Done or Still Doing? The Secret of Czech Verb Aspect
When you start learning Czech, there’s a moment every student dreads: you happily learn psát (“to write”)… and then someone throws napsat at you. Suddenly, one verb isn’t enough. Czech, it turns out, makes you choose not only what you did, but how you see the action: as an ongoing process or as a finished result.
Welcome to the world of aspect.
Why Aspect Exists at All
English hides aspect inside verb tenses:
I was writing a letter. (process)
I wrote a letter. (done!)
Czech doesn’t have a “continuous tense,” so it solves the problem differently. Verbs themselves come in two flavors:
Imperfective verb (nedokonavé sloveso) = the action is happening, repeating, or ongoing.
Perfective verb (dokonavé sloveso) = the action is completed, one-time, with a result.
So instead of learning one verb for “to play,” you learn two:
hrát (imperfective) = to play, action happening
dohrát (perfective) = to finish playing, result
hrát (imperfective), dohrát (perfective)
Everyday Examples
Think of it like this:
Psal jsem dopis. = I was writing a letter. (process, maybe unfinished)
Napsal jsem dopis. = I wrote the letter. (finished!)
Or:
Četl jsem knihu. = I was reading a book.
Přečetl jsem knihu. = I read the book (cover to cover).
The meaning difference is subtle but powerful. It’s not about what you did, but whether you focus on the process or the result.
Prefix Power
Many perfective verbs are formed by adding a prefix. For example:
číst → přečíst (to read → to read through, finish)
psát → napsat (to write → to write and complete)
dělat → udělat (to do → to do until done)
These little prefixes are like shortcuts: they push the action to completion.
But it’s not only about prefixes. Some verbs change shape entirely:
zavírat → zavřít (to be closing → to close once)
říkat → říct (to be saying → to say once)
The Tattoo Rule
There’s one golden rule worth tattooing on your arm (or at least on a sticky note):
Never use budu + perfective verb.
Budu číst knihu. = I will be reading a book. (imperfective verb)
Přečtu knihu. = I will read the book (and finish it).
❌ Budu přečíst knihu. — This doesn’t exist in Czech.
Why? Perfective verbs already carry a future sense, so they don’t need budu.
Why It’s Tricky for Learners
English speakers often feel aspect is “extra grammar” they didn’t ask for. But the truth is, you already use aspect all the time in English — just in a different disguise. The challenge is rewiring your brain to choose between doing something and having it done every single time you speak.
Want a Handy Cheat Sheet?
If this all sounds like a lot to juggle, don’t worry. I’ve made a printable Czech Verb Aspect Sheet that explains everything clearly, with:
simple rules and examples in English + Czech,
a big table of prefixes with their meanings,
dialogues that show aspect in action,
exercises to test yourself.
It’s designed to make aspect finally click.
Aspect isn’t about memorizing endless charts. It’s about learning to see the world through Czech eyes: sometimes you care about the process, sometimes about the result. Once you catch that rhythm, verbs like psát and napsat stop being a mystery — and start feeling natural.
So: finish it, or keep doing it? In Czech, the verb will tell you.
