A quick course of Czech language

The language is one of the first things you will notice upon arriving in Prague. A Slavic language at its core, Czech can sound intimidating and complicated to English (and other non-Slavic) native speakers.  To be honest, it is quite intimidating to some of us Slavic speakers as well. It had been a good two years before I mustered the courage (read: got too embarrassed that I’ve stayed here so long and don’t speak a word)  to take up studying Czech seriously.  In this article I will try to give you an eclectic overview of Czech, focusing more on key phrases and ways of expression, rather than getting all deep into the grammar, perfect pronunciation and whatnot. The goal is to arm you with enough knowledge for basic survival in a Czech speaking environment and, hopefully, to show you that once you start the language doesn’t seem so intimidating.

Structure

So what’s the plan then? We will throw you in the mix from the intro, starting with some simple words and phrases that will give you an idea of the language. Then we will look into the pronunciation of the various letters from the alphabet and try to make sense of  how to piece them together.  Following this we will learn more generally useful expressions which I hope you would read easier after knowing the alphabet.  Following that we will discuss days, numbers, some specific situations and finish strong with practical tips for communicating with Czechs.

Introduction

I’ve noticed that when you start learning a new language there is this intimidating  first part that aims to explain how the different letters and combinations  are pronounced. You have to completely retrain yourself in how you see Latin letters.

While this is a great foundation for any language, it doesn’t do wonders to spike your desire to learn – it simply doesn’t feel useful enough, since you cannot use it immediately. That’s why in this intro I will quickly throw some useful expressions to show you how the language sounds like and arm you with an at least a basic vocabulary for speaking with Czechs.  I’ve written the English meaning, followed by the Czech, with a sound transcript in brackets (for the crudeness of which I apologize). The transcript is far from perfect, but I have done my best to make it easiest to pronounce, while keeping it understandable enough for Czech speakers.

• Yes.
  Ano. (Ano)
• No.
  Ne. (Ne, e is pronounced like the first e in edible)
• Please.
  Prosím (Prosim with short i)
• Thank you.
  Děkuji. (Dyekooyih.)
• Hello.  (as in “good day” – can be used even in late morning and early evening)
  Dobrý den. (Dobri den, i like in index)
• Hello. (informal – they are landlocked yet use a sea greeting, go figure)
  Ahoj. (Ahoi, i like in index)
• Good morning.
  Dobré ráno (Dobree raano)
• Good evening.
  Dobrý večer (Dobree vecher)
• Goodbye
  Na shledanou (Nashledano)
• Short goodbye
  Nashle (Nazhle)
• Help!
  Pomoc! (Pomots!)
• Look out!
  Pozor! (Pozor!)
• Good night.
  Dobrou noc (Dobro nots.)
• I don’t understand.
  Nerozumím (Nerozumim)

How the sounds are pronounced

Now that you have some idea of how the language sounds and can say some basic things, let’s delve into the pronunciation of the Czech alphabet.  I have suppressed the desire to slap the whole alphabet with basic explanation to each letter and instead dug out a classification of the various letters  that will make it easier for you to remember.  (All of the materials are free for distribution under the Creative Commons License)

Vowels

Long Vowels

Consonants

Soft Consonants

Ambiguous Consonants

More useful expressions

Now that you have a better idea of how to pronounce sounds, let’s add more useful expressions to your arsenal. Please note the self restraint I have practiced in providing you with the most cultured word Czechs have for a bathroom and not the alternatives (some of which they use for vile cursing).

• How are you?
  Jak se máš? (Yak seh maash? y like in yolo)
• Fine, thank you.
  Dobře, děkuji. (Dobre, dyekuyih.)
• What is your name?
  Jak se jmenuješ? (Yak se menoyesh?)
• Name?
  Jmeno?  (meno? silent J, pronounced more like i)
• My name is ….
  Jmenuji se ….. (Ymenuyoo seh ….)
• Nice to meet you.
  Těší mě. (Tyehshi myeh.)
• Excuse me, I am sorry. (getting attention)
  Promiňte (Prominyteh.)
• Where is the toilet?
  Kde je záchod? (Gde ye zaahod?)
• I can’t speak Czech
  Nemluvit česky (Nemlovit cheski)
• Do you speak English?
  Mluvíte anglicky? (Mloovite anglitske? i like index, a like apple)
• I forgot the word
  Zapomněl jsem na slovo (Zapomniel sem na slovo)

Days, weeks, months

Since it is a beginning course, we will just look at the most basic words for days, weeks and months.

