We all know life isn’t just work; relationships matter and love conquers all.

However, your career is one of the most important parts of your life (and it also takes up a big chunk of your time on Earth). 

That’s why it’s beneficial to find a career that fulfills you and makes you feel accomplished…or at least pays well and doesn’t kill you on the inside. And, of course, you might want or need to start a career in another country.

If you want to get a job or start your own business in the Czech Republic (yay!), you should work on learning some common Czech business phrases and vocabulary. Every successful entrepreneur will tell you that your language gives away a lot about your personality and approach, and by choosing the right words, you will open more prospects. Doing this in a foreign language may be a little more challenging, but also more fun. Trust me. Been there, done that.

Multilingualism benefits your business/professional skills, and makes you look more invested, motivated, and appealing to your business partners. And can you guess what one of the pillars of strong business/work relationships is? Speaking the local language! It bridges cultural gaps and supports interpersonal relationships. 

In other words: Knowing at least a little business Czech will make you look more attractive and less culturally distant to your future boss or business partners. 

Get your game face on. I’ll walk you through some Czech business phrases that will help you boost or start your career in our lovely Central European country. I’ve also included some vocab and tips for email or phone communication, as well as phrases you’ll need to arrange your Czech business travels.

Table of Contents

1. How to Nail a Job Interview
2. How to Make Friends at Work
3. How to Sound Smart in a Meeting
4. How to Handle Business Calls and Emails
5. How to Have a Successful Business Trip
6. How CzechClass101.com Helps You Learn Czech in a Fun Way

1. How to Nail a Job Interview

First things first: First impressions are more important than we like to admit. Start with the basics and make sure you know how to introduce yourself in Czech appropriately.

Learning how to say “Hello, my name is…” in Czech will take just a few moments. But in context of the bigger picture, it will change the way your potential boss sees you: as an invested, proactive individual who is willing to work on his/her skills, truly wants to be a part of the team, and is ready to learn new things on the go.

A- The Right Start

Remember that you should be formal and polite. Don’t get too personal, and keep things “clean” and professional (unless your potential employer or business partner shows up wearing ripped jeans and offers you a beer).

What could be your opening lines?

• Dobrý den, já jsem Ironman. Mám tu pracovní pohovor s paní Gosling.
  “Good day, my name is Ironman. I have a job interview with Mrs. Gosling here.”

• Dobrý den, jdu za paní Gosling. 
  “Good day, I am here to see Mrs. Gosling.”

Check out our quick guide on Czech greetings. It’s crucial that you be prepared, so that you don’t have to think about your language skills too much, and can focus on the interview.

B- Greetings & Goodbyes

Here are the essentials you need to remember to get by:

➢ Dobrý den. (“Good day.”) – formal, can be used throughout the day
➢ Dobré ráno. (“Good morning.”)
➢ Rád/ráda vás poznávám. (“Nice to meet you.”)
➢ Nashledanou. (“Goodbye.”)
➢ Těšilo mě. (“It was a pleasure to meet you.”)
➢ Ozveme se. (“We’ll keep in touch.”)

This guide on how to say hello in Czech will come in handy, too!

➢ When in doubt, stick with Dobrý den and Nashledanou.

C- Ty or Vy? (A.K.A. Using Formal Speech)

The Czech language has two distinct pronouns for “you”: vy (formal) and ty (casual). 

When in doubt, always opt for the formal version vy, especially in business or work settings. However, if someone offers you tykání, which is the use of the informal voice, you can follow suit.

Sometimes tykání is referred to as a first-name basis, but this isn’t entirely correct. In Czech, you can call a person by their first name and still use the formal voice.

➢ Formal voice: Second person plural, even when you’re talking to a single person.

Rule of thumb:

• When in doubt: Vy.
• Your friends, work friends, family, or children: Ty.
• Anyone else (even if they’re your age): Vy.

It’s very likely that people in creative (more relaxed) environments will offer tykání right away. Just follow the lead!

D- During the Interview

You’ll be asked about your education, accomplishments, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and visions.

Here are some of the words you’ll likely use during your interview (masculine / feminine):

• Pilný / Pilná (“Diligent”)
• Kreativní (“Creative”)
• Ambiciózní (“Ambitious”)
• Nadšený / Nadšená (“Enthusiastic”)
• Spolehlivý / Spolehlivá (“Reliable”)
• Pohodový / Pohodová (“Easy-going”)

You might want to check out this list of adjectives to prepare for your self-introduction in Czech. Write down a few lines about who you are and what you can offer the company.

