You’re at a birthday in Žižkov (the hood, so to say). Someone hands you a slice of dort and asks, „Kolik ti je?“ You panic-smile and blurt, „Mám dvacet pět…“
A polite eyebrow levitates. The cake pauses mid-air. In English, we are an age; in some languages, people have years. In Czech, your years are gracious houseguests: they are to you. So, here’s how to tell your age in Czech correctly:
- Je mi + číslo (+ let) → It is to me + number (years).
Je mi dvacet pět (let). The party resumes, the eyebrow lands, and someone offers you more cake because you speak Beautiful Idiomatic Czech™ now.
📌 Free mini-pack: printable + 15-second Je mi… Short
Want a tiny booster you can use on the tram? I made a free “Je mi… (let)” cheat sheet (for the other forms too!) plus a 15-second looping Short that drills the exact lines you’ll say in real life. The PDF gives you the one big rule, dative forms, a friendly rok / roky / let mini-table, and some plug-and-play sentences. The Short is designed to loop – listen once, shadow once, say it loud once – and you’re done in under 20 seconds.
- Download: the printable “Je mi… (let)” guide (free).
🏷️ Rok, roky, let – the wardrobe changes
A toddler whizzes by, frosting on cheeks, and someone says, „Jsou jí tři roky.“ Three years are to her. Czech switches outfits for “year” depending on the number. It’s less scary than it looks—think of it as your age’s capsule wardrobe:
- 1 → rok: Je mi jeden rok. (mostly for babies and ficus trees)
- 2–4 → roky: with a plural verb for little humans: Jsou mu tři roky.
- 5+ → let: elegant, evergreen: Je mi pět / šestnáct / čtyřicet… let.
When your brain is full of party music, default to the universal, adult-safe line: Je mi X (let).
💬 Asking ages without sounding like an auditor
You drift to the balcony. New friend, new small talk. You want to ask politely – not like a census form.
Use these like dimmer switches:
- Informal: Kolik ti je (let)?
- Formal: Kolik vám je (let)?
- About others: Kolikjí/mu je?; Kolik je vaší dceři/vašemu synovi?
🎂 Time travel with birthday candles
Stories arrive. You join in.
- Past: Bylo mi dvacet, když jsem se přestěhovala. (I was 20 when I moved.)
- Future (turning): V květnu mi bude třicet. (I’ll turn 30 in May.)
- Already / not yet: Už je mi osmnáct. / Ještě mi není/nebylo osmnáct.
Same rules apply for other forms: Bylo jí osm let. / Budou mu dva roky.
What to Read Next
If this helped, keep the momentum going with more bite-sized Czech:
- Tykání vs. vykání – when to use ty and when to stay polite
- Mít rád vs. rád – feelings vs. adverbs without the confusion
Pa pa!
