The Focus of this Lesson is Czech Greetings
Ahoj.
"Hello."
Ahoj. Jak se máš?
"Hello. How are you doing?"

This is one of the most common greetings among Czech people during the day time. It's informal and can be used with people we are familiar with (friends, family, and acquaintances).

The question Jak se máš? means "How are you doing?"

Jak means how. The meaning of se máš is better understood in its infinitive form mít se ("to be doing"), for example, mít se dobře ("to be doing well").

Jak se máš? is used when addressing only one person. The š letter indicates the singular form (as well as noting the question as informal). Jak se máte with the te at the end indicates the plural form used either with more than one person, i.e. Ahoj kluci, jak se máte ("Hello boys, how are you?"), or used as a polite form towards people we cannot be casual with, i.e Jak se máte, paní Malá? ("How are you doing, Mrs. Malá?").

Se on its own means "oneself." It is a part of the so-called reflexive verbs (zvratná slovesa). There are many verbs that are always reflexive, which means they always have se attached to them. Other verbs tend to be reflexive only in certain tenses. Se corresponds to a whole range of words in English, including "myself," "yourself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves."

For example:

posadit se ("to sit oneself down")

obléct se ("to dress oneself")

omýt se ("to wash oneself")

The answer to the question above, Jak se máš? or Jak se máte?, is usually Děkuju, dobře ("Thank you, I'm fine"). A more casual answer is díky, dobře ("thanks, I'm fine"). One can also say just jo, dobře ("I'm fine"), jde to ("Not too bad"), or výborně ("Great").

There are also other informal greetings that Czech people use on a daily basis, although their tone is very casual and they can only be used among friends or family.

These words are čau and nazdar.

It is perfectly fine to say čau mami ("Hi, mom"), or nazdar Pavle ("Hi, Pavel").

All the informal greetings above , ahoj, čau, and nazdar, can be used for both greetings and goodbyes.

For example:

1. Tak čau, já jdu.
   "See you then, I'm going."
2. Tak ahoj, měj se.
   "Bye then, take care."
3. 'Nazdar hoši, jak