Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem.

I would rather go to work on foot than by bus.

Breakdown of Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem.

• já: I
• jít: to go
• do: to
• práce: the work
• autobus: the bus
• raději: rather
• pěšky: on foot
• než: before

Questions & Answers about Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem.

What does raději mean here, and how is it different from rád?

Rád means “glad / I like doing something”:

• Rád chodím pěšky. – I like walking.

Raději is the comparative form: “rather / preferably”.

• Raději půjdu pěšky. – I’d rather go on foot.

So:

• rád = like something in general
• raději = prefer one option over another

In this sentence, raději sets up a comparison: walking vs going by bus.

Why is it půjdu and not jdu in this sentence?

Půjdu is the future of the verb jít (to go on foot):

• infinitive: jít
• present: jdu, jdeš, jde, …
• future: půjdu, půjdeš, půjde, …

Czech has a special simple future form for jít; you do not say budu jít.

Here, you’re talking about a future decision:

• Raději půjdu pěšky… – I will rather go on foot…

Using jdu would sound like you are already on your way now, not choosing for the future.

In English I’d say “I’d rather walk…”, but Czech says půjdu, not a conditional like šel bych. Why?

Both are possible in Czech, with a nuance:

• Raději půjdu pěšky… – I’ll rather go on foot… (a fairly definite decision about the future)
• Raději bych šel pěšky… – I would rather go on foot… (more hypothetical / polite / tentative)

In everyday speech, Czechs often use the straightforward future půjdu instead of the conditional, even where English prefers I’d rather….

What does pěšky mean exactly, and what part of speech is it?

Pěšky means “on foot / by walking”. It is an adverb of manner (how you go).

Common patterns:

• jít / chodit pěšky – to walk (on foot)
• chodím do práce pěšky – I walk to work (regularly)
• půjdu tam raději pěšky – I’ll rather go there on foot

So půjdu pěšky is literally “I will go on-foot”.

Why is it do práce and not something like na práci? What case is práce here?

Do + genitive is the usual way to say “to(wards) a place (inside it)”:

• do práce – to work (to the workplace)
• do školy – to school
• do města – to town / into the city

In do práce, práce is in the genitive singular (same form as nominative here).
You would not say na práci for “to work” as a destination. Na práci would mean “for work” (as an activity), which is different.

What does než mean here, and why do we say než autobusem?

Než in this sentence means “than” in a comparison:

• raději A než B – rather A than B

So:

• Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem.
  – I’d rather walk to work than (go) by bus.

Autobusem is the instrumental case of autobus and is used to express means of transport:

• jet autobusem – to go by bus
• jet vlakem – to go by train
• letět letadlem – to go by plane

The verb jet is understood and omitted:
…než (jet) autobusem.

Why is autobusem in the instrumental case? Could it be nominative autobus?

No, autobus (nominative) would be wrong here.

The instrumental case is used to express “by means of / using”:

• psát perem – to write with a pen
• jet autem – to go by car
• jet autobusem – to go by bus

In the comparison než autobusem, the structure is understood as “than (go) by bus”, so the instrumental autobusem is required.

Can I change the word order, for example Raději půjdu do práce pěšky než autobusem?

Yes, this is fine:

• Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem. (original)
• Raději půjdu do práce pěšky než autobusem. (also natural)
• Do práce raději půjdu pěšky než autobusem. (slightly different emphasis)

Czech word order is relatively flexible. The main points:

• raději usually stays near the verb it modifies (půjdu).
• pěšky (manner) often comes after the verb or after the object, both are okay.

All these versions are grammatically correct. The original is perhaps the most neutral.

Could I say Raději půjdu autobusem než pěšky do práce to express the opposite meaning?

Yes. Reversing the options reverses the preference:

• Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem.
  – I’d rather walk to work than go by bus.
• Raději půjdu autobusem než pěšky do práce.
  – I’d rather go by bus than walk to work.

Grammatically it works the same way: raději A než B.

How would I say this sentence in the past tense?

You change půjdu (future) to the past form of jít – šel / šla:

• Raději jsem šel pěšky do práce než autobusem. (speaker male)
• Raději jsem šla pěšky do práce než autobusem. (speaker female)

Structure stays the same; only the verb and auxiliary jsem change to express the past.

How do you pronounce the tricky sounds in raději, půjdu, and pěšky?

Very roughly (not strict IPA):

• raději – ra-dye-yi
  
  • ra like ra in radar
  • dě similar to dye (soft d)
  • ji like yee
• půjdu – pooy-doo
  
  • ů is like a long oo in food
  • j is like English y in you (so ůj ≈ ooy)
• pěšky – pyesh-kee
  
  • pě similar to pye (soft p)
  • š like sh in shoe
  • ky roughly kee but with a slightly harder k

Key points:

• ě softens the preceding consonant (d → ď, t → ť, n → ň, etc.).
• j is pronounced like English y.
• š is always sh.

Is there a more “literal” way to say this sentence, keeping the verb in both parts?

Yes, you can make both parts explicit:

• Raději půjdu pěšky do práce, než abych jel autobusem.
  – Literally: I’d rather go on foot to work than that I go by bus.

or more neutral:

• Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než pojedu autobusem.

In everyday speech, though, Czechs prefer the shorter, elliptical version:

• Raději půjdu pěšky do práce než autobusem.