The Czech language belongs to the Slavic family
of languages, which includes Polish, Russian and Slovak. In Czech, the
principal stress of the word is on the first syllable. Like German and
unlike English, nouns have genders: masculine, feminine or neuter.
Vowels are topped with accents to indicate
different pronunciations. "A" without an accent is pronounced like the
"u" in "cup", while "á" with an accent is pronounced like the "a"
in "father". A small mark called a hácek tops some letters.
"C" without an accent is pronounced like the "s" in "hats", while "c" with
a hácek is pronounced like the "c" in charge. |
The
word "robot" was invented by Karel Capek in a 1920 science fiction play
called RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word comes from
an old Czech word, "robota", meaning hard work. |
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When the Habsburgs of the Austrian Empire defeated
the Czechs, they tried to suppress the Czech language. By the middle of
the 18th century, only peasants spoke Czech, while many well-educated people
spoke German. Czech was restored as a literary language in the early 19th
century. German is still widely spoken, because the Czech Republic and
Germany share a border and many Czechs have worked in Germany and Austria.
During the Communist regime, Russian was
taught as a compulsory subject in schools. Although most Czechs can speak
Russian, very few use it today; most people prefer to learn English as
a second language. |
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Time is expressed and written in an
unusual way in the Czech Republic. For example, when it is 11:30, Czechs
say it is "half twelve," written as 1/2 12. Also, 11:15 is "a quarter twelve,"
and 11:45 is "three-quarters twelve." There is also no equivalent to a.m.
and p.m. Most Czechs specify ráno, meaning early morning,
dopoledne (before noon), odpoledne (afternoon) or vecer
(evening).
English |
Czech |
Yes |
Ano |
No |
Ne |
Please |
Prosím |
Thank you |
Dekuji |
Good day / Hello |
Dobrýden |
Goodbye |
Na shledanou |
Water |
Voda |
Tea |
Caj |
Coffee |
káva |
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It
is common to share a table at a bar or café. If there is only one
patron in a restaurant, a second patron will always join the first. Strangers
sharing a table wish each other "Bon appetit" before the meal. |
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