Unlike English, which uses various compound tenses to express the state of an action, Czech uses verb aspect. Almost every Czech verb belongs to an aspectual pair: imperfective (ongoing action) or perfective (completed action).
Imperfective vs. Perfective
- Imperfective verbs express ongoing, repeated, or unfinished actions. E.g., 'psát' (to be writing).
- Perfective verbs express completed, one-time, or successfully finished actions. E.g., 'napsat' (to write down / finish writing).
Aspectual Pairs Examples
| Imperfective Verb | Perfective Verb | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| číst | přečíst | to read |
| dělat | udělat | to do / make |
| kupovat | koupit | to buy |
| pít | vypít | to drink |
| psát | napsat | to write |
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Perfective verbs do not have a present tense form. When conjugated using present tense endings, they actually express the future tense (e.g., 'napíšu' = I will write).
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