Nejprve

nejprve is a Czech adverb meaning “in the first place” or “firstly.” It is used to indicate the initial step in a sequence or to introduce what should happen before other actions. In instructional or procedural text, nejprve often appears at the beginning of a sentence to set the order of steps, for example: “Nejprve si připravte materiály, potom začněte.” It can also introduce clauses in broader contexts, as in “Nejprve jsem myslel na to, co je nutné udělat.”

Etymology and form: nejprve is formed from the stem prve, meaning first, with the prefix nej-, which in Czech commonly marks a superlative or emphatic sense. The word is usually written as a single, unhyphenated unit. The form nejprve is the standard, while nejdřív is a closely related colloquial variant meaning the same thing; nejdřív is more common in spoken language, whereas nejprve is preferred in formal or written Czech. Another related term is nejdříve, which can be found in more formal texts but is less common in everyday speech.

Usage notes: nejprve is versatile in both spoken and written Czech, though speakers may choose nejdřív in informal conversation. It does not introduce negation; rather, it establishes sequence or priority. It is often paired with subsequent actions introduced by words like potom, pak, následně, or až poté. In neutral documentation or manuals, nejprve provides a clear, concise way to present ordered instructions.

See also: ordering of steps, instruction writing, Czech adverbs of sequence, synonyms and near-synonyms such as hlavně (primarily) in different contexts.