Learn how to understand declension cases and their usage
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CzechClass101.com. This is Beginner Season 1 Lesson 8 - These Czech Boots Were Made for Walking! Becky here. |
| Martin: Ahoj! I'm Martin. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn about declension cases and their usage. The conversation takes place in a shoe shop. |
| Martin: It's between Matěj and Helena. |
| Becky: The speakers are strangers, so they’ll use formal Czech. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Matěj: Dobrý den. Chtěl bych si koupit nějaké boty do náročného terénu. |
| Helena: Myslíte něco jako pohorky? |
| Matěj: Ano, nějaké voděodolné a kožené. |
| Helena: A jakou máte velikost? |
| Matěj: Devět. |
| Helena: Tady máme tyhle kotníkové v tmavě modré barvě nebo v černé. |
| Matěj: Děkuji. Zkusím si ty modré. |
| Helena: Prosím, posaďte se. Tady je pravá bota. |
| Matěj: Děkuju. Můžete mi dát i tu levou? Rád bych se v nich prošel. |
| Helena: Je to pravá kůže, jsou velmi kvalitní. Nepromokavé a zateplené. |
| Matěj: Ano. Zdají se být i pohodlné. Vezmu si je. |
| Helena: Jistě, vezmu vám je k pokladně. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Matěj: Dobrý den. Chtěl bych si koupit nějaké boty do náročného terénu. |
| Helena: Myslíte něco jako pohorky? |
| Matěj: Ano, nějaké voděodolné a kožené. |
| Helena: A jakou máte velikost? |
| Matěj: Devět. |
| Helena: Tady máme tyhle kotníkové v tmavě modré barvě nebo v černé. |
| Matěj: Děkuji. Zkusím si ty modré. |
| Helena: Prosím, posaďte se. Tady je pravá bota. |
| Matěj: Děkuju. Můžete mi dát i tu levou? Rád bych se v nich prošel. |
| Helena: Je to pravá kůže, jsou velmi kvalitní. Nepromokavé a zateplené. |
| Matěj: Ano. Zdají se být i pohodlné. Vezmu si je. |
| Helena: Jistě, vezmu vám je k pokladně. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Matěj: Hello. I'd like to buy some outdoor boots. |
| Helena: Do you mean something like trekking boots? |
| Matěj: Yes, also water-resistant and made from leather. |
| Helena: And what’s your size? |
| Matěj: Nine. |
| Helena: We have these ankle-high ones in dark blue or black. |
| Matěj: Thank you. I'll try the blue ones. |
| Helena: Please sit down. Here’s the right boot. |
| Matěj: Thank you. Could you give me the left one too? I'd like to walk in them. |
| Helena: They’re made from real leather, very good quality. They’re water-resistant and insulated. |
| Matěj: Yes, they seem comfortable, too. I'll take them. |
| Helena: Sure, I'll take them to the counter for you. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: Martin, I’ve heard that Czech shoes are very high quality, is that so? |
| Martin: Yes, I would say it’s true. There’s a tradition of making shoes, and people prefer practicality over fashion. |
| Becky: I see, so most people don’t wear high-heels or low quality shoes. |
| Martin: Exactly. Czechs like comfortable and practical shoes that they can wear most of the time and that don’t wear out too quickly. |
| Becky: I’ve heard that there’s even a school for shoe-makers. |
| Martin: You heard right! It’s in the city of Zlín, and is part of the university of Tomáš Baťa. |
| Becky: Baťa is a Czech shoe brand and a typical Baťa product is a shoe that doesn’t really follow the latest trend, but can be worn for many years. However, today, the company’s headquarters are in Switzerland. Martin, do you have a good expression for us to learn? |
| Martin: For example, Zdravotní boty |
| Becky: Which means "Orthopedic shoes." Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Martin: bota [natural native speed] |
| Becky: shoe |
| Martin: bota[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: bota [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: voděodolný [natural native speed] |
| Becky: water-resistant |
| Martin: voděodolný[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: voděodolný [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: kožený [natural native speed] |
| Becky: made of leather |
| Martin: kožený[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: kožený [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: velikost [natural native speed] |
| Becky: size |
| Martin: velikost[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: velikost [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: tyhle [natural native speed] |
| Becky: these |
| Martin: tyhle[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: tyhle [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: zkusit si [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to try (something on) |
| Martin: zkusit si[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: zkusit si [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: pravý [natural native speed] |
| Becky: right |
| Martin: pravý[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: pravý [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: levý [natural native speed] |
| Becky: left |
| Martin: levý[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: levý [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have.. |
| Martin: projít se [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to take a stroll |
| Martin: projít se[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: projít se [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And last.. |
