Verbal aspect
číst vs. přečíst
In short
Ask yourself: is this an ongoing activity or a habit? Then it's imperfective. Is it one action that gets finished? Then it's perfective. And one more thing: a perfective verb in the present form actually talks about the future.
- Každý den piju kávu.a habit: imperfective
- Vypil jsem celou kávu.all gone: perfective
- Celý večer jsem četl.it went on all evening
- Hned ti zavolám.I'll call you (future)
Full explanation
Most Czech verbs come in pairs. Both mean the same thing, they just look at the action from a different angle:
| Imperfective | Perfective |
|---|---|
| process, repetition, duration | one action, completed, result |
| číst, psát, pít, dělat | přečíst, napsat, vypít, udělat |
| volat, čekat, kupovat | zavolat, počkat, koupit |
- Words like každý den, často, pořád, celý večer, dvě hodiny, právě usually point to the imperfective.
- Words like konečně, celou knihu, hned, až, or any finished result, usually point to the perfective.
- A perfective verb in the present form means the future: zavolám = I'll call. You can't use it for something that's happening right now.
Don't worry if aspect feels slippery at first. It takes everyone a while, and lots of reading and listening is what finally makes it click.