Learn what to say when you receive a gift
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Michael: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CzechClass101.com. This is Absolute Beginner Season 1 Lesson 8 - Receiving a Gift in the Czech Republic. Michael here. |
| Martin: Ahoj. I'm Martin. |
| Michael: In this lesson, you’ll learn phrases you can use when you’re giving someone a gift. This conversation takes place at Tom and Irina's house. |
| Martin: It's between Irina and Martin. |
| Michael: The speakers have been introduced to each other, so now they are using informal speech. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Martin: Tome a Ireno, tohle je pro vás suvenýr z Japonska. |
| Irena: Jé, moc děkujeme! |
| Martin: Vůbec není zač. |
| Michael: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Martin: Tome a Ireno, tohle je pro vás suvenýr z Japonska. |
| Irena: Jé, moc děkujeme! |
| Martin: Vůbec není zač. |
| Michael: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Martin: Tom and Irina, this is a souvenir from Japan for you. |
| Irena: Wow, thank you very much! |
| Martin: Don't mention it. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Michael: Martin, what are the most popular gifts in the Czech Republic? |
| Martin: When it comes to souvenirs from a different country, sweets, tea, and interesting snacks or foods make for nice gifts. |
| Michael: But what about gifts Czech people usually give each other? |
| Martin: Well, for example, when you visit someone for a house warming, it's kind of a custom to bring a plant or flowers in a pot for either their balcony or living room. |
| Michael: And what about Christmas or birthdays? |
| Martin: Well, like anywhere else, in those cases you should choose something that suits the receiver's personal taste. People often give music, books, pictures for the wall - things like that. If you’re unsure, just get something practical for the household or something of good quality that anyone can use. |
| Michael: Are there any traditional wedding presents? |
| Martin: In recent years, wedding presents are quite often chosen from a registry the bride and groom make for the guests. It’s also become quite popular to give a voucher or a ticket to something the newlyweds can enjoy together as a couple: for example, a massage or a dinner. |
| Michael: Is there an expression related to this topic we need to learn? |
| Martin: A good one to remember is Šťastné narozeniny! |
| Michael: "Happy birthday!" Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Michael: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Martin: pro [natural native speed] |
| Michael: for |
| Martin: pro[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: pro [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: suvenýr [natural native speed] |
| Michael: souvenir |
| Martin: suvenýr[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: suvenýr [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: jé [natural native speed] |
| Michael: wow |
| Martin: jé[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: jé [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: moc [natural native speed] |
| Michael: very |
| Martin: moc[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: moc [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: děkovat [natural native speed] |
| Michael: to thank |
| Martin: děkovat[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: děkovat [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: vůbec [natural native speed] |
| Michael: at all, whatsoever, by no means |
| Martin: vůbec[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: vůbec [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: nebýt [natural native speed] |
| Michael: not to be |
| Martin: nebýt[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: nebýt [natural native speed] |
| Michael: Next we have.. |
| Martin: zač/ za co [natural native speed] |
| Michael: what for, who |
| Martin: zač/ za co[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: zač/ za co [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Michael: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Martin: jé |
| Michael: meaning "wow." This is an interjection and exclamation of pleasure, admiration, or surprise. It can be negative or positive. What kind of negative situation would we use it in? |
| Martin: This word can be used, for example, when you have a small accident, like spilling a drink. On the other hand, it can also be applied as an exclamation in the positive sense, like when you receive an unexpected gift. |
| Michael: It can be used to express admiration when you see something or somebody you like a lot, and it can express pleasure when you feel good about something, like getting a relaxing massage. Can you give us an example sentence using this word? |
| Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. Jé, to je hezký. |
| Michael: ..which means "Wow, that's nice. " Okay, what's the next word? |
| Martin: není |
| Michael: meaning "is not, isn't." |
| Martin: Není, “is not,” is the opposite of je meaning “is.” |
| Michael: It’s the negated conjugation of the verb “to be.” |
| Martin: Which is být in Czech. This is the singular form of the third person on není. |
| Michael: Meaning “He is not.” What are the other singular forms of the conjugation? |
| Martin: Já nejsem |
| Michael: “I'm not.” |
| Martin: ty nejsi |
| Michael: “You are not.” |
| Martin: to není |
| Michael: “It is not.” Please note that in terms of negating verbs in Czech language, ne, meaning “no,” comes in front of the verb as a negative prefix. |
| Martin: In third person singular form, není is used in connection with something, for example něco, |
| Michael: meaning “something,” |
| Martin: and něco neníI, |
| Michael: “something is not,” |
| Martin: or to, |
| Michael: meaning “it,” |
| Martin: and to není, |
| Michael: “It is not.” Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. To není problém. |
| Michael: .. which means "It’s no problem." Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: In this lesson you'll learn some phrases you can use when you give or receive a gift. Let’s start with what to say when you’re giving a gift. |
| Martin: It’s simple! In an informal situation you can say Tohle je pro tebe. |
| Michael: Meaning “This is for you.” And what if it’s more than one person? |
| Martin: In that case you can say Tohle je pro vás, also meaning “This is for you.” This can be used in both formal and informal situations. |
| Michael: What can you say in formal situations when you’re talking just to one person? |
| Martin: Tohle je suvenýr pro Vás, |
| Michael: which literally means “This is a souvenir for you.” |
| Martin: Suvenýr can be replaced by any other noun, such as- dárek |
| Michael: “present”, |
| Martin: květiny |
| Michael: “flowers” |
| Martin: něco malého |
| Michael: “a little thing” |
| Martin: něco pro tebe |
| Michael: “something for you.” Ok, so what does “This is a box of chocolates for you” sound like? |
| Martin: Tohle je bonboniéra pro tebe. |
| Michael: Apart from these sentences, are there some common expressions that someone giving a present will likely say? |
| Martin: There are. You might hear Tady je taková maličkost |
| Michael: “Here is just a small thing.” |
| Martin: Tady je něco od cesty |
| Michael: “Here is something from my trip.” |
| Martin: Please make sure to distinguish between the singular and plural form of nouns in Czech. Some words, like kalhoty, meaning “trousers,” are commonly used only in the plural form. |
| Michael: So when you offer a present to someone, you should also change the structure of the sentence. |
| Martin: That’s right. When you’re talking about a singular noun, the sentence in Czech language starts with Tohle je, meaning “This is.” When speaking in plural or about a noun with plural meaning, it starts with Tohle jsou, or “These are.” |
| Michael: Let’s hear a singular example. |
| Martin: Tohle je čaj z Mongolska. |
| Michael: “This is tea from Mongolia.”Let’s hear a plural example. |
| Martin: Tohle jsou bonbóny z Belgie |
| Michael: “These are bonbons from Belgium.” |
| Martin: Another good sentence is Snad se ti to bude líbit. |
| Michael: "Hopefully you will like it." Now let’s see what you should say when you’re accepting a present. |
| Martin: You can simply thank the person by saying Mockrát děkuju. |
| Michael: “I thank you very much.” |
| Martin: Or if you are in a pair or group receiving something, you can use the plural form Mockrát děkujeme. |
| Michael: “We thank you very much.” |
| Martin: You can also say To je milý, děkuju. |
| Michael: “This is very kind, I thank you.” |
| Martin: If the atmosphere is casual enough, you can say Jé, to jsi nemusel/la, děkuju! |
| Michael: meaning “Wow, you didn’t need to, thank you!” |
| Martin: Or more simply, Jé, díky moc! |
| Michael: “Wow, many thanks!” |
Outro |
| Michael: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Martin: Děkuji. |
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