Umím česky. Chci domů. When can we leave out main verbs in Czech?

You might have heard a Czech person say: Umím anglicky (I can speak English) or Neumím anglicky (I can’t speak English). Did they forget to add the verb ‘to speak’ (mluvit)? Let’s see what is going on.

Watch a video about this topic here:

First things first

Let’s review the basics. We can leave out the main verb in sentences that contain modal verbs. Modal verbs express possibility, ability, permission, or necessity and usually cannot be used by themselves; they are commonly followed by a main verb.

These are the modal verbs (I also included potřebovat, which is not exactly a modal verb but it has a lot in common with this group):

Use Internet Language Reference Book to look up other forms of these verbs.

If we use a motion verb instead (jít, jet, chodit…), we often need to specify the destination (where is it we want to go = KAM?)

(Let’s not use umím in this context.)

Now, the interesting part: 

In spoken Czech, it is common to leave out the main verb with constructions like these: 

• Musím jít domů. Musím domů means the same thing: I must go home.
• Potřebuju jít domů.
• Chci jít domů.
• Můžu jít domů.

Using sentences such as Chci domů is correct and because of the adverbial phrase of place in the phrase (a destination) it’s clear that the speaker wants to get to the destination. Besides, that destination is more important than the means of getting there (walking, flying…).

modal verb + (main verb) + destination

Let’s see another example:
Chci do Ameriky. I want to go to America. (It’s not important how I will get there.)

More common phrases:

Notice some words are marked in red. Those parts of sentences express the destination and we can ask about this piece of information with the question where, kam?

Kam chceš? → Chci ven.

Leaving out the main verb doesn’t concern only the phrases with modal verbs in present tense, the same can happen in the future, past or the conditional phrase:

What about umět?

Umět expresses a skill so it doesn’t make sense to emphasize the destination. We can leave out the main verb if it is clear from the context what skill we refer to:

Umíš mluvit anglicky? (Can you speak English?)
Umíš anglicky?

Neumím tancovat tango. (I don’t know how to dance the tango.)
Neumím tango.

Umím uvařit svíčkovou. (I know how to cook ‘svíčková’.)
Umím svíčkovou.

Exercises

a) Say these sentences in informal Czech (without the main verb):

e.g. Chceš jít ven? → Chceš ven?
1. Potřebujeme jít na nákup. →
2. Ještě nechci jít pryč. →
3. Mohli bychom letět do Prahy. →
4. Já tuhle písničku neumím zpívat. →
5. Kočka už chce jít zase domů. →
6. Musela jsem se stavit za babičkou. →
7. Myslím, že budu muset zajít do kanceláře. →
8. Promiň, musím běžet na vlak! →

b) Put the words in the correct order to make sentences:

1. do můžeš koupelny už
2. k měsíc zubaři musíš k příští
3. na oběd mnou chceš se ?
4. počítačem umíš tímhle s ?
5. na budeme potřebovat trh

Solutions

a)