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100 Most Common Czech Words (with Example Sentences)

2026-07-15 · 9 min read

The 100 highest-frequency Czech words, each with a short example sentence and English translation. Your first real foothold in the language.

The Short Answer

Learning the 100 words below gets you to the point where most Czech sentences stop looking like solid walls of text. Twenty words a day, always read inside their example sentence, means about a week to cover the list and a second week for it to stick.

Why the Top 100 Matter

In any language, a small core of high-frequency words does most of the work. Learn the top 100 Czech words and you already recognize the majority of tokens in most sentences you meet. They are the glue: articles, pronouns, everyday verbs, essential nouns and connectors.

The trick is not to memorize them as a flat list. It is to meet them in context, again and again, until they stop feeling like vocabulary and start feeling like Czech itself.

How to Use This List

• Read each word with its example. Say the sentence out loud.
• Do not try to swallow all 100 in one sitting. Twenty a day is plenty.
• Come back tomorrow and read them again. The example changes shape in your head each time.
• On PlusOneLanguage, tap any word inside a real Czech text to save it — the app then feeds those exact words back to you in new sentences at your level.

The 100 Most Common Czech Words

1. a — and. Chléb a víno. — Bread and wine.
2. být — to be. Chci být šťastný. — I want to be happy.
3. v — in. Jsem v Praze. — I'm in Prague.
4. se — oneself. Jmenuje se Jan. — His name is Jan.
5. na — on / to. Jdu na kávu. — I'm going for coffee.
6. ten — that / the (m.). Ten muž je vysoký. — That man is tall.
7. s — with. Jdu s tebou. — I go with you.
8. z — from. Jsem z Prahy. — I'm from Prague.
9. který — which. Muž, který přišel. — The man who came.
10. do — into / to. Jdu do školy. — I'm going to school.
11. já — I. Já jsem tady. — I'm here.
12. ty — you (sing.). Ty jsi kdo? — Who are you?
13. my — we. My jsme přátelé. — We are friends.
14. on — he. On je doma. — He is at home.
15. ona — she. Ona je učitelka. — She is a teacher.
16. ale — but. Malý ale dobrý. — Small but good.
17. nebo — or. Kávu nebo čaj? — Coffee or tea?
18. jak — how. Jak se máš? — How are you?
19. co — what. Co děláš? — What are you doing?
20. kdo — who. Kdo je to? — Who is that?
21. kde — where. Kde jsi? — Where are you?
22. proč — why. Proč pláčeš? — Why are you crying?
23. kdy — when. Kdy přijdeš? — When are you coming?
24. už — already. Už jsem tady. — I'm already here.
25. ještě — still / yet. Jsi ještě tady? — Are you still here?
26. také — also. Já také. — Me too.
27. velmi — very. Velmi dobře. — Very well.
28. více — more. Chci více času. — I want more time.
29. méně — less. Méně soli. — Less salt.
30. nic — nothing. Nic nechápu. — I understand nothing.
31. něco — something. Něco povídej. — Say something.
32. všechno — everything. Všechno je dobré. — Everything is fine.
33. nikdy — never. Nikdy neříkej nikdy. — Never say never.
34. vždy — always. Vždy tě miluji. — I always love you.
35. dnes — today. Dnes prší. — It's raining today.
36. včera — yesterday. Včera bylo pondělí. — Yesterday was Monday.
37. zítra — tomorrow. Uvidíme se zítra. — See you tomorrow.
38. tady — here. Pojď sem. — Come here.
39. tam — there. Je to tam. — It's there.
40. dobře — well. Mám se dobře. — I'm well.
41. ne — no / not. Ne, děkuji. — No, thank you.
42. ano — yes. Ano, prosím. — Yes, please.
43. mít — to have. Mám čas. — I have time.
44. moci — to be able. Můžu vstoupit? — May I come in?
45. muset — to have to. Musím jít. — I have to go.
46. chtít — to want. Chci kávu. — I want coffee.
47. vědět — to know (facts). Nevím. — I don't know.
48. znát — to know (people). Znám ho. — I know him.
49. říci — to say. Co říkáš? — What are you saying?
50. dělat — to do / make. Co děláš? — What are you doing?
51. jít — to go. Jdu domů. — I'm going home.
52. přijít — to come. Přijď se mnou. — Come with me.
53. vidět — to see. Nevidím tě. — I can't see you.
54. dát — to give. Dej mi ruku. — Give me your hand.
55. vzít — to take. Vezmi si jablko. — Take an apple.
56. myslet — to think. Myslím na tebe. — I think of you.
57. rozumět — to understand. Nerozumím. — I don't understand.
58. mluvit — to speak. Mluvíš česky? — Do you speak Czech?
59. milovat — to love. Miluji tě. — I love you.
60. jíst — to eat. Jím chléb. — I eat bread.
61. pít — to drink. Piji vodu. — I drink water.
62. spát — to sleep. Spím dobře. — I sleep well.
63. pracovat — to work. Hodně pracuji. — I work a lot.
64. žít — to live. Žiji v Praze. — I live in Prague.
65. den — day. Dobrý den. — Good day.
66. rok — year. Šťastný nový rok. — Happy new year.
67. čas — time. Nemám čas. — I have no time.
68. hodina — hour. Za hodinu. — In an hour.
69. týden — week. Příští týden. — Next week.
70. měsíc — month / moon. Tento měsíc. — This month.
71. noc — night. Dobrou noc. — Good night.
72. ráno — morning. Dobré ráno. — Good morning.
73. dům — house. Jdu domů. — I go home.
74. město — city. Krásné město. — Beautiful city.
75. země — country / earth. Moje země. — My country.
76. svět — world. Celý svět. — The whole world.
77. život — life. Život je krásný. — Life is beautiful.
78. člověk — person. Dobrý člověk. — A good person.
79. muž — man. Vysoký muž. — A tall man.
80. žena — woman. Milá žena. — A kind woman.
81. dítě — child. Dítě spí. — The child sleeps.
82. přítel — friend. Nejlepší přítel. — Best friend.
83. voda — water. Sklenice vody. — A glass of water.
84. chléb — bread. Čerstvý chléb. — Fresh bread.
85. kniha — book. Dobrá kniha. — A good book.
86. auto — car. Červené auto. — A red car.
87. ruka — hand. Dej mi ruku. — Give me your hand.
88. oko — eye. Modré oči. — Blue eyes.
89. slovo — word. Jen jedno slovo. — Just one word.
90. cesta — way / journey. Šťastnou cestu. — Have a good trip.
91. ulice — street. Na ulici. — On the street.
92. práce — work. Jdu do práce. — I go to work.
93. velký — big. Velký dům. — A big house.
94. malý — small. Malé dítě. — A small child.
95. nový — new. Nový den. — A new day.
96. starý — old. Starý přítel. — An old friend.
97. dobrý — good. Dobrý nápad. — A good idea.
98. krásný — beautiful. Krásný den. — A beautiful day.
99. šťastný — happy. Jsem šťastný. — I'm happy.
100. dva — two. Dvě kávy. — Two coffees.
101. prosím — please. Kávu, prosím. — Coffee, please.
102. děkuji — thank you. Děkuji moc. — Thank you very much.
103. ahoj — hi / bye. Ahoj, jak se máš? — Hi, how are you?

