Kde x kam x kudy x odkud

(4 Czech question words that keep confusing foreigners)

You may hear these question words quite often in Czech. They can be found in such frequently used questions as: Where do you live? Where do you come from? or Where are you going?

As you can see English isn’t of much help in this case…

Let’s have a look at them and make the differences more clear to you.

1. KDE

= where

We use this question word when we talk about location:

Kde bydlíš? = Where do you live? (informal)

I will show you answers as well. It will make it more clear to you:

Kde bydlíš? – Bydlím v Praze.

(Where do you live? – I live in Prague.)

Kde jsi to koupila? – Na trhu v Litoměřicích.

(Where did you buy it? – At the market in Litoměřice.)

Nevíš, kde jsou moje klíče? – Jsou na stole.

(Don’t you know where my keys are? – They are on the table.)

2. KAM

= where to

We use KAM when we want to express direction:

Kam teď jedeš? = Where are you going (to) now?

That means that you will hear the prepositions DO, NA or K in the reply because I am heading into that direction:

Kam teď jedeš? – Jedu do supermarketu. / Jedu na festival. / Jedu k doktorovi.

(Where are you going now? – I am going to the doctor.)

Kam pojedete na dovolenou? – Pojedeme do Řecka.

(Where will you go on holiday? – We’ll go to Greece.)

3. KUDY

= which way

You use this question word when you need to help with directions:

Kudy se dostanu na nádraží, prosím? = Which way do I get to the station, please? (formal)

You may hear such a reply:

Jděte rovně a na křižovatce zahněte doleva. = Go straight and turn left at the intersection.

4. ODKUD

= where from

You use this question word to ask about where people come from:

Odkud pocházíte? = Where do you come from? (formal)

Odkud jsi? – Jsem z České republiky?

(Where are you from? – informal – I am from the Czech Republic.)

A odkud jsi ty? – Jsem z Austrálie.

(And where are you from? – I am from Australia)

– if the situation is more formal, say:

Odkud jste? = Where are you from?

Jsem ze Skotska. = I am from Scotland.

I hope these example sentences have helped you see the differences and made it more clear when to use each of the 4 question words.