U pokladny dnes čekáme jen chvíli, protože v obchodě není moc lidí.

Because u is a preposition that requires the genitive case.

• pokladna = the checkout / cash register
• genitive singular of pokladna = pokladny

So:

• u pokladny = at the checkout / by the checkout

This is a very common pattern in Czech:

• u školy = by the school
• u domu = by the house
• u lékaře = at the doctor’s

Here u pokladny means being in the area of the checkout, not literally inside it.

In this sentence, pokladna means the checkout, cash desk, or cash register in a shop.

Depending on context, pokladna can refer to:

• the machine/register itself
• the cashier’s desk
• the checkout point in a store

So u pokladny čekáme means we are waiting at the checkout.

The ending -áme tells you it is 1st person plural: we.

The verb is čekat = to wait.

Present tense of čekat:

• čekám = I wait / I am waiting
• čekáš = you wait
• čeká = he/she/it waits
• čekáme = we wait
• čekáte = you (plural/formal) wait
• čekají = they wait

So čekáme already includes the subject we, which is why Czech does not need to say my čekáme unless you want emphasis.

Because Czech often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So:

• čekáme already means we are waiting
• my čekáme is possible, but it adds emphasis, like we are the ones waiting

This is normal in Czech and happens all the time.

Here chvíli is in the accusative case, and it expresses duration of time.

• chvíle = a moment, a short while
• accusative singular = chvíli

So:

• čekáme jen chvíli = we are waiting only a short time / only for a moment

In Czech, duration is often expressed with the accusative:

• čekám hodinu = I’m waiting for an hour
• spal celou noc = he slept all night
• byli tam týden = they were there for a week

So chvíli here answers how long?

Yes. Chvilku is very common and often sounds a bit more natural in everyday speech.

• chvíli = a short while
• chvilku = a little while, a short moment

Both work in this kind of sentence:

• čekáme jen chvíli
• čekáme jen chvilku

The second can sound slightly more conversational or a little softer, but the difference is small.

Because v means in, and when it expresses location, it takes the locative case.

• obchod = shop/store
• locative singular = obchodě

So:

• v obchodě = in the shop / in the store

Compare:

• jsem v obchodě = I am in the shop
• jdu do obchodu = I am going to the shop

Location after v uses the locative; movement toward something often uses a different preposition and case.

Because after quantity expressions like moc, Czech uses the genitive.

• lidé = people (nominative plural)
• lidí = people (genitive plural)

So:

• moc lidí = many / a lot of people

This is a very important Czech pattern:

• hodně času = a lot of time
• málo peněz = little money / few money resources
• několik studentů = several students
• pět knih = five books

So není moc lidí literally has the structure there is not much of people, even though in natural English we say there aren’t many people.

This is a common thing that surprises English speakers.

Czech often uses singular neuter-style agreement with expressions of quantity, especially with words like moc, hodně, málo, and similar structures.

So:

• není moc lidí = literally there is not many people
• but in natural English: there aren’t many people

The important thing is that the verb agrees with the quantity expression as a kind of unit, not directly with lidí.

You will often see similar patterns such as:

• je hodně práce = there is a lot of work
• bylo tam málo lidí = there were few people

Both mean only.

• jen = only
• jenom = only

In this sentence, jen is slightly shorter and very natural:

• čekáme jen chvíli

You could also say:

• čekáme jenom chvíli

There is usually no major difference in meaning. Jenom can sound a bit more conversational or emphatic in some contexts, but both are common.

Protože means because and introduces the reason.

So the sentence structure is:

• main statement: U pokladny dnes čekáme jen chvíli
• reason: protože v obchodě není moc lidí

This is very straightforward and works much like English because.

Czech word order is more flexible than English word order, but different orders change emphasis and information focus.

The given sentence:

• U pokladny dnes čekáme jen chvíli, protože v obchodě není moc lidí.

sounds natural and neutral. It foregrounds at the checkout and today.

Other possible versions include:

• Dnes u pokladny čekáme jen chvíli, protože v obchodě není moc lidí.
• Čekáme dnes u pokladny jen chvíli, protože v obchodě není moc lidí.

These are still understandable, but the emphasis shifts slightly.

So the sentence order is not random, but Czech allows more variation than English.

Formally, it is just present tense. Czech does not have a separate tense like English I wait vs I am waiting.

So čekáme can mean:

• we wait
• we are waiting

The exact meaning comes from context. In this sentence, because it describes what is happening today, English would usually translate it as we are waiting.

Dnes means today, and putting it near the beginning helps set the time frame early.

• U pokladny dnes čekáme... = At the checkout today, we are waiting...

This is natural Czech style. Time expressions often appear early in the sentence, but they do not always have to.

For example, these are also possible:

• Dnes u pokladny čekáme jen chvíli...
• U pokladny čekáme dnes jen chvíli...

The chosen order simply sounds natural and gives dnes mild emphasis.