Past Tense in Czech – Part 1 (nosil jsem, nosili)(S02/E32 – daily podcast CZECH YOUR DAY)

In English:

Singular Forms

• I female:
• Nosila jsem sukně a šaty. (I was wearing skirts and dresses.)
• I male:
• Nosil jsem zimní boty. (I was wearing winter boots.)
• You female:
• Nosila jsi kalhoty? (Did you wear trousers?)
• You male:
• Nosil jsi sandále? (Did you wear sandals?)
• He:
• Nosil kalhoty a bundu. (He wore trousers and a jacket.)
• She:
• Nosila kabát a kozačky. (She wore a coat and boots.)
• It (e.g., a child):
• Nosilo každý den čepici. (It wore a hat every day.)

Plural Forms

When we talk about groups or use plural forms, we modify the verb accordingly:

• We:
• Nosili jsme kabáty a zimní bundy. (We wore coats and winter jackets.)
• You as a group:
• Nosili jste zimní boty? (Did you wear winter boots?)
• They:
• Nosili rukavice, šály a čepice. (They wore gloves, scarves, and hats.)

As you can see the forms of the verb TO BE (jsem, jsi, jsme, jste) are used only for the 1st and 2nd person singular and plural in the past tense.

And the forms of the verb NOSIT show us whether it’s a male/female/neutral or group – based on the endings (nosil x nosila x nosilo x nosili).

We will focus on irregular verbs and more advanced forms (eg. ony nosily) in the upcoming episodes.

This episode is just the basic introduction.