Než štěně uteklo, kousalo obojek.

Because štěně means puppy, and in Czech it is a neuter singular noun.

In the past tense, Czech verbs agree with the subject in gender and number. For a neuter singular subject, the past form typically ends in -lo:

• štěně uteklo = the puppy ran away
• štěně kousalo = the puppy was biting / bit repeatedly

So the -lo ending is not random: it shows that the subject is neuter singular.

In Czech, grammatical gender does not always match biological sex.

The noun štěně is grammatically neuter, just like many names for young animals and young beings:

• štěně = puppy
• kotě = kitten
• tele = calf
• dítě = child

So even though a puppy is a living creature, the grammar treats štěně as neuter, and the verb must match that grammar.

Here než means before.

So:

• Než štěně uteklo, ... = Before the puppy ran away, ...

A useful thing to know is that než can also mean than in comparisons:

• větší než já = bigger than me

So než has more than one use, but in this sentence it is a conjunction meaning before.

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

In English, you normally have to say:

• Before the puppy ran away, it was biting the collar.

In Czech, once štěně has already been mentioned, the next clause can simply use the verb:

• kousalo obojek

The subject is understood to be the same štěně.

If you wanted, you could add ono (it), but it would usually sound unnecessary here.

This is mainly about aspect.

• kousalo is from kousat = an imperfective verb
• uteklo is from utéct / utéci = a perfective verb

In this sentence:

• uteklo presents the running away as a completed event
• kousalo presents the biting as an ongoing, repeated, or background action

So the sentence suggests something like:

• Before it ran away, the puppy was biting / gnawing at the collar.

If you said kouslo, that would mean bit once as a completed act, which gives a different feel.

It can mean different things depending on context, because Czech past tense does not map perfectly onto English tense choices.

kousalo is imperfective, so it can suggest:

• was biting
• kept biting
• bit repeatedly
• used to bite in some contexts

In this sentence, with obojek (collar), a natural English interpretation is often:

• was chewing on / gnawing at the collar
• or was biting the collar

So the key idea is not one exact English tense, but that the action was not presented as a single completed bite.

Obojek is the direct object, so it is in the accusative case. But for some Czech nouns, the accusative looks exactly the same as the nominative.

Obojek is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular, masculine inanimate nouns often have:

• nominative = obojek
• accusative = obojek

So the case does change grammatically, but the form happens to stay the same.

Yes, it is understandable and natural enough. With obojek (collar), kousat often has the sense of:

• bite
• chew
• gnaw at

So the image is that the puppy was biting/chewing on its collar.

In English, a very natural translation might be:

• Before the puppy ran away, it was chewing on its collar.

But the Czech itself simply uses kousalo obojek.

Because Než štěně uteklo is a subordinate clause, and Czech normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma.

So the structure is:

• Než štěně uteklo, = subordinate clause
• kousalo obojek. = main clause

This comma is standard Czech punctuation.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English word order, although different orders can sound more or less natural depending on emphasis.

This sentence starts with the time clause:

• Než štěně uteklo, kousalo obojek.

That emphasizes the timing: before it ran away...

You could also rearrange things, for example:

• Štěně kousalo obojek, než uteklo.

That is possible, though the original version is very natural if you want to foreground before it ran away.

A rough guide is:

• štěně ≈ shtye-nye

A few important points:

• š sounds like sh
• ť is a soft t sound
• ě often softens the consonant before it and contributes a ye-like sound
• ň sounds like Spanish ñ in señor, or ny in canyon

So štěně is not pronounced like it is spelled in English. The ending sounds roughly like -nye.

The past form uteklo comes from the verb utéct or utéci, both meaning to run away / escape.

So:

• dictionary form: utéct / utéci
• past neuter singular: uteklo

This kind of stem change is normal in Czech verbs, so the past form does not always look exactly like the infinitive.

No. Než itself does not force perfective aspect. The choice depends on the meaning you want.

Here, uteklo is perfective because the sentence refers to a single completed event: the puppy ran away.

But after než, Czech can also use imperfective verbs if the meaning calls for it. The important thing is the relationship between the two actions, not a fixed rule that než must always be followed by perfective.

In this sentence, though, uteklo is the natural choice because the puppy’s escape is a completed event.