K večeři si dám salát z okurky a rajčete.

I

Breakdown of K večeři si dám salát z okurky a rajčete.

• a: and
• večeře: the dinner
• k: for

Questions & Answers about K večeři si dám salát z okurky a rajčete.

What does si dám mean here, and why is there a si?

Dát si is a very common Czech expression meaning to have, to eat, or to drink, depending on context.

So in this sentence, si dám salát means something like:

• I’ll have a salad
• I’m going to have a salad

The little word si is a reflexive clitic, but in expressions like dát si it often does not feel strongly reflexive in English. It adds the sense of having something for oneself.

Compare:

• Dám si kávu. = I’ll have a coffee.
• Dám si pivo. = I’ll have a beer.

So it is best to learn dát si as a set phrase.

Why does dám look like present tense if the meaning is future?

Because dát is a perfective verb.

In Czech, perfective verbs usually use their present-tense forms to express a future action. So:

• dám literally looks like I give
• but with a perfective verb it means I will have / I will take

That is why si dám salát means I’ll have a salad, not I am having a salad right now.

If you wanted a more ongoing or habitual idea, Czech would use an imperfective verb instead.