Since we live in this awesome era of technological miracles, we get to enjoy all sorts of smart, advanced, and helpful marvels on a daily basis. Which device do you use the most? I’m guessing it would be your phone.

While most people prefer texting or video calls, knowing how to make a proper phone call is a crucial skill. You probably won’t text your doc to make an appointment, the police probably won’t be up for a Zoom session, and sometimes you don’t have time to wait for your buddy’s reply—you need to speak to them pronto.

Learning Czech phone call phrases, then, is a logical next step in your language learning journey. 

But…taking or making a phone call in a foreign language might be a little stressful. 

At the beginning of my career (when I thought it would be a good idea to be someone’s assistant instead of working on my own thing), I had to make phone calls in English on a daily basis. Back then, people actually used their phones to call a cab, book a hotel, or even discuss work stuff. (Can you believe that? Could have been an email.) 

I was nervous and it often didn’t go well because not seeing the other person makes it a little more difficult to understand what they’re saying. Plus, I had to deal with (often very heavy) accents, and one time I even asked a French guy if we could speak English. There was a long pause on the other end of the line, followed by: “I AM speaking English.”

You don’t need to worry about this, though. I’m guessing you’ll be speaking mostly with native speakers and your embarrassment hazard will be much lower. Thanks to this article, your telephone conversations in Czech will be a breeze.

There are a few rules you should follow and a few phrases to remember. Nothing complicated. You’ll be done in 20 minutes. Let’s learn these Czech phone call phrases together.

Phones are one of the most important devices in our modern lives.

Table of Contents

1. Basic Phone Call Vocabulary
2. Answering the Phone: Greetings in Czech
3. How to Introduce Yourself Over the Phone in Czech
4. Czech Phone Call Phrases: I Just Called to Say…
5. May I Speak to…
6. Please Hold
7. Not Available? Leave a Message!
8. Didn’t Catch That? (Asking for Clarification)
9. Ending a Phone Call in Czech
10. How it Goes in Real Life: A Telephone Conversation in Czech
11. How CzechClass101.com Helps You Learn Czech in a Fun Way

1. Basic Phone Call Vocabulary

I figured we should start at the beginning. Here are the most common words that you might find useful.

English	Czech
Phone call	Telefonovat
To make a call / To call	Zavolat
To answer a phone	Přijmout hovor (“To accept a phone call”)
To dial	Vytočit
Phone number	Telefonní číslo / Telefon
Would you give me your phone number?	Dáš mi na sebe telefon?
To call back	Zavolat zpátky
To hang up	Zavěsit
Ringtone	Vyzváněcí tón
A text	Esemeska / SMS / Zpráva (“Message”)

Zavěsit – “To hang up”

2. Answering the Phone: Greetings in Czech 

Alright, I know that a lot of us don’t like talking on the phone. And (honestly) how many times have you waited for your phone to STOP ringing so that you could go back to scrolling/gaming/shopping?

I’m guilty of this too.

Answering your phone in a foreign language might seem scary…but it’s not.

Simply say:

• Haló? or Prosím? (“Hello?” or “Please?”)
• Prosím is definitely more common, and yes, it’s a very versatile word. Haló is a lot more old-timey.
• Ano? (“Yes?”) is also an option.

Remember that Czech greetings are more specific than those in English—you’ll need to use a different one when speaking to your friend versus speaking to your boss. You can find more greetings in Czech here. In case you struggle with saying hello in real life, check out this article.

3. How to Introduce Yourself Over the Phone in Czech

English	Czech
This is [name] from [company].	Tady [name] z [company] / volám z [company].
This is [name].	Tady [name].
Good day, this is [name].	Dobrý den, tady [name].

Vytočit číslo – “To dial a number”

4. Czech Phone Call Phrases: I Just Called to Say…

I assume most of your calls will be related to appointments and reservations. 

If you need to make a doctor’s appointment, make sure you know the appropriate vocab. You’ll find more useful Czech phrases here. 

In case you’re in perfect health but hungry, Czech out this lesson about making dinner reservations in Czech.

English	Czech
I’m calling to ask about…	Volám, abych se zeptal/a na…
I’d like to speak with someone about…	Chci s někým mluvit o…
I want to ask about…	Chci se zeptat na…
I want to confirm…	Chci potvrdit…
I want to make a reservation.	Chci udělat rezervaci…
I want to make an appointment.	Chci se objednat.
I’d like to make a check-up appointment.	Chtěla bych se objednat na prohlídku.
I had a missed call from this number.	Mám od vás zmeškaný hovor.
Who is this?	Kdo je to?
Who is calling?	Kdo volá?

5. May I Speak to…

Now that you’re actually speaking to a real native Czech speaker, you need to let them help you.

Who are you calling?

