Borrowed and international verbs almost always become -ovat verbs. Also includes many native Czech verbs describing repeated or habitual actions.
How to Identify
Infinitives ending in -ovat: pracovat (work), studovat (study), telefonovat (telephone), programovat (program).
Remove -ovat and add -uj- for the present tense stem. 'Pracovat' → 'pracuj-'. This -uj- insertion is consistent across all -ovat verbs.
Why Endings Encode the Subject
The -ovat pattern became Czech's 'landing pad' for foreign verbs because it's completely regular. When Czech borrowed 'program' from English, it naturally became 'programovat' with fully predictable conjugation.
The stem changes significantly: -ovat → -uj-. First person and third person plural have colloquial variants (-uju, -ujou) alongside standard forms (-uji, -ují).
| Person | Pronoun | English | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | já | I | -uji/-uju |
| 2nd sg. | ty | you (sg.) | -uješ |
| 3rd sg. | on/ona/ono | he/she/it | -uje |
| 1st pl. | my | we | -ujeme |
| 2nd pl. | vy | you (pl./formal) | -ujete |
| 3rd pl. | oni/ony/ona | they | -ují/-ujou |
Past participle: -oval/-ovala/-ovalo
Example Verbs4
Present Tense
Past Tense (with gender)
pracuj-Remove -ovat, add -uj-: pracovat → pracuj-. This -uj- insertion is the hallmark of -ovat verbs.
Present Tense
Past Tense (with gender)
studuj-Remove -ovat, add -uj-: studovat → studuj-.
Present Tense
Past Tense (with gender)
miluj-Remove -ovat, add -uj-: milovat → miluj-.
Present Tense
Past Tense (with gender)
potřebuj-Remove -ovat, add -uj-: potřebovat → potřebuj-.