No matter how good you are, there’s always room for improvement, especially when it comes to learning another language. If you’ve decided to step up the game and embellish your Czech vocabulary, this article will make it easier for you. In this article, I’ve listed 40+ useful advanced Czech phrases that you can use in various conversations, while polishing your resumé in Czech, while writing a paper, or while chatting with your Czech friends and colleagues.
Czech is a fun, colorful language: We love using idioms and slang, and you know by now that the loose word order allows for some strange Czech sentence structures (i.e., a full sentence can consist of just one word).
Remember that building vocabulary is much faster, more efficient, and lots more fun when you’re working with full sentences or phrases. Frankly, memorizing words one by one is quite ineffective and exhausting—especially when you’re past the beginner mark, and you want to actually talk and think in Czech.
Learning should be fun (otherwise, you won’t stick with it), and if you enjoy what you do, you’re more likely to keep doing it—and practice makes perfect. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. I started learning Norwegian several months ago at the ripe old age of 35, and I find the process much easier and more enjoyable than back in the 90s when it was (supposedly) easier for me to learn new things (it wasn’t).
Here’s my recommendation: When you’re done reading this article, write down all the sentences you know you’ll need in the future and rewrite them so that they become “yours.” Use words and situations that speak to you, fit into your life, mesh with your personality, make you laugh, make you cringe, make you FEEL something. When words become feelings, it’s pretty much impossible to forget them.
I kept these examples pretty neat and simple. Feel free to work with my suggestions and make them your own.
Don’t you want to sound smart?
Table of Contents
- Advanced Czech Phrases for Academic Writing
- Czech Power Phrases for a Resumé: Get Hired Right Away
- Smart Czech Phrases for Business and Meetings
- Advanced Czech Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage
- How CzechClass101.com Helps You Learn Czech in a Fun Way
1. Advanced Czech Phrases for Academic Writing
Writing essays can be easier than we like to think. Use these advanced phrases in Czech and English as a cheat sheet. Remember: If you want to sound extra knowledgeable, write long (LONG) sentences with a lot of “smart stuffing”—words and phrases with very little meaning that sound smart and, if possible, take up a lot of space.
| Czech | English |
| S ohledem na podmínky výzkumu jsou výsledky nesmírně působivé. | “In view of the research conditions, the results are immensely compelling.” |
| Ve světle událostí jsme změnili názor. | “In light of the situation, we changed our opinion.” |
| Jak autor opakovaně zdůraznil, experimenty mohou prokázat teorie. | “As the author often reiterated, experiments can prove theories.” |
| Jeho kniha byla vybrána pro ilustraci potenciálního dopadu studie. | “His book was selected to give an illustration of the potential impact.” (literally: “for illustration”) |
| Jeho metoda odkazuje na názory starověkých filozofů. | “His method refers to the views of ancient philosophers.” |
| Klíčovým faktem, který je třeba zvážit, je, že zdroj nezahrnuje ženy. | “A key fact to consider is that the source doesn’t include women.” (literally: “A key fact that needs to be considered”) |
| Přesvědčivé shrnutí demonstruje všechny jeho názory. | “The persuasive summary exemplifies all of his views.” |
| Tyto dva argumenty jsou stejně významné. | “These two arguments are of equal significance.” (literally: “are equally significant”) |
| Experti předpovídali, že ekonomika zkolabuje, ale ona naopak začala růst. | “Experts predicted the economy would collapse, but, to the contrary, it started to grow.” |
| Nový přístup by na druhou stranu mohl přinést větší zlepšení než tradiční metody. | “Alternatively, the new approach might bring bigger improvements than traditional methods.” (literally: “on the other side”) |
Writing essays is impossible without the right vocab.
2. Czech Power Phrases for a Resumé: Get Hired Right Away
Do you want to land the job of your dreams? Remember that you want to be noticed before your future boss even reads your name on your resumé.
Here’s a little trick that has nothing to do with language or smooth-talking people into hiring you: Use a different background color. In the ocean of black letters on a white background, be “the one with the gray/yellow/ugly brown” resumé.
And don’t forget to get ready for your interview.
These advanced phrases in Czech sound rather professional and uptight (suitable for corporate jobs). If you want to work at a hip digital agency (from home), feel free to make things less official.
