Collins Gem Czech Phrasebook and Dictionary

Time (#litres_trial_promo)

Time phrases (#litres_trial_promo)

Eating out

Eating places (#litres_trial_promo)

In a bar/café (#litres_trial_promo)

In a restaurant (#litres_trial_promo)

Vegetarian (#litres_trial_promo)

Beers, wines and spirits (#litres_trial_promo)

Menu reader

Grammar

Public holidays

Dictionary (#litres_trial_promo)

English-Czech (#litres_trial_promo)

Czech-English (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Pronouncing Czech (#ud0b3e1a5-3be1-54b0-ba42-83c3580619e7)

Czech contains some unfamiliar letters and a few difficult sounds for English speakers. The letters b d f g h k l m n p s t v x and z sound the same as in English. Note that g is always hard as in ‘lag’, never soft as in ‘large’, and s is always hissed as in ‘less’, never like z as in ‘Les’. The stress is always on the first syllable of the word. The pronunciation guide in this book uses hyphens to separate the syllables. The letters l and r can be a syllable in their own right, e.g. Vltava (vl-ta-va), sprcha (sprr-kha), and h is always pronounced, even at the end of a word, e.g. pstruh (pstroo-h). See ALPHABET for a full list of the pronunciation symbols we use.

Vowels can be long or short. When the vowel is long, shown in Czech by an accent (e.g. úor ů), we highlight it in bold, i.e. tabákta-bak. You will also see combinations of vowels such as au(a

) and ou(o

), like ‘ouch’ and ‘coach’ respectively.

Top ten tips (#ud0b3e1a5-3be1-54b0-ba42-83c3580619e7)

1 Czechs remove their shoes when entering a home and leave them outside.

2 The Czech Republic has a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol consumption, so even a single beer before driving could get you into trouble.

3 Always wait to be invited to use somebody’s first name.

4 If you receive a gift, you should open it immediately and in front of the giver.

5 Acknowledge people in lifts, train compartments and shop counters by saying, ‘dobrý den’ (hello) and ‘nashledanou’ (goodbye).

6 Avoid hailing a taxi in the street. It’s best to phone a taxi firm and make sure the driver turns on the meter.

7 In restaurants, expect to sit with other people if there is space – others will sit with you. Always ask for permission first.

8 When giving flowers, always give them in odd numbers. Even numbers are given at funerals.

9 Most Czechs know which mushrooms to pick in the woods and are prepared to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning to do so. Picking mushrooms is the Czech national passion.

10 Most people leave for their ‘chata’ (a weekend house in the country) on Friday afternoon and come back on Sunday evening. This means that Prague is empty of locals at weekends and heavy traffic should be expected going out of and into Prague on these days.

Talking to people (#ud0b3e1a5-3be1-54b0-ba42-83c3580619e7)

Hello/goodbye, yes/no (#ulink_202bed7a-b878-5fd8-b235-5b7fe1737a88)

In 1993 Czechoslovakia (Československo) split into the Czech Republic (Česká Republika), comprising Bohemia (Čechy) and Moravia (Morava), and Slovakia (Slovensko). The adjective Český refers either generally to both the Czech lands or specifically to Bohemia. The Slovak language is different from Czech, but Czech will be understood in Slovakia.

Key phrases (#ulink_dbf610d2-fde2-5303-8a10-ff74f5c6d725)

> Dictionary (#ud0b3e1a5-3be1-54b0-ba42-83c3580619e7)

Signs and notices (#ulink_fdb5834e-0e87-5d27-82ce-1c4b94ab2f8f)

Polite expressions (#ulink_69e1f7da-8d3c-5846-942c-842225e8da65)

In the Czech Republic people greet each other dobrý dendob-ree den or ahoja-hoy (informal for BOTH ‘hi’ and ‘bye’).

> Dictionary (#ud0b3e1a5-3be1-54b0-ba42-83c3580619e7)

Celebrations (#ulink_23738c19-08bd-53a8-93ad-80b2578263ea)

Making friends (#ulink_cae878c3-26db-5e9f-8511-a9879ab7242e)

There are two ways of addressing people: informal and formal. In this section we have used the informal form.

> Dictionary (#ud0b3e1a5-3be1-54b0-ba42-83c3580619e7)

Work (#ulink_6de809e9-6c8c-5560-9272-d7e221edd6d0)

Weather (#ulink_a1f26432-d29a-59b6-969e-2134cc290a39)

Getting around (#ulink_a1f26432-d29a-59b6-969e-2134cc290a39)

Asking the way (#ulink_ad99b196-21bf-5950-9b94-da38df5cbe41)

If you want to ask directions in the street, start with Promiňte (excuse me!).

Bus and coach (#ulink_d95c3b1a-0c05-5042-9e75-d3926d0e1392)