"František a Žofie žijí u jejích rodičů."

Translation: František and Žofie live at her parents'.

[DaanBanaan18]

Does the verb have to be 'žít' or can it also be 'bydlet' here?

[VladaFu]

it can

[ken55414]

u = at, near, by. How do we know if they live at or near her parents?

[chartsman]

"U" placed before people, at least in Polish, always means 'at the house/place of those people'. The construction is also frequently used in restaurants' names with the first name of the owner, for example "U Antka" (where "Antek" is probably a guy who runs it). I'm not sure if it's the same in Czech but given how similar both languages are, I would assume so.

[VladaFu]

It is just understood in this specific phrase that it is "at". You have to learn that.

If it were nearby, we would say blízko. Bydlet u někoho is a set phrase.

[Tom307502]

So in general, when would a person use the verb "zit" vs "bydlet"?

[VladaFu]

They are mostly synonymous for the "dwell" meaning. Bydlet cannot mean "to be alive".

[cricketswool]

The sentence "František and Žofie live at her parents'." strikes my ear as a little too informal or colloquial for standard English. (I would say "with her parents", or "at her parents' house/apartment/etc.") Do any of the other native speakers see it that way?