Be the one with the most compelling resumé.
| Czech | English |
| Jsem kompetentní v mnoha oblastech. | “I demonstrate competence in many areas.” |
| Efektivně zvládám i výjimečné úkoly. | “I effectively handle special assignments.” |
| Flexibilně se adaptuji na nové podmínky. | “I am flexible in adapting to new conditions.” (literally: “I flexibly adapt to…”) |
| Umím se účinně vyrovnat s rychlými změnami. | “I can effectively cope with fast changes.” |
| Mám pestré pracovní zkušenosti. | “I have diverse professional experience.” (literally: “colorful”) |
| Jsem výjimečně mnohostranný/mnohostranná. (masculine/feminine) | “I am exceptionally versatile.” |
| Dbám na efektivní využívání času. | “I ensure time effectiveness.” |
| Zachovám klid i ve vypjatých situacích. | “I keep calm in tense situations.” |
| Umím přijmout zodpovědnost za svá vlastní rozhodnutí. | “I am able to accept responsibility for my own decisions.” |
| Jsem schopen/schopna přijmout větší míru odpovědnosti. (masculine/feminine) | “I am capable of assuming greater responsibility.” |
| Jsem proaktivní. | “I am proactive.” |
| Rychle a snadno se učím novým věcem. | “I learn new things quickly and easily.” |
| Navrhuji konstruktivní řešení. | “I offer constructive solutions.” |
3. Smart Czech Phrases for Business and Meetings
You should know that Czech uses a lot of English words, such as byznys (“business”), challenge, meeting, etc.
Thank you for coming.
| Czech | English |
| Odstartovali jsme ten projekt před pár měsíci. (professional) | “We got the project off the ground a few months ago.” |
| Mezi těmito dvěma projekty existuje jistá jednotnost. (professional) | “There is a certain amount of synergy between these two projects.” |
| Hlavním tématem dnešního meetingu je digitální transformace. (professional) | “The main topic of today’s meeting is digital transformation.” |
| Naše firma vyvíjí FinTech aplikace a software. (professional) | “Our company develops FinTech applications and software.” |
| Jsme tu všichni, takže zahájíme dnešní program. (professional) | “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get started with today’s agenda.” (literally: “we will start today’s agenda”) |
| Pustíme se do toho. (slang) | “We will get into it.” (literally: “We will let us into it.”) |
| Probereme to na Zoomu. (slang) | “We will talk about it/discuss it on Zoom.” |
| Musíme to probrat. (slang) | “We need to talk about it.” |
| První položkou na programu, kterou dnes potřebujeme probrat, je zvýšení prodeje, a jak ho dosáhneme na globální úrovni. (professional) | “The first item on the agenda that we need to discuss today is increasing our sales and how we achieve that on a global level.” |
| Děkuji všem za účast. (professional) | “Thank you all for attending.” |
4. Advanced Czech Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage
Czechs love idioms, and as an advanced learner, you need to navigate through their lovely dirt roads.
Hand on heart, I am in the seventh heaven.
| Czech | English |
| Měl bys kápnout božskou. | “You should spill the beans.” (literally: “You should drip the godly.”) |
| Jde mi z toho hlava kolem. | “It makes my head go around.” (It’s confusing/too much.) |
| Nemaluj čerta na zeď. | “Don’t draw a devil on the wall.” (Don’t expect/talk about the worst outcome in advance.) |
| Má to své mouchy. | “It’s got its flies.” (It has some flaws.) |
| Vychytávat mouchy | “To catch the flies” (To make improvements; to polish the last details) |
| Nelámej to přes koleno. | “Do not break it over your knee.” (Do not force it.) |
| To je trochu přitažené za vlasy. | “It’s a bit pulled by the hair.” (It’s silly; it doesn’t make any sense.) |
| Je to velké sousto. | “It’s a big mouthful.” (It’s an overwhelming task.) |
| Je padlý na hlavu. | “He’s fallen on the head.” (Someone is silly or unreasonable.) |
| Být v sedmém nebi | “To be in the seventh heaven” (To be on cloud nine) |
| Být trnem v oku | “To be a thorn in the eye” (To be a nuisance; to be something bothersome) |
| Nevěřím svým očím. | “I can’t believe my eyes.” |
| Ruku na srdce. (Ruku na srdce, udělal/udělala bych totéž.) | “Hand on heart.” – “Honestly.” (as in: “Hand on heart, I would have done the same thing.”) |
| Kašlu na to (není to moje věc). | “I cough on it (it’s none of my business).” – (as in: “I don’t care.”) |
| Je mi to ukradené. | “It’s stolen from me.” (as in: “I don’t care about it.”) |
5. 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!
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). 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
- 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: Are there any advanced Czech phrases or certain situations we didn’t cover here? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll be glad to help. We love hearing from you!
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