Jdu - půjdu -- chodím - budu chodit

Discussion in 'Grammar & Pronunciation' started by veikkola, Dec 6, 2009.

  1. veikkola

    veikkola Member

    Hello,
    I am trying to learn Czech. Recently, I have been learning the verbs of motion. Could someone explain the difference between: ˝půjdu do práce˝ and ˝jdu do práce˝. Is it simply the future and present tense of an imperfective verb? Could I say e.g. ˝Zítra půjudu do práce v sedm, ale obyčejně chodím do práce v šest˝? Is the prefix ˝pů-˝ used in other instances? I did not find it in my dictionary. Is it not possible to say ˝budu jít do práce˝? If I am going to get a new job and will go there regularly at seven, should I say ˝budu chodit do práce v sedm˝? I have really had some difficulties with the Czech verbs.
     
  2. Wicker808

    Wicker808 Well-Known Member

    Hi. Most imperfective verbs form their future with budu/budeš/etc. But the imperfective verbs of motion have irregular future forms, and are formed with some prefix, as in půjdu, pojedu, ponesu. There is no corresponding infinitive, that is, půjít is not a word.

    Perfective verbs also have a prefix in future tense, (as in vyjít, vyjdu), but that is a different phenomenon.

    You seem to understand the difference between jít and chodit. The first is for one particular action, the second is for regular action. The first has an irregular future tense, the second has a regular future tense.

    As for the difference between "půjdu do práce" versus "jdu do práce", there isn't really a big difference, since you can use present tense with future meaning. Although the second option is, I think, much more common.

    You might find this link helpful: http://eminem.kvalitne.cz/aspect.html

    So, why are you learning Czech?
     
  3. veikkola

    veikkola Member

    Thank you Wicker, your answer is of great help and thank you also for the link.
    As for my learning Czech, the most important reason is ˝Because I do not know it yet˝ :) But to be serious, foreign languages are my life-time hobby, and I would like to learn also a Slavic language and Czech seems to be one of the easiest among them to begin with or maybe I am wrong? My interests for the languages are mostly linguistic, but I also want to learn to express myself in Czech and to be able to communicate. Still a long way ahead :?
     
  4. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

    Yes, but in all other instances it is a word-forming prefix. This is the only instance where the prefix “pů-” forms a tense.


    Prefix “pů-” (historically “pó-”) is not a separate prefix, but the long instance of the prefix “po-”, that is the prefix could alternate for different forms of the very same word:

      future tense půjdu × imperative pojď

    or for two cognate words:

      vábit × povábit × půvab

      vodit × povodit × původ

      týkat se × potýkat se × půtka

      působit (← po sobě)

      půjčit (← pójčitipóžčiti požičiti; compare with Slovak požičať)
     
  5. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    Polish seems easier to me, more available resources (as far as I know)... pronunciation seems easier too.

    They're in the same group:
    http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Language_L ... h_Speakers
    But that's for native English speakers.

    Czech is really interesting and beautiful. But sometimes I wish I was learning something in group 1!
     

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