Jak na hřišti, tak ve škole se moje dcera často usmívá, ale doma někdy pláče, když je moc unavená.

Here jak na hřišti, tak ve škole means both on the playground and at school.

It is a common Czech pairing:

• jak X, tak Y = both X and Y
• It connects two parallel ideas.

So:

• Jak na hřišti, tak ve škole = both on the playground and at school

This structure is a bit more formal or literary than simply listing two places with a (and), but it is very natural.

This is because Czech prepositions are not always translated literally from English. Different nouns regularly go with different prepositions.

Here:

• na hřišti = on the playground / at the playground
• ve škole = in school / at school

A few key points:

• hřiště commonly takes na
• škola commonly takes v / ve

So you usually learn these as natural combinations:

• na hřišti
• ve škole
• doma

Also, ve is just a pronunciation variant of v. Czech often uses ve instead of v when it sounds easier before certain consonants, as in ve škole.

Because the verb is usmívat se, which means to smile.

In Czech, some verbs are reflexive and regularly appear with se (or si). This does not always mean the action is literally done to oneself in the English sense. It is simply part of the verb.

So:

• usmívat se = to smile
• moje dcera se usmívá = my daughter smiles / is often smiling

You should learn usmívat se as one unit, not just usmívat.

This is because se is a clitic, and Czech clitics usually go in the second position of the clause.

The first part of the clause is:

• Jak na hřišti, tak ve škole

Then the clitic comes:

• se

Then the rest follows:

• moje dcera často usmívá

So the sentence is structured naturally as:

• Jak na hřišti, tak ve škole se moje dcera často usmívá ...

This may feel unusual to English speakers, but it is very normal in Czech word order.

Yes, that is also grammatical and natural.

That version puts the subject first:

• Moje dcera se často usmívá jak na hřišti, tak ve škole.

The original sentence starts with the places for emphasis:

• Jak na hřišti, tak ve škole se moje dcera často usmívá ...

So the difference is mostly about focus and style, not basic meaning.

Because Czech often omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the context.

In this sentence, the subject is already established as:

• moje dcera

So Czech does not need to repeat ona (she).

That is why we get:

• ale doma někdy pláče = but at home she sometimes cries
• když je moc unavená = when she is very tired

English usually repeats the pronoun, but Czech often leaves it out.

Pláče is the 3rd person singular present tense of plakat (to cry).

So:

• já pláču / pláči = I cry
• ty pláčeš = you cry
• ona pláče = she cries

Here it agrees with moje dcera, which is singular and feminine, so pláče means she cries.

Because plakat is not a reflexive verb, while usmívat se is.

Compare:

• usmívat se = to smile
• plakat = to cry

So:

• dcera se usmívá = the daughter smiles
• dcera pláče = the daughter cries

You cannot just assume that similar everyday actions behave the same way. In Czech, whether a verb takes se is something you often need to learn with the verb itself.

Doma means at home.

It is a very common adverb, and Czech usually prefers it when talking about being at home in a general sense.

So:

• doma = at home

By contrast:

• v domě literally means in the house/building

That sounds more physical and specific. In this sentence, the natural idea is simply at home, so doma is the right choice.

Když means when here.

So:

• když je moc unavená = when she is very tired

It introduces a subordinate clause. In this sentence, it explains when or under what condition she sometimes cries at home.

Depending on context, když can also mean if in some sentences, but here when is the best translation.

Because unavená agrees with dcera, which is feminine.

In Czech, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Here:

• dcera = feminine singular
• so the adjective is unavená = tired (feminine singular)

Compare:

• unavený = masculine singular
• unavená = feminine singular
• unavené / unavení = plural, depending on type

Since the sentence is about my daughter, unavená is required.

Yes. In je moc unavená, moc means very / too / really, depending on context.

Here the most natural translation is:

• je moc unavená = she is very tired

In everyday Czech, moc is extremely common in speech.

Examples:

• moc hezký = very nice
• moc unavená = very tired

In some contexts moc can also suggest too much, but here it simply intensifies unavená.

These are adverbs of frequency.

• často = often
• někdy = sometimes

So the sentence contrasts two habits:

• she often smiles
• but at home she sometimes cries

This contrast is strengthened by ale (but).

Not completely. Czech word order is more flexible than English, but different orders change emphasis.

The original sentence:

• Jak na hřišti, tak ve škole se moje dcera často usmívá, ale doma někdy pláče, když je moc unavená.

This order highlights the places first: both on the playground and at school.

A more neutral version could be:

• Moje dcera se jak na hřišti, tak ve škole často usmívá, ale doma někdy pláče, když je moc unavená.

Or:

• Moje dcera se často usmívá jak na hřišti, tak ve škole, ale doma někdy pláče, když je moc unavená.

All are understandable, but the original has a nice balanced, natural style.