"Matěj a Žofie na nás nepočkali."

Translation: Matěj and Žofie did not wait for us.

[teabeadle]

Could someone explain the difference (if any) between "čekat" and "počkat"?

[kacenka9]

I can try. ČEKAT is to wait and the verb is in imperfective grammatical aspect. It can take forever, it can be repeated. POČKAT is perfective. It happens once and when it is over, it is done. Sometimes this property makes a huge difference in meanings. In this case the line is little gray. You could use both and it would not really change the meaning.

[Weltreisender]

I do think the lesson on aspect should be a bit sooner in the tree - maybe paired closer with the initial lessons on past tense? It's among the trickier ideas I've encountered in a language, and seems VERY important to Czech.

[nueby]

I appreciate the suggestion but disagree. The initial past tense skill actually does--but should not--mix in perfective verbs. It is the first place where the perfectives can show up, and showing both the past tense and some weird new class of verbs for the first time simultaneously is too much to handle for many people.

[CountryCatSmith]

Wouldn't it work to use: 'Matej and Zofie were not waiting for us' as the continued form?

[endless_sleeper]

It wouldn't. Počkat is perfective; past continuous is progressive/imperfective.

Past continuous corresponds better to čekat: Matěj a Žofie na nás nečekali.

[CountryCatSmith]

Ok thank you!

[Vixg]

I was expecting "nepočkaly" since the plural subject is male and female. Am I wrong?

[VladaFu]

The masculine animate gender has priority. If there is any male person or any other masculine animate entity in the group, the verb participle ending follows the masculine animate gender.

Even "Žofie a její pes čekali."