jít

Present Tense of Jít

Level 1

The verb jít means "to go" or "to walk." It is highly irregular and is used specifically for a single, one-way trip happening right now or in the immediate future.

How It Works

Jít is a determinate verb of motion. This means it describes an ongoing action directed toward a specific destination.

Key Rules for Using Jít:

  • On Foot vs. Vehicle: Jít literally translates to "going on foot." If you are traveling a long distance by car or train, you must use jet. However, native speakers use jít as the default verb for attending local, everyday events or places within a town (like going to work or the cinema), even if they take a tram to get there. Important: If you explicitly mention the vehicle in the sentence, you cannot use jít. For example, "Jdu do kina tramvají" is incorrect; you must say "Jedu do kina tramvají".
  • Right Now or Planned Future vs. Habit: Jít is used for a single trip happening right now or a planned future action (e.g., "Zítra jdu do kina" - Tomorrow I am going to the cinema). For repeated, habitual, or round trips, Czech uses a different verb: chodit.
  • Prepositions: Jít is usually followed by a directional preposition, such as do (into a building or a defined/enclosed space like a park or downtown / into town), na + akuzativ (to an event, an open space, or public institutions and specific buildings like na poštu, na nádraží, na policii, or na univerzitu), or k/ke (towards a person).

Examples (4)

  1. Jdu domů, jsem unavená.

    I am going home, I am tired.

    Word by Word: I go home, I am tired.

    Shows the first-person singular form 'jdu' for an action happening right now.

  2. Kam jdeš tak pozdě večer?

    Where are you going so late in the evening?

    Word by Word: Where you go so late in evening?

    Shows the second-person singular form 'jdeš' asking about a current, one-way trip.

  3. Dneska jdeme do kina.

    Today we are going to the cinema.

    Word by Word: Today we go into cinema.

    Shows the first-person plural form 'jdeme' used for an immediate future plan, paired with the preposition 'do'.

  4. Děti jdou do školy.

    The children are going to school.

    Word by Word: Children go into school.

    Shows the third-person plural form 'jdou' for a specific trip happening at this moment.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'jít' for habitual or repeated actions.

    Jdu do školy každý den.
    Chodím do školy každý den.

    English uses 'go' for both 'I am going right now' and 'I go every day'. Czech separates these. 'Jít' is for a single trip happening right now or a planned future action. For repeated or habitual trips, you must use the indeterminate verb 'chodit'.

  • Inventing a regular future tense with 'budu'.

    Zítra budu jít do obchodu.
    Zítra půjdu do obchodu.

    Because 'jít' is an imperfective verb, learners often try to form the future tense using 'budu' (I will). This is strictly incorrect. The verb 'jít' has a special, irregular future form: 'půjdu' (though the present tense 'jdu' is also commonly used for planned future actions).

  • Mixing up the verbs 'jdeme' (we go) and 'jíme' (we eat).

    Dnes večer jíme do restaurace.
    Dnes večer jdeme do restaurace.

    Jíme comes from jíst (to eat), so this sentence says 'we eat into the restaurant'. To say where you are going, use jít: jdeme.

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jítLevel 1Present Tense of Jít

Learn This First

To learn the present tense of 'jít', learners should first be familiar with basic present tense conjugation concepts and the use of directional prepositions like 'do', as the verb is almost always used to describe movement towards a destination.

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jít