INTRODUCTION |
Now it’s time for some useful Survival Phrases for when you have time to shop in Czech stores. |
GRAMMAR POINT |
The first thing you say to a shop clerk is promiňte. This is an apology phrase that we learned in our previous lessons. After that, you will want to ask: “How much is this?” or “How much does this cost?” |
In Czech, we say |
Kolik to stojí? |
Let’s break the question down: |
(slow) Ko-lik to sto-jí? |
Once more: |
Kolik to stojí? |
Kolik, means “how much.” |
(slow) Ko-lik. |
Kolik. |
To, means “it.” |
(slow) To. |
To. |
Stojí is a present tense form of the verb that means “to cost” |
(slow) Sto-jí. |
Stojí. |
・ |
Imagine that you find a clothing stand in a local market and want to buy a shirt. To attract the attention of the stall-keeper, say promiňte, then ask how much the shirt costs. The question will sound like this: |
Promiňte, kolik stojí tahle košile? |
“Excuse me, how much is this shirt?” |
Let’s break it down: |
(slow) Pro-miň-te, ko-lik sto-jí tah-le ko-ši-le? |
And again at natural speed: |
Promiňte, kolik stojí tahle košile? |
After promiňte we have kolik which means “how much”. |
Next comes the word stojí, that means “to cost”. |
Next word is tahle which is the feminine form of the word “this”. |
After that we have košile, the word for “shirt” |
(slow) Ko-ši-le. |
Košile. |
The whole question is |
Promiňte, kolik stojí tahle košile? |
If the thing you want to buy is masculine, replace the word tahle with tenhle. |
・ |
Another way of asking the price in Czech is: |
Jaká je cena? translated in English as “What is the price?” |
Let’s break that down: |
(slow) Ja-ká je ce-na? |
Once more: |
Jaká je cena? |
In this question jaká means “what”. |
Je is the form of the verb “to be” and cena is translated as “price”. |
Let’s hear these three words again. |
(slow) Ja-ká je ce-na? |
One more time at natural speed. |
Jaká je cena? |
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