Learn some Czech phrases your Czech professor won't teach you
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Martin: Hi everyone! I’m Martin. |
| Gabriella: And I’m Gabriella. Welcome back to CzechClass101.com. This is All About, lesson 13: Top 5 Phrases your Teacher Will Never Teach You. |
| Martin: I'm telling you right now, this lesson is going to be really fun! |
Lesson focus |
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| Gabriella: [laughs] That’s because we'll go over some phrases your teacher might not teach you! |
| Martin: Now we don't want you to get the wrong idea. You won't find any swear words or anything here! |
| Gabriella: No, they are conversational phrases that may only be learned in daily life, rather than from text books. |
| Martin: But these are words that you will encounter EVERY DAY in the Czech Republic. |
| Gabriella: Yeah, they are that common. The first word we’ll go over is... |
| Martin: "Počkej chvíli." The entire phrase means “wait a minute” or “wait a moment”. “Počkej” meaning “wait” is also often used on its own, but the meaning is more like the English casual “hold on”. |
| Gabriella: This kind of interjection is used very frequently in daily Czech. |
| Martin: That’s right. |
| Gabriella: Our next phrase is… |
| Martin: "Co se děje? " |
| Gabriella: This is literally translated as “What’s happening?” This phrase can also be used as a “What is happening here?!” with emphasis. |
| Martin: Yes, actually you might hear young people saying ‘’co je?’’ more often. This has the same meaning as ‘’what’s up? or just “what!?’’, which in the Czech language is very informal. Depending on the situation, it’s better to use it with care, or else it can also be considered rude. |
| Gabriella: What's our next phrase? |
| Martin: "Hustý!" |
| Gabriella: This is quite similar to the English “cool” and is used in the same way too. But the meaning literally translates to “thick!” |
| Martin: Yes, it is used to compliment something that is either very good or great, or to respond to good news. |
| Gabriella: Let’s hear an example. If your friend says ““I’ve just bumped into a Hollywood star!’’ I never thought this could happen to me”, then you can reply with… |
| Martin: “Hustý!” |
| Gabriella: You’ll definitely surprise Czech people with this response. A very fun and colloquial phrase, so remember it! |
| Martin: Right. And our next phrase is “Vážně?” |
| Gabriella: It means the same as “Seriously?” or “Are you serious?” |
| Martin: Yes, use it to respond when you can’t believe what you’re hearing and need confirmation. |
| Gabriella: This word has the same usage as in English. |
| Martin: Again, “Vážně?” Another more slang-y version of this is “Fakt, jo!?” “Fakt, jo!?” is very informal and is pronounced with an element of surprise. “Fakt” is just like the English “fact” and “jo” is added as a question to what one is hearing. Something like “is this true?” This phrase is used in daily conversation all the time. |
| Gabriella: This is interesting! What's our last phrase? |
| Martin: "Jasně" or “jasný”. |
| Gabriella: This is the Czech way of saying; “I see”, “I understand”, and “okay!” |
| Martin: You will hear Czech people saying this a lot, especially the younger generation and middle aged people. This phrase is used as a confirmation that you agree with or understand what somebody else is telling you. |
| Gabriella: The phrase can also be used to give permission to somebody to do something. A good example is “Can I have a look at your photos?” |
| Martin: In Czech: “Můžu se podívat na tvý fotky?” “Můžu” means “can I”, “se podívat ” means “have a look”, “na” is the preposition “at”, “tvý” means “your” and “fotky” are “photos”. |
| Gabriella: So what would be the answers? |
| Martin: “jasně!” or “jasný”. By saying ‘’jasně’’ or ‘’jasný’’, you are confirming that you have no problem with that. This expression is colloquial. |
| Gabriella: All right, all these phrases are good to know. |
| Martin: Yeah, even if you don't use them, just knowing them for when you come across them is good enough. |
| Gabriella: And believe us, you'll come across them at some point! |
| Martin: Well, that's it for this lesson! |
Outro |
| Gabriella: Thank you for listening everyone. See you next time! |
| Martin: Ahoj! |
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