Odjít

Odjít is a Czech verb meaning to leave, depart, or go away from a place. It is a perfective, intransitive verb formed with the prefix od- added to the verb jít (to go). The prefix conveys the sense of moving away from a location or leaving a situation. In contrast, its imperfective counterpart is odcházet, which emphasizes the process of leaving rather than the completed act.

Usage and meaning

Odjít describes a single, completed act of leaving a place or situation. It can be used for leaving a building, a town, a meeting, or a group, and it is common in both spoken and written Czech. The verb can carry both literal and figurative meanings, such as odjít z domu (to leave home), odjít ze scény (to step off the scene), or odjít z funkce (to resign or step down from a position).

Conjugation and forms

As a perfective verb, odjít expresses a completed action. The past tense forms are odšel (masculine), odšla (feminine), and odšlo (neuter). Present/future forms typically use the stem odjde- or odjd-, for example odjdu, odjdeš, odjde, odjdeme, odjdete, odjdou, depending on person and aspect. The imperfective alternative odcházet describes a process of leaving over time, while odchod means the act of leaving or departure in noun form.

Related terms

Odjít is often discussed alongside odcházet (imperfective) and odejít (a closely related perfective variant with similar meaning). These verbs are part of the broader family of Czech prefix verbs derived from jít, where od- consistently signals movement away or departure.

Examples

Ráno odšel z domu. (He left home in the morning.)

Z klubu odjel brzy poté, co akce skončila. (He departed from the club shortly after the event ended.)

Po schůzce rychle odšel z místnosti. (He quickly left the room after the meeting.)