Verbal Prefixes (Předpony sloves)
Prefixes are one of the most powerful tools in Czech. They modify verb meanings and almost always create perfective verbs from imperfective ones.
Visual Overview
Directional Prefixes
These indicate movement in a specific direction:
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| při- | toward, arrival | jít → přijít (arrive) |
| od- | away from | jít → odejít (leave) |
| vy- | out of | jít → vyjít (exit) |
| v-/ve- | into | jít → vejít (enter) |
| pro- | through | jít → projít (pass through) |
| pře- | across, over | jít → přejít (cross) |
Completion / Result Prefixes
These indicate that an action is completed:
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| na- | onto, completion | psát → napsat (write completely) |
| u- | completion | dělat → udělat (do/finish) |
| s-/se- | together, down | jíst → sníst (eat up) |
| do- | to completion | číst → dočíst (finish reading) |
| z-/ze- | perfectivizing | kazit → zkazit (spoil) |
Other Common Prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| roz- | apart, scatter | bít → rozbít (break apart) |
| za- | begin, behind | volat → zavolat (call) |
| o-/ob- | around | jít → obejít (go around) |
| pod- | under | psat → podepsat (sign) |
| po- | a bit, future | jít → půjdu (I will go) |
The Perfectivization Pattern
Most prefixes make imperfective verbs perfective:
- psát (write) - imperfective
- → napsat (write completely) - perfective
- → napsovat (write repeatedly) - secondary imperfective
This three-step pattern is very common in Czech!
Multiple Meanings
Many prefixes have multiple meanings depending on context:
vy- can mean:
- Out: vyjít (go out)
- Thoroughly: vyčistit (clean thoroughly)
- Result: vypít (drink up)