Vocabulary (Review)

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Vy you (formal)
rád glad
ráda nice, glad (female speech)
ahoj Hi, bye
poznávat get to know, to explore, become aware, to recognize,to meet
Dobrý den Good day
ty you (informal)
být to be

Lesson Notes

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Lesson Focus

 

The focus of this lesson is how to introduce yourself in Czech

Topic 1: How to introduce yourself in Czech

Sentence from the lesson:

Ahoj, já jsem... Ráda tě poznávám.
"Hi, I'm... Nice to meet you."

 

In this lesson, you learned how to introduce yourself in Czech. Keep in mind that in Czech there are two kinds of speech: formal and informal.

 

*Informal* self introduction - Female speaker: Ahoj, já jsem. Ráda tě poznávám. -  "Hi, I'm . Nice to meet you."

 

*Informal* self introduction - Male speaker: Ahoj, já jsem. Rád tě poznávám. -  "Hi, I'm . Nice to meet you."

*Formal* self introduction - Female speaker: Dobrý den, já jsem. Ráda vás poznávám. - "Good day, I'm . Nice to meet you."

*Formal* self introduction - Male speaker: Dobrý den, já jsem. Rád vás poznávám. - "Good day, I'm . Nice to meet you."

 

Let's see the difference between the informal and the formal versions:

  • Ahoj - "Hi", has been substituted with the formal greeting Dobrý den - "good day"
  • Já jsem - "I am", has not been changed.
  • During the formal self introduction the full name is given (instead of just the first name)
  • Finally, TĚ poznávám (informal) changed to VÁS poznávám (formal). What changes is the Czech word for "you" in the accusative case.

 

Language Tip

 

 

 

In the Czech Republic, while introducing yourself it's a good habit to shake hands. And if you want to simplify your introduction you can do so by saying: Těší mě - "I am pleased to meet you".

 

 

 

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Lesson Transcript

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[A ws]
Welcome to CzechClass101.com’s “Česky za 3 minuty”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Czech.
[B cu]
Ahoj, já jsem Veronika. Těší mě. Hi, I'm Veronika. Nice to meet you.
In this series, you’re going to learn basic Czech expressions. It’s super easy and it only takes three minutes!
In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to introduce yourself in Czech. We’ll start speaking right away, but first it is important to clarify that in Czech, there is a difference between the formal and the informal language.
Let’s first see how Czech people introduce themselves in an *informal* situation.
Ahoj, já jsem Veronika. Ráda tě poznávám. - Hi, I’m Veronika. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Ahoj, já jsem Veronika. Ráda tě poznávám.
For males, the form of “ráda” changes to “rád”.
Ahoj, já jsem Petr. Rád tě poznávám. - Hi, I’m Petr. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Ahoj, já jsem Petr. Rád tě poznávám.
Start by saying: Ahoj, já jsem ... then, say your name. Ahoj, já jsem Veronika. Finally, say: Ráda tě poznávám if you are a female or Rád tě poznávám if you are a male.
Ahoj, já jsem Veronika. Ráda tě poznávám.
Ahoj já jsem Petr. Rád tě poznávám.
And now let’s see the same sentence in *formal* speech,
Dobrý den, já jsem Veronika Nová. Ráda vás poznávám. Good day, I’m Veronika Nová. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Dobrý den, já jsem Veronika Nová. Ráda vás poznávám.
And again the form of “ráda” changes to “rád” for males.
Dobrý den, já jsem Petr Nový. Rád vás poznávám. - Hi, I’m Petr Nový. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Dobrý den, já jsem Petr Nový. Rád vás poznávám.
So, what has changed from the previous introduction?
Let’s take a close look at these expressions together.
Ahoj has been substituted with the formal greeting Dobrý den, Czech for "good day."
Já jsem Veronika has not been changed; já jsem simply means "I am," however during a formal self introduction we also say our last name, so I said Veronika Nová. Here, you would say your full name.
Finally, pay attention to the ending: we went from TĚ poznávám to VÁS poznávám. What changes is the Czech word for “you” in the accusative case. In a formal sentence, we use the more polite word “Vás.”
One more time: The informal way to introduce yourself in Czech is Ahoj, já jsem Veronika. Ráda tě poznávám for females and Ahoj, já jsem Petr. Rád tě poznávám for males. The formal way to introduce yourself is Dobrý den, já jsem Veronika Nová. Ráda vás poznávám for females and Dobrý den, já jsem Petr Nový. Rád vás poznávám for males.
Now it’s time for Veronika’s Insights.
When you introduce yourself, it's a good habit to shake hands. If you are not sure whether to use Ráda tě poznávám, Rád tě poznávám, Ráda vás poznávám or Rád vás poznávám, just say simply Těší mě, as I said at the beginning of this lesson. Těší mě literally means “I am pleased to meet you”.
If you use the correct sentence with Czech people, they’re definitely going to be impressed!
That’s it for this lesson! Do you know how we say “thank you” in Czech? You’ll learn how to say this and many other words in the next lesson. Ahoj příště!
See you then!
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