• today – dnes
• tonight – dnes večer
• yesterday – včera
• yesterday night – včera v noci
• the day before yesterday – předevčírem (I’d be impressed if you say it on the first try)
• tomorrow – zítra
• week – tyden
• this week – tento týden
• last week – minulý týden
• next week – příští týden

The days of the week might be useful when you’re reading working times for stores and institutions.

• Monday – pondělí
• Tuesday – úterý
• Wednesday – středa
• Thursday – čtvrtek
• Friday – pátek
• Saturday – sobota
• Sunday – neděle

Months:

• January – leden (means frozen)
• February – únor
• March – březen
• April – duben
• May – květen (flowery)
• June – červen (red)
• July – červenec
• August – srpen
• September – září
• October – říjen
• November – listopad (leaf fall)
• December – prosinec

Specific situations

Taxi

• I need a taxi – Potřebuji taxi
• Are you free? – Jste volný?
• How much does it cost? – Kolik to stojí?
• Stop here – Zastavte tady
• Wait – Počkejte
• Receipt please – účet prosim (also works at restaurants)

At the restaurant

• Do you have… ? – Máte…?
• Chicken – Kuře
• Steak – biftek
• Fish – ryby
• Bread – Chléb
• Cheese – syr
• Beer – pivo
• Salad- Salad
• Water – Voda
• Still- neperliva
• Carbonated – perliva
• Wine – Vino
• Where is the bathroom – Kde je zahod?
• Bill please – účet prosim

Key places, key nouns

• Shop – obchod
• Street – Ulice
• Police – Policie
• Hospital – Nemocnice
• Train Station – Nádraží
• Airport – Letiště
• Help – Pomoc
• Fire – Hoří
• Thief – Zloděj
• I am lost – Jsem ztracen
• I lost my wallet – Ztratil jsem peněženku
• I feel sick -Je mi špatně
• Doctor – doktor

Numbers and why we don’t cover grammar here

Czech becomes a bit weird when it comes to numbers and counting. Let’s take for example the noun for man (masculine, animate): muž .  If you mean one man, then you will use the singular “jeden muž “. But what happens if it is 2, 3 or 4 men? Then it depends on the case. We won’t be touching up on cases here much, but suffice it to say they are one of the most complicated parts of the language. They are dependent on the function that the noun has in the sentence. If you want to say simply “two men” you will say “dva muži”, which is nominative. If, however, you SEE two men you would say “Vidim dva muže”, which is accusative (remember – accusative, like accusation).

The latter is used for numbers 2-4. From 5 to infitinity, the plural of the noun will stay the same for nominative, accusative and vocative cases: pět mužů, šest mužů, etc. (5 men, 6 men…)  “Vidím deset mužů.” – I see ten men. Seems pretty simple, until you learn that other cases you have to say muži: eg.  “Pod pěti muži.”

Anyway, with this I just wanted to show why I am not digging into grammar – the point of this lesson is to get an idea about the language and pick up some useful phrases. If you are interested in learning the language properly, my suggestion is to turn to a professional teacher or at least get a proper textbook.  As for the numbers:

Tips on speaking Czech with locals

Based on my experience in Prague, a lot of Czech people have at least a rudimentary grasp on English but are too shy to speak. Whether it is a cultural thing, or something instilled during their school years, but practice shows that many locals choose to appear to not speak English, because they’re embarrassed of not being fluent. Again, this is my experience, but every time I open in basic Czech (even when I spoke it terribly), they’d immediately become more relaxed and the Nemluvit anglicky (I don’t speak English) turns into a mluvit trošku (I speak a little). This definitely makes communication easier. If you cannot remember some word, say the sentence in Czech and add this word in English, while apologizing.  let’s say you forgot the word for appointment. Example phrase you can sneak in the conversation.

– Ja mam…. (I have) zapomněl jsem na slovo (I forgot the word)… appointment na 10 hodin (appointment for 10 o’clock)

Another advice I can give you – don’t spend too much effort trying to be grammatically correct.  I can honestly recommend this to beginners in any language – focus on getting your point across. Use key words and sentences and try to calm down and speak clearly. Prague is quite a mixed place – 25% of the workforce are foreigners and you can get around just fine with English, which is why many people don’t bother to learn Czech. Which in turn leads Czech people to really appreciate the ones who try to learn their language – they will encourage you and be patient no matter how much you murder it, as long as you try.

Parting words

Thank you for sticking with me throughout this course! I hope it was useful and maybe made Czech seem a bit less intimidating. We have not looked into grammar for it is a bit of a complicated matter in this language, but trust me, once you start learning it will come intuitively.

Whether or not your Czech is at a good level, we at DiscoverWalks would be happy to take you on a guided tour to Prague and share its beauty. Until then, we bid you goodbye and Hodně štěstí (Good luck!).