Where to Go From Here

Reading a list is not the same as owning the words. What locks them in is meeting them in new sentences you have never seen before, at a level you can actually handle.

That is exactly what PlusOneLanguage does. Save any of these 100 words to your deck, and the next Czech text the app generates for you will reuse them in fresh contexts. That is the i+1 loop: comprehensible input, calibrated to what you already know, nudging you one word further every day.

Start reading Czech at your level →

Hodně štěstí.

Frequently asked questions

How many Czech words do you need to have a conversation?

Around 1,000 words covers most everyday conversation. The first 100 on this page do the heaviest lifting: they are the pronouns, prepositions, connectors and core verbs that appear in almost every Czech sentence you will read or hear.

What percentage of Czech do the 100 most common words cover?

In running text, the top 100 words of any language typically account for roughly half of all word tokens. In Czech, because those words are so often inflected, the practical benefit is a bit lower until you start recognising the case endings, which happens naturally through reading.

Should I learn Czech words with their cases?

Not as tables. Learn each word inside a sentence, as the examples here do, and the case endings attach themselves to a meaning instead of a grid. Czech has seven cases, and reading the same word in different roles teaches them faster than declension charts.

What is the fastest way to memorise these Czech words?

Twenty a day, read out loud, then meet them again in real sentences over the following days. Spaced repetition on words you have actually encountered in context beats bulk memorisation of an isolated list.

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