This list of workplace-related vocabulary will help you put together and recognize some (pretty obvious) questions and answers. Below, you’ll find a list of useful business Czech phrases that you’ll either use or hear from your interviewer:

You:

• Rád bych se zeptal… / Ráda bych se zeptala… (“I would like to ask…”)
• Na podobné pozici jsem pracoval/pracovala tři roky. (“I had a similar job for three years.”)
• V tomto oboru mám mnoho zkušeností. (“I have vast experience in this area.”)
• Nevadí mi práce přesčas. (“I don’t mind working overtime.”)
• Jaký je plat? (“How much is the salary?”)
• Je možný home-office? (“Can I work from home?”)
• Jaká je pracovní doba? (“What are the working hours?”)
• Děkuji za váš čas. (“Thank you for your time.”)
• Chcete se mě na něco zeptat? (“Do you want to ask me any questions?”)

Interviewer:

• Jaký máte titul? (“What degrees do you have?”)
• Jaké máte vzdělání? (“What is your educational background?”)
• Kde jste pracoval/pracovala předtím? (“Where did you work before?”)
• Na jaké pozici jste pracoval/pracovala? (“What was your role?”)

E- Skills

If you have it, flaunt it!

• Mluvím anglicky, německy a česky. (“I speak English, German, and Czech.”)
• Mluvím plynule španělsky. (“I am fluent in Spanish.”)
• Jsem začátečník. (“I am a beginner.”)
• Vystudoval/vystudovala jsem… (“I have a degree in…”)
• Inženýr (Master’s degree in engineering or economics)
• Magistr (Master’s degree in social studies or art)

(Feel free to learn more about the education structure in the Czech Republic.)

If you need more time to think of an answer:

• Můžete to zopakovat? (“Could you repeat that, please?”)
• Pardon, neslyšel/neslyšela jsem vás. (“Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”)
• Pardon, nerozumím. (“Sorry, I don’t understand.”)

2. How to Make Friends at Work

First of all, bring three batches of homemade triple chocolate cookies…just joking.

Vítej! (“Welcome!”)

Making friends at work is important. In fact, studies show that people who have a “best friend” at work are seven times as likely to be engaged in their job! They also have “higher levels of productivity, retention, and job satisfaction than those who don’t.”

Icebreakers

First of all, you need to introduce yourself, right?

We have a great article for ya!

TLDR?

Okay, here’s a snapshot.

• Smile
• Jmenuju se… (“My name is….”)
• Těší mě. (“Nice to meet you.”)

After that, you can get a little more touchy-feely:

• Jsem tu nový/nová. (“I am new here.”)
• Moc se mi tu líbí. (“I like it here a lot.”)
• Chodíte někdy na skleničku? (“Do you go out for drinks?”)
• Jak dlouho tu pracuješ? (“How long have you been working here?”)
• Líbí se ti tu? (“Do you like it here?”)
• Pomůžeš mi, prosím? (“Can you help me, please?”)
• Děkuji za pomoc! (“Thank you for your help!”)

Want more? See our list of more self-introduction lines!

3. How to Sound Smart in a Meeting

Yeah, most meetings could have just been emails, but if you do have to see your coworkers or boss or business partners face-to-face, you’re going to want to show off.

No slacking allowed, get ready. 

Schůzka s kolegy (“Meeting with coworkers”)

Whom you’re meeting with (masculine / feminine):

• Kolega / Kolegyně (“Colleague,” “Coworker”)
• Obchodní partner / partnerka (“Business partner”)
• Investor / Investorka (“Investor”)
• Šéf / Šéfka (“Boss”)
• Nadřízený / Nadřízená (“Supervisor”)

Speak up:

• Podle mého názoru… (“In my opinion…”)
• Já si myslím… (“I think…”)
• Dobrá práce. (“Good work.”)
• Skvělá práce! (“Excellent work!”)
• Pojďme to probrat. (“Let’s talk about it.”)

This is the ultimate business talk guide. Listen to the vocabulary, practice your pronunciation, and impress with your smooth Czech for business.

