Castle View Apartments - The Unique Accommodation/Hotel in Cesky Krumlov

                                       "Czech Out" The Magic Words

Your travel experience will improve if you learn the "magic words" ("please" and "thank you") plus "hello" and "goodbye"' for each country you visit. It is the custom in Europe to greet the staff as you enter every retail store, business office, bank, etc. and to say "goodbye" to them as you leave. Although in large cities it would be absurd to greet everyone you see on the street, in small villages and along hiking trails, a friendly greeting is expected by everyone. Czechs realize that their Slavic language is difficult for foreigners and will appreciate your efforts; in Czech one can say entire sentences without seeming to include any vowels, and some "Czech letters" are difficult to say by people whose language heritage is based on the sounds of Latin, German, and French.

Any translation is imprecise. Rather than focusing on the literal meaning of a word, recognize that the word is what people say when they interact in certain situations. If you only learn one word in the Czech language, learn "prosim" with its rolled "r;" the locals will treat you better when you show respect. The word "please" has magical powers because it changes an imperative order into a conditional request, saying in effect "if it pleases you, do what I ask" so the other person has a choice about the matter. The command "shut the door" sounds softer when said as "shut the door, if you please." In Czech, "prosim" is a "magic word" in another sense because it accomplishes so many different functions. For example, if "prosim" which literally means "I beg," is said in response to hearing "thank you," it means "you're welcome." When a Czech does not understand what someone says, he replies "prosim" as if to say "please repeat." When a Czech answers the phone, he can say "prosim" instead of saying "hello." When a Czech hands you something, he says "prosim" as a means of saying "here you are." When a Czech opens a door and wants you to go first, he says "prosim" in the sense of "after you." After your meal the waitress may approach your table and say, "Coffee, prosim (please)?" which in English one would say when asking for coffee rather than offering it to someone else.

Although "Dobrý den" literally means the speaker is wishing you a "good day," it is used as the general formal daytime greeting for everybody; the most common informal greeting between friends is "Ahoj." In a literal sense one might ask why extend good wishes to a total stranger and not to friends and family? Similar to "Auf wiedersehen" in German, the standard way of saying "goodbye" in Czech is "Na shledanou," literally meaning "Until we see each other again." Again it might seem unusual for strangers, who would be the most unlikely to "see each other again," to say "Na shledanou" to each other whereas friends, who would soon see each other again, would say something more informal to each other. However, remember that in English when one greets you with "How do you do?" or "How are you?" or "How's life?", they are not really "questions" but a way to say "Hello" when meeting. The English speaker is neither asking for nor wanting a specific/detailed answer about your health/feelings/life and expects you to respond with nothing more than "Fine. And you?" even though you may be at death's door. When an English speaker says upon leaving, "Let's do lunch soon" and the other person says "(I'll) call you later," a foreigner who hears what is said literally may not realize that there is a significant chance the English speakers never plan to see each other again!

To hear a native Czech say the words and to learn to "roll" your "r" in words such as "Prosím" and "Dobrý den," visit sites like http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_language/czech_phrases.html .