Prodavačka právě říká, že ten zákazník už nemá čas.

Prodavačka means shop assistant / saleswoman, specifically a female one.

The ending -ka is a common feminine ending in Czech nouns. Here:

• prodavač = male shop assistant / salesman
• prodavačka = female shop assistant / saleswoman

So the sentence tells you the speaker is referring to a woman.

Grammatically, prodavačka is in the nominative singular because she is the subject of the main clause: she is the one doing the speaking.

Právě here means something like right now, just now, or at this very moment.

So:

• Prodavačka právě říká... = The shop assistant is saying right now...

In many contexts, právě adds a sense of immediacy. It often corresponds to English just or right now, depending on context.

A few examples:

• Právě odcházím. = I’m leaving right now.
• Právě přišel. = He just arrived.

So in your sentence, it emphasizes that this is happening at the present moment.

Říká is the 3rd person singular present tense of the imperfective verb říkat = to say / to be saying / to tell.

Here’s the contrast:

• říká = is saying / says
• řekne = will say / says once in a more perfective sense
• řekla = said (past tense, feminine subject)

Czech often uses the imperfective present to describe an action in progress, much like English is saying.

So:

• Prodavačka právě říká... = The shop assistant is saying right now...

That is why říká is the natural choice here.

Že means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So the structure is:

• Prodavačka právě říká = The shop assistant is saying right now
• že ten zákazník už nemá čas = that this/that customer no longer has time

This is very common in Czech after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, etc.

Examples:

• Vím, že přijde. = I know that he will come.
• Myslím, že má pravdu. = I think that he is right.
• Říká, že nemá čas. = He/She says that he/she doesn’t have time.

Also notice the comma before že. In Czech, subordinate clauses are normally separated by a comma.

Because že introduces a subordinate clause, and Czech normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma.

So:

• Prodavačka právě říká, že...

This is standard Czech punctuation.

English sometimes omits that, but Czech usually keeps že in this kind of sentence, and the comma is expected.

Literally, ten zákazník means that customer, because ten is a demonstrative pronoun/adjective.

But in real Czech, ten is also very often used in places where English would simply say the. Since Czech has no articles, words like ten / ta / to can sometimes help point out a specific person or thing.

So depending on context, ten zákazník can feel like:

• that customer
• this customer
• sometimes simply the customer

In your sentence, it most likely means that particular customer or the customer we’re talking about.

Because zákazník is:

• masculine animate
• singular
• nominative

And ten has to agree with the noun it modifies.

So:

• ten zákazník = nominative singular masculine animate

If the noun changed case, the form of ten would change too. For example:

• Vidím toho zákazníka. = I see that customer.
  Here it becomes toho zákazníka because it is accusative.

In your sentence, ten zákazník is the subject of the subordinate clause, so nominative is correct.

Yes.

In the clause že ten zákazník už nemá čas, the subject is ten zákazník.

That clause breaks down like this:

• ten zákazník = subject
• nemá = verb
• čas = object

So the customer is the one who does not have time.

Už usually means already, but with a negative verb it often corresponds to English no longer / anymore.

So:

• už má čas = he already has time
• už nemá čas = he no longer has time / he doesn’t have time anymore

That is exactly what is happening in your sentence.

This is a very common pattern in Czech:

• Už tam není. = He/She isn’t there anymore.
• Už nechci. = I don’t want it anymore.
• Už neprší. = It’s not raining anymore.

So here už adds the idea that at some earlier point he may have had time, but now he does not.

Yes. Mít čas is the normal Czech expression for to have time.

So:

• má čas = has time
• nemá čas = doesn’t have time

This works very much like English.

Examples:

• Nemám čas. = I don’t have time.
• Máš čas? = Do you have time?
• Budeme mít čas. = We will have time.

So there is nothing unusual here: it is simply the standard expression.

Čas is the direct object of má / nemá, so it is in the accusative.

However, čas is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular, many masculine inanimate nouns have the same form in the nominative and accusative.

So:

• nominative: čas
• accusative: čas

That is why it looks unchanged.

This is very common with masculine inanimate nouns:

• stůl → vidím stůl
• dům → mám dům
• čas → mám čas

So even though the case changes grammatically, the form stays the same.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English word order, because case endings help show grammatical roles.

Your sentence is perfectly natural:

• Prodavačka právě říká, že ten zákazník už nemá čas.

But Czech could move things around for emphasis. For example:

• Právě prodavačka říká, že ten zákazník už nemá čas.
  This puts more emphasis on the shop assistant.
• Prodavačka říká, že ten zákazník už právě nemá čas.
  This is less natural in this exact context, because právě usually sounds better earlier here.

Inside the second clause, word order can also shift:

• že už ten zákazník nemá čas
• že ten zákazník nemá už čas

These may be possible in context, but the original version is the most neutral and natural.

So yes, the order can change, but word order in Czech often affects emphasis, topic, and focus, not just grammar.

Two things may stand out to English speakers:

• ř in říká
• ž in že

Ž is easier: it sounds like the s in measure or the g in genre.

So:

• že is roughly like zheh

Ř is the famous difficult Czech sound. It is a special Czech consonant, something like a rolled/trilled r combined with a zh-like sound. If you cannot say it perfectly yet, that is normal.

A rough learner-friendly approximation:

• říká ≈ rzhee-kaa or zhee-kaa as a temporary approximation

Also note the long vowels:

• í is long
• á is long

So říká has two long vowels.

Yes. Czech uses the present tense říká where English may use either:

• says
• is saying

The adverb právě helps make it clear that the action is happening now, so in English is saying is often the best translation.

This is very normal. Czech present tense does not map one-to-one onto English simple present vs. present continuous.

So:

• říká can mean says or is saying
• context decides which English version sounds best

Yes, you could say:

• Prodavačka právě říká, že zákazník už nemá čas.

That would still be grammatical and natural.

Adding ten makes the customer more specific or more pointed:

• that customer
• the customer we mean
• that particular customer

So the difference is mostly one of specificity and discourse emphasis, not basic grammar.

Yes — several very useful Czech patterns appear here:

1. Present tense + právě

   • právě říká = is saying right now

2. Subordinate clause with že

   • říká, že... = says that...

3. Demonstrative used like a definite reference

   • ten zákazník = that/the customer

4. Už + negation

   • už nemá = no longer has / doesn’t have anymore

5. Standard expression

   • mít čas = to have time

So this one sentence gives you several very common Czech building blocks you will see again and again.