4. How to Handle Business Calls and Emails

I have always perceived business calls and emails as a foolproof way to “read” the people on the other end.

Work emails with typos, grammar mistakes (!!!), or sketchy vocab are off-putting and unprofessional.

You really need to pay attention to your spelling and make sure everything is perfect (thank god for online translators—use them!).

The structure should be like this:

1. Dobrý den, paní Grangerová. (“Good day, Mrs. Granger.”)
2. Píšu vám kvůli tématu, o kterém jsme spolu mluvili. (“I am writing to you in regards to the topics we talked about.”)
3. The body of the email.
4. Pokud budete potřebovat další pomoc, neváhejte se na mě obrátit. (“If you need any additional assistance, please contact me.”)
5. Děkuji předem. (“Thank you in advance.”)
6. S pozdravem, (“Regards,”)
7. Your name.

Other stuff:

• Děkuji za odpověď. (“Thank you for your reply.”)
• Mohl/mohla byste mi prosím poslat… (“Would you please send me…”)
• Můžete mi doporučit…? (“Could you recommend…?”)
• Pečlivě jsme zvážili váš návrh a… (“We carefully considered your proposal and…”)

Easy peasy.

Of course, you don’t need to be super-official like that when you’re asking your coworkers where you’re going for lunch.

As for calls, well… Do people still do that?

Okay, in case you do need to make a phone call:

When answering the phone, people usually say Prosím (“Please”) or say their name right away, which might catch you off-guard.

Dal/dala bych si salámovou, prosím. (“I’d like pepperoni pizza, please.”)

During the call, you might find these lines useful:

• Dobrý den, to je design studio Pilot? (“Hello, is it Pilot design studio?”)
• To je paní Thurman? (“Is it Mrs. Thurman?”)
• Chci mluvit s paní Thurman, prosím. (“I’d like to talk to Mrs. Thurman, please.”)
• Prosím přepojte mě do účtárny. (“Please connect me to the finance department.”)

If you’re on the other side of the phone:

• Nezavěšujte. (“Hold the line.”)
• Předám… (“I will put you through to…”)
• Chcete nechat vzkaz? (“Would you like to leave a message?”)
• Můžete zavolat později? (“Could you call back later?”)
• Děkuji, nashledanou. (“Thank you, goodbye.”)

Here’s a list of more super-useful phrases for your next phone call.

5. How to Have a Successful Business Trip

Yay or nay? Do you like to travel for work?

Anyway!

Unless you have an assistant, you’ll probably need to book a hotel and tickets, share an itinerary with your coworkers or business partners, get a cab, check in to a hotel…lots of talking to be done! 

Here are some useful phrases to help you out on your business trip to the Czech Republic

• Jede z letiště do města autobus? (“Is there a bus from the airport to the city?”)
• Mám rezervaci. (“I have a reservation.”)
• Máte nějaké volné pokoje? (“Do you have any vacancies tonight?”)
• Berete kreditní karty? (“Do you take credit card?”)
• Je Wi-Fi zdarma? (“Is the Wi-Fi free?”)
• Mohl bych dostat účet? (“Could I have the check?”)
• Přistaneme v 17:00. (“We land at five p.m.”)
• Odlétáme v 7:00. (“We take off at seven a.m.”)
• Vyzvedněte mě na letišti, prosím. (“Pick me up at the airport, please.”)

Plus:

• Děkuji za pohostinnost. (“Thank you for your hospitality.”)
• Děkuji za váš čas. (“Thank you for your time.”)
• Budu tam včas. (“I will be there on time.”)
• Můj let má zpoždění. (“My flight is delayed.”)

This list of vocabulary will help you prepare for almost any travel situation!

Šťastnou cestu! (“Safe travels!”)

6. How CzechClass101.com Helps You Learn Czech in a Fun Way

CzechClass101.com makes learning Czech easy, exciting, and fun. With us, it’s not about endless memorizing or thick textbooks. Learn Czech with us and make progress faster than you could imagine!

What can you find here?

• English-to-Czech translation and pronunciation tips/tricks
• Over 630 audio and video lessons
• Vocabulary learning tools
• Spaced repetition flashcards
• Detailed PDF lesson notes

Sign up now, it’s free!

One last thing: Let us know in the comments if this article helped you. Are there any more phrases you need to learn? Let’s get in touch!