English	Czech
May I speak to [name]?	Můžu mluvit s [name]?
I want to speak to [name].	Chci mluvit s [name].
I’d like to speak to [name].	Rád/a bych mluvil/a s [name].
I’m calling for [name].	Volám [name].
Is [name] there?	Je tam [name]?
I am calling because of…	Volám kvůli…

6. Please Hold

You might find yourself in a situation where a short wait will be necessary, which will likely happen in a professional setting or if you need to check your schedule while making an appointment. 

English	Czech
I’ll put you on hold for a second.	Počkejte okamžik, prosím.
Just a moment, let me check.	Moment, zjistím to.
Let me put you through to his/her office.	Přepojím vás do jeho/její kanceláře.
Stay on the line, please.	Nezavěšujte, prosím.
Wait a moment, please.	Prosím počkejte.
I’ll check my schedule.	Podívám se do diáře.

Kdo volá? – “Who is this?”

7. Not Available? Leave a Message!

In case the person you’re calling is not available at the moment, you might consider leaving a message.

These are the most common formal Czech telephone phrases for doing so:

English	Czech
Please let him know that…	Vyřiďte mu/jí prosím, že…
Can I leave a message?	Můžu nechat vzkaz?
Can he/she call me back at [phone number]?	Mohl/a by mi zavolat zpátky na číslo [phone number]?
Could you tell him/her that…	Mohl/a byste mu/jí vyřídit, že…

8. Didn’t Catch That? (Asking for Clarification)

This can (and likely will) happen during a phone call in Czech. Whether it be due to a poor connection or the other person’s accent, you’ll be able to muddle through with these phrases:

English	Czech
Sorry, could you say that again?	Můžete to zopakovat, prosím?
I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time hearing you. I think there’s a bad connection.	Pardon, neslyším vás. Asi je špatný signál.
Could you spell your name for me, please?	Můžete mi vyhláskovat vaše jméno, prosím?
So…	Takže…
Just to double check…	Pro ověření…

9. Ending a Phone Call in Czech

Congratulations, you’ve made a phone call and finally booked a table, made a dentist’s appointment, or reached out to an old friend… Now it’s time to end the call.

English	Czech
Can I do anything else for you?	Můžu pro vás ještě něco udělat?
You’ve been very helpful. Thank you.	Moc jste mi pomohl/a. Děkuju.
See you at ___ on ___.	Uvidíme se v…
Have a great day.	Hezký den.
Will that be all?	Bude to všechno?
Until later! (as in, “See you later” / “Talk to you later”) [informal]	Zatím!
Until we meet again [informal]	Nashledanou / Nashle
Bye	Ahoj / Čau / Měj se (literally: “have a good one”)

10. How it Goes in Real Life: A Telephone Conversation in Czech

That’s just about it, but before you go, here are two sample phone calls in Czech. 

An Informal Phone Conversation in Czech

Let’s say you want to meet up with your friend for brunch. You (person A) call them (person B) to figure out the details.

• Notice the greetings and the use of informal speech.

A: Ahoj, chci se zeptat, jestli nechceš v sobotu zajít na brunch. 
(“Hi, I wanted to ask if you’d like to do brunch this weekend.”)

B: To by bylo super. V kolik?
(“Sounds awesome. What time?”)

A: V 10?
(“10 a.m.?”)

B: Dobře, budu se těšit.
(“Okay, looking forward to it.”)

A: Dobře, uvidíme se v sobotu v 10. Měj se.
(“Okay, see you on Saturday. Have a good one.”)

B: Ty taky, čau.
(“You too. Bye.”)

A Formal Phone Conversation in Czech

Great, your friend agreed and now you need to make a reservation at your favorite restaurant.

• You’re going to use formal speech and formal greetings.

A: Dobrý den, tady XY. Chci udělat rezervaci na 10 hodin, tuto sobotu.
(“Hello, I’d like to book a table for this Saturday, 10 a.m.”)

B: Dobrý den, kolik vás bude, prosím?
(“Good day, how many guests, please?”)

A: Dva.
(“Two.”)

B: Vaše jméno prosím?
(“Your name, please?”)

A: Angelina Jolie.

B: Děkuji. Máte rezervaci na sobotu 10:00 pro dva lidi. Bude to všechno?
(“Thank you, your table for two will be ready on Saturday, 10 a.m.”)

A: Ano, děkuju.
(“Yes, thank you.”)

B: Budeme se těšit. Nashledanou.
(“We’re looking forward to your visit.”)

A: Nashledanou.
(“Bye.”)

Budu se těšit. – “Looking forward to seeing you.”

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

That’s it, guys! I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new! In case this wasn’t enough for you, check out our basic phone conversation phrases vocab list.

If you’re taking your Czech studies seriously, you might grab a Czech grammar book or learn online (the latter of which is way more convenient). Seriously, learning a new skill has never been easier. Just grab your phone and get to work!

CzechClass101.com will make learning Czech easy, exciting, and fun. With us, it’s not about endless memorizing or thick textbooks. Learn Czech the better way—with us, you’ll 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. Do you feel ready to tackle your first Czech phone call?