pracuji

Pracuji is the first person singular present tense form of the Czech verb pracovat, meaning to work. It is used to indicate that the speaker is performing work in the present. In Czech, the subject pronoun já is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Conjugation and usage notes: Pracovat belongs to the regular -ovat class of Czech verbs. The form pracuji is created from the stem prac- with the present tense ending -uji. Other present forms include pracuješ (you work), pracuje (he/she works), pracujeme (we work), pracujete (you all work), and pracují (they work). The verb can be negated with nepracuji or, more commonly, nepracuju in spoken Czech.

Pronunciation: Pracuji is pronounced roughly as PRAC-u-yi, with stress on the first syllable. The sequence -cuj- is typically realized as [tsu] followed by the consonant [j] and the vowel [i].

Usage examples: Pracuji na novém projektu. I am working on a new project. Dnes pracuji do pozdního odpoledne. Today I am working until late afternoon. Pracuji také jako freelancer. I also work as a freelancer. For negative statements, Czech often uses the short form nepracuji or nepracuju.

Relation to related terms: The noun práce means work or job, from which the verb form pracovat and its present 1st person singular pracuji derive. The form is specific to Czech; in Slovak, the equivalent 1st person singular present is pracujem, and in other Slavic languages the endings differ accordingly.

See also: Czech verbs, present tense conjugation, pracovat, práce.