location (in a place) → locative
- v kuchyni – in the kitchen (locative of kuchyně)

So:

v + accusative → “into / on (a point in time)”
- v sobotu, v neděli, v pondělí
v + locative → “in / inside (a place)”
- v kuchyni, v pokoji, v práci

Same preposition, different case and meaning. This is very typical in Czech (also with na, do, po, etc.).

Is this sentence about a habit (“On Saturdays I often clean the kitchen”) or about one specific Saturday?

On its own, V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni. most naturally describes a habit / regular activity:

Best English rendering: “On Saturdays I often clean in the kitchen.”

Reasons:

The adverb často (“often”) strongly suggests repetition.
Present tense uklízím with a day-of-week normally implies a regular pattern, not a single event.

If you clearly wanted:

one specific upcoming Saturday, you’d typically say something like:
- Tuto sobotu budu uklízet v kuchyni. – “This Saturday I’ll be cleaning in the kitchen.”
explicitly “every Saturday”, you might say:
- Každou sobotu uklízím v kuchyni. – “Every Saturday I clean in the kitchen.”
- O sobotách uklízím v kuchyni. – “On Saturdays I (generally) clean in the kitchen.”

But in normal context, the original sentence is understood as a habitual statement.

Does uklízím mean “I clean” or “I am cleaning”? How do you show that difference in Czech?

Uklízím can mean both:

“I clean” (habitually / regularly)
“I am cleaning” (right now)

Czech does not have a separate progressive form like English “am cleaning”. The simple present tense covers both meanings; context and adverbs decide which one is intended:

Teď uklízím v kuchyni.
– “I am cleaning in the kitchen now.” (right now → progressive meaning)
V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni.
– “(On) Saturdays I often clean in the kitchen.” (with často, v sobotu → habitual meaning)

So the same verb form uklízím can be translated as “I clean” or “I am cleaning” depending on context.

How do you pronounce V sobotu často uklízím v kuchyni?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA):

[f ˈsobotu ˈtʃasto ˈukliːziːm f ˈkuxɪɲɪ]

Some tips:

v before a voiceless consonant (like s) often sounds like [f]:
- V sobotu → [f sobotu]
Stress is always on the first syllable of each word:
- V so‑bo‑tu ča‑sto u‑klí‑zím v ku‑chy‑ni
č = like “ch” in English “chocolate”.
ch = a harsh sound, like “ch” in German Bach or Scottish loch: kuchyni → [ˈkuxɪɲɪ].
Long í is held longer than short i: uklízím has two long í.
The ni in kuchyni is palatalized, similar to “ny” in “canyon”.

Spoken slowly and clearly, it would sound something like:

F SO-bo-tu CHAS-to UK-lí-zím F KU-chi-nyi.