| Martin: kvalitní [natural native speed] |
| Becky: of fine quality |
| Martin: kvalitní[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Martin: kvalitní [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Martin: velikost |
| Becky: meaning "size." It’s a feminine noun and its meaning can change depending on the context. |
| Martin: The word velikost is most often used with clothing sizes, shoes, or other body measurements. |
| Becky: What’s another meaning? |
| Martin: Sometimes we use velikost in terms of height, such as velikost postavy, |
| Becky: which means “stature.” |
| Martin: You can also say velikost síly. |
| Becky: which indicates "the intensity of a force." Martin, can you give us a sample sentence using this word? |
| Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. Tenhle soubor má velikost 12GB (dvanáct gigabajtů). |
| Becky: ..which means "This file is 12 GB (twelve gigabytes).” Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Martin: zkusit si |
| Becky: meaning "to try on." |
| Martin: Zkusit means "to try" and si is the dative form of the reflexive pronoun "oneself." |
| Becky: The literal translation is "to try something on oneself." This phrase can also be used in terms of attempting something for the first time. |
| Martin: Right, for example, you can say zkusit si zahrát na saxofon |
| Becky: meaning "to try to play the saxophone." Martin, can you give us a sample sentence using this verb? |
| Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. Můžu si zkusit ty kalhoty? |
| Becky: .. which means "Can I try on these trousers?" Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Martin: projít se |
| Becky: meaning "to take a walk/stroll." Also, we have a verb here that is combined with the reflexive pronoun meaning “oneself” in the accusative. |
| Martin: Projít se can also be used when trying on shoes. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this verb? |
| Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. Projdi se trochu v těch botech. |
| Becky: .. which means "Take a little stroll in these shoes." Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn about declension cases and their usage. In Czech, there are seven different cases. |
| Martin: They are the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative, locative, and instrumental cases. |
| Becky: Declension applies to the singular forms of nouns as well as the plural forms of nouns. In this lesson we’ll take a closer look at each case. The first case is the nominative, which represents the most basic form of a noun, and it’s the form that is always presented in the dictionary. |
| Martin: The nominative case expresses the subject. This case answers the question kdo or co. |
| Becky: which means “who,” or “what.” Let’s put together an example. |
| Martin: Petra zpívá. |
| Becky: which means “Petra sings” |
| Martin:The nominative here is Petra and we know that because it answers the question “Who sings?” Here’s another example – Ten dům je velký. |
| Becky: which means “The house is big.” |
| Martin: The nominative is dům. |
| Becky: which means “house” and we can say that it’s a nominative because it answers the question “What is big?” Next up is the genitive case. This case can be compared to the English “of.” |
| Martin: It’s frequently connected with other prepositions such as, do meaning “in/ into,” or bez meaning “without.” |
| Becky: The question varies, but it’s usually “whose.” |
| Martin: Right, for example, you can say Kabelka Petry |
| Becky: which means “Petra’s handbag” and answers the question “whose bag?” |
| Martin: The word Petry means “Petra’s.” Another example is Přišel bez ženy, |
| Becky: which means “He came without his wife.” |
| Martin: Here the genitive is used with the preposition bez, as in bez ženy. |
| Becky: which means “without his wife” and it answers the question “He came without who?” In general, the genitive can be used to express Possessiveness, Measurements, Dates and time, and Location. |
| Martin: Right, here’s another simple example. Dvě kila brambor... |
| Becky: meaning "Two kilos of potatoes." Ok, now let’s see the dative case. The dative case can be compared to the English “to/ for” and the question to be asked is “to who/ whom” or “for whom.” |
| Martin: This case expresses an indirect object of a sentence and often follows prepositions, such as k/ ke meaning “to/ toward.” For example, Napsali mně dopis, |
| Becky: which means “They wrote a letter to me.” |
| Martin: Next up is the accusative case. |
| Becky: The accusative case is used to express the direct object of the verb and is the most frequently used case. |
| Martin: It usually answers the question “who” or “what.” For example, Hledám Petru. |
| Becky: meaning “I am looking for Petra.” |
| Martin: Petru is the accusative. |
| Becky: Next up is the vocative case, which is used for addressing people and animals. |
| Martin: That’s right. For example, we use it when greeting someone. An example is Dobré ráno, Josefe. |
| Becky: which means "Good morning, Josef." |
| Martin: Next is the locative. |
| Becky: The locative case expresses a location and it’s the only case that always has a preposition. |
| Martin: For example Jsem v kanceláři. |
| Becky: meaning "I am in the office." |
| Martin:And Knížka je na stole. |
