Hello everybody!

As you can notice, this website hasn't been updated for a very long time. I suspect they have been hacked, so I apologize for the popping up websites with unwanted content! I will take down this website soon...

In the meantime, please visit my new websites!

• www.ilearnczech.com (with English explanations)
• www.ucsecesky.cz (purely Czech)

Thanks for your understanding!

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Dobrý den!

Omlouvám se, ale jak vidíte, tento web už dlouho leží ladem a obávám se, že možná byly i napadeny - omlouvám se za to, že při kliknutí na některé odkazy, vyskakují okna s nechtěným obsahem! Stránky brzo uzavřu...

Momentálně pracuji na nových stránkách - přesouvám tam obsah a tvořím nový.

Můžete je najít na:

• www.ilearnczech.com
• www.ucsecesky.cz

Děkuji za Vaši přízeň! 

It’s happened to me several times recently that a foreigner addressed me Ahoj or Čau and then went on saying "Vy”. I must say it was mostly in writing (sms, chat, e-mail), where it kind of hits the eyes more as the author could have read it and thought about it (well, except the chat), but you surely might have met some foreigners in "spoken reality” who were cheerfully shouting Ahoj! in a shop (or were you the ones? :-) ). 

On the one hand, we cannot really be angry with them, especially if they come from English speaking countries where, apparently, it is quite normal to greet strange people with "Hello” or "Hi”. So the drill from Czech schools, where we’re forced to differentiate between "Good morning” and "Good afternoon”, in order to know how to say "Dobrý den”, is pretty useless and one just stares in surprise when a postman or a handyman shouts "Cheerio!” at them. And I have noticed in Czech dubbing a few times that the translators then thoughtlessly translate "Hi!” as "Ahoj!” in a dialogue, followed by formal address as "Vy”… 

So, dear students of Czech, a few clarifications for you… 

How to greet?! 

Being formal (Vy) 

This way, we address adult people we don’t know: in the street, in a shop, in a bank, in a tram… Also teachers, neighbours… Teachers at universities (and at some secondary schools) address their students in this formal way. We also use it towards the parents of our (life) partners (well, it depends on the family, but in general we do.). 

When we’re formal, we can greet e.g. like this: 

• Dobrý den! (Good morning / afternoon / day) 
• Dobrej! (Good ... = you leave out "day” = a little colloquial, but still formal) 
• Dobré ráno! (Good morning) 
• Dobrý večer! (Good evening) 
• Zdravím! (I greet you = a little colloquial, but still formal) 

And part with these: 

• Na shledanou! Nashle! (= Good bye! Bye! = the second is more colloquial, but still formal) 
• Na viděnou! Uvidíme se zítra! (See you! See you tomorrow! – you can replace when) 
• Mějte se hezky! Mějte se! Hezký den! (Take care! Have a good time! Have a good day! – can be replaced) 
• Zatím! (= for the time being = I’ll see you later, take care until then) 
• Sbohem! (Farewell!) 

Being informal (ty) 

In an informal way, we address children, friends, people of the same age (automatically approximately until university studies). Also family (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, cousins...) – if they’re close relatives and we see them often. With more di ... Read more »

Co to znamená "mlžit"?

= to doubletalk, beat about the bush 

E.g. Ministr neřekl nic konkrétního, jen tak mlžil. (The minister didn't say anything particular, he was just beating about the bush.)

• literally: to make fog 
• the perfective form is zamlžit, another imperfective form is zamlžovat 
• it is used also with the literal meaning - e.g. when you spray plants; or with "se" = mlžit se / zamlžit se / zamlžovat se (to get misty)
• related vocabulary:
• mlžení = waffle, beating about the bush, doubletalk
• mlhavý = foggy, misty; vague, foggy
• mlžný = foggy, misty
• mlhavě = vaguely - e.g. Mlhavě si vzpomínám. (a synonym possible in this sentence: Matně si vzpomínám. = I vaguely remember)
• mlhavo = foggy (about weather) - e.g. Dneska je pěkně mlhavo. (= It's pretty foggy today.)
• mlha = fog, mist, haze (possible to say "mlžný opar" for the last one) - e.g. Venku je hustá mlha. = Venku je mlha jak mlíko! (There's thick fog outside. - the second is colloquial - literally: There's fog like milk outside.)
• mlhovka = světlo do mlhy = fog light
• zamlžený = steamy, misted, fogged (e.g. Mám zamlžené brýle, nic nevidím! = My glasses are misted, I don't see anything!); obscure, hazy

Co to znamená "celkem vzato"?

= all in all, all things considered, generally speaking

Co to znamená "Teče mu do bot"?

= He's in dire straits. His situation is bad.

• Literally: It's leaking to him to shoes. = Water's leaking into his shoes.
• Similar:
• Má to nahnutý. (He's on a slippery slope.)
• Hoří mu termín. (His deadline's "burning" - he has to finish something quickly.)
• Other phrases with "boty":
• Kominík byl černý jak bota. (The chimneysweep was as black as a shoe.)
• Práskl do bot. = Vzal do zaječích. (= Utekl. = He took to his heels. He ran away.)
• Udělal pěknou botu. (He made quite a blunder.)
• Znám to tady jako své boty. (I know it here like the back of my hand.)
• Bonus: pohádka Kocour v botách

Co to znamená "Bez legrace!"?

= Seriously! No kidding!

Co to znamená "Tak ať!"?

= So be it! So what! I don't care!