Mám se dobře / Mám se špatně

Basic Wellbeing Answer

Level 1

How to say "I am doing well" or "I am doing badly" in Czech.

How It Works

1. Saying How You Are Doing
Use mít with se and an adverb:

  • Mám se dobře. (I am doing well.)
  • Mám se špatně. (I am doing badly.)
  • Máme se dobře. (We are doing well.)

These answer Jak se máš? for one person addressed with ty, or Jak se máte? for polite singular or plural address. Jak se má? asks how he or she is doing.

You can thank the person and ask back: Děkuju, mám se dobře. A ty? Use A vy? for polite singular or plural address.

2. Word Order
The unstressed se follows the usual second-position clitic pattern: it normally comes after the first stressed word or phrase. Compare Mám se dobře, Já se mám dobře and Dnes se mám skvěle. It stays se for all persons.

3. Short Answers
You can simply say Dobře (Well). Other choices include Jde to (So-so), Ujde to (Not bad) and Nic moc (Not great). Choose an answer that fits how you are doing and how much you want to share. There is no rule against an enthusiastic or negative answer.

4. Feeling Well or Unwell
Mám se dobře / špatně describes your general situation. Je mi dobře / špatně focuses on how you feel; je mi špatně can mean that you feel sick. Illness can also affect your general situation, so mít se is not forbidden when you are ill. Use je mi špatně when you specifically mean feeling sick.

Do not translate I am well word for word as Jsem dobře. Jsem dobrý / dobrá usually describes being good or skilled, depending on context. The short conversational answer Dobrý is also common.

5. Saying Goodbye
The same verb appears in the farewell Měj se! for one person addressed with ty and Mějte se! for polite singular or plural address. You can add hezky: Měj se hezky! (Take care! / Have a good one!).

Examples (4)

  1. Jak se máš? – Mám se dobře, děkuji.

    How are you? – I am doing well, thank you.

    Word by Word: How yourself have? – Have myself well, thank you.

    This is the standard, polite exchange between acquaintances.

  2. My se máme dobře.

    We are doing well.

    Word by Word: We ourselves have well.

    Notice how the pronoun 'se' moves to the second position, right after the subject 'My'.

  3. Nálada v týmu je pod psa, máme se špatně.

    Team morale is dreadful, we are doing badly.

    Word by Word: Mood in team is under dog, have ourselves badly.

    Used to describe a generally negative life situation or circumstance.

  4. Dnes se mám skvěle!

    I am doing great today!

    Word by Word: Today myself have excellently!

    You can replace 'dobře' with other adverbs of manner like 'skvěle' (great/excellently).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the verb "to be" (být) instead of "to have" (mít).

    Jsem dobře.
    Mám se dobře.

    For general well-being, use Mám se dobře. The direct translation Jsem dobře is not the usual Czech expression. Learn mít se as a whole phrase.

  • Omitting the reflexive pronoun "se".

    Mám dobře.
    Mám se dobře.

    The reflexive pronoun "se" is mandatory in this phrase. Without it, the sentence sounds incomplete, as "mít" normally requires a direct object.

  • Using plural máme when the subject is singular já.

    Já se máme dobře.
    Já se mám dobře.

    Use mám for I and máme for we. The reflexive se stays the same.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Mám se dobře / Mám se špatněLevel 1Basic Wellbeing Answer

Learn This First

To understand this pattern, learners need to be familiar with the reflexive structure 'mít se' used in the corresponding question 'Jak se máš?'. It also requires a basic understanding of adverbs like 'dobře' and 'špatně' to express state.

Words in This Pattern

mítdobřešpatně