| Becky: meaning "The book is on the table." Martin, what are the main prepositions that come before the locative case? |
| Martin: v, na, o, po and při |
| Becky: They respectively mean “in,” “at,” “about,” “on,” and “close to.” Listeners, you can find a thorough explanation of these prepositions in the lesson notes. Here we’re focusing on the cases themselves. |
| Martin: The seventh case is the instrumental. |
| Becky: The instrumental case, you'll be happy to hear, is one of the easiest cases to master in the Czech language. It means “by/ with,” and expresses the means by or through which an action is carried out. |
| Martin: We usually use it with the prepositions s, za and před |
| Becky: Which mean “with,” “behind” and “in front of” respectively. |
| Martin: For example, you can say, Polévku jíme lžící. |
| Becky: Which means "We eat soup with a spoon." The instrumental case can also express that the subject of a sentence or phrase is something. |
| Martin: For example, Adéla bude doktorkou. |
| Becky: “Adel will become a doctor." |
| Martin: In this example, the instrumental is doktorkou. |
| Becky: It can also be used with a preposition of relative location. |
| Martin: For example, you can say Parkuju auto před domem. |
| Becky: which means “I’m parking in front of the house.” |
| Martin: “in front of the house” in Czech is před domem. |
| Becky: To wrap up, let’s have a look at a noun from the dialogue. Let’s look at the word that means “shoe.” |
| Martin: That is a hard feminine noun ending in -a in the singular, bota, and ending in y in the plural, boty. The model declension is žena - ženu. |
| Becky: Is there an example in the dialogue? |
| Martin: There is, it’s Chtěl bych si koupit nějaké boty. |
| Becky: Which means “I’d like to buy some shoes.” |
| Martin: boty is the 4th accusative case and it answers the question “want to buy what?” |
| Becky: Okay. Let’s see a couple more sample sentences. |
| Martin: For example, Vezmu si ty boty s nízkým podpatkem. |
| Becky: "I'll take the shoes with the low heel." |
| Martin:And Pánské mokasíny budeme mít za týden. |
| Becky: meaning "We'll have men's moccasins next week. " |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Martin: Čau. |
Comments
HideImagine you want to buy a pair of shoes in the Czech Republic, what would you say to the shop assistant?
Ahoj Rachel,
now I get it, thanks for you clarification. We use the English expression. "Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké barefooty.". Nebo také barefoot boty, barefoot obuv. "Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké barefoot boty."
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Cheers,
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
Thanks Anna! Actually, I would like to know the word for the type of shoes that are known as 'barefoot shoes'- not sandals, but shoes made to feel as if you are in your bare feet? (-they are mentioned in the Cultural Insight section in this lesson.)
Ahoj Rachel,
moc ti děkujeme za tvůj komentář!
😎😎😎
Jen bychom v češtině asi neřekli "pro bosé nohy", stačí říct: "Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké boty." Pokud bys chtěla boty na léto, které se nosí "naboso", pak bys řekla "sandály": "Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké sandály."
Let us know if you have any questions!😉
Cheers,
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
Dobrý den. Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké boty pro bosé nohy.
Ahoj Jeanette,
if you feel like starting at absolute beginner, just go ahead. Do as you feel comfortable 👍. Good luck with your Czech studies.
Cheers,
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
Ahoj Becky, Beginner is my opening my lesson. I wish to begin with absolute beginner.
I may have given the wrong impression when I began 101, by saying I have studied Durolingo for 12 months, however I'm prepared to go back to absolute beginner with 101.
Moc dekuji
Ahoj Claudie,
tak to jsme rádi👍. Dej nám vědět, kdybys měla další otázky. Rádi na ně odpovíme.
Měj se hezky
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
Ano, je mi to jasné. Díky moc!
Ahoj Claudie,
děkujeme za Tvůj komentář! Skvělé, jen několik maličkostí. Tady je tvoje opravená věta:
"Dobrý den! Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké kožené boty. Chtěla bych, aby byly pohodlné a praktické, ale taky hezké. Máte něco takového? Můžu si to zkusit?"
Malá poznámka: Můžeš si vybrat, zda budeš používat obecnou češtinu (common spoken Czech), nebo spisovnou formální češtinu (formal Czech) a pokus se zvoleného stylu držet. Nekombinuj oba styly v jedné větě.
obecná čeština: pohodlný, praktický, hezký boty
spisovná čeština: pohodlné, praktické, hezké boty
Je ti to jasné? Dej nám vědět, jestli máš ještě nějaké otázky. Rádi na ně odpovíme.
Hezký den
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
Dobrý den! Chtěla bych si koupit nějaké kužené boty. Chtěla bych aby byly pohodlné a praktický, ale taky hezký. Máte něco takového? Mužu si to zkusit?
Ahoj Krzysztofe,
děkuji za komentář. Dobrá práce! 👍 Skloňování je těžké, ale nic, co byste nezvládl, Slovane. 😁
S pozdravem,
Tomas
Team CzechClass101.com
Mám velmi rád boty z pravé kůže. Ty boty jsou velmi pohodlné a voděodolné.
Skloňování je opravdu těžké ale snažím se to naučit. Díkybohu, že jsem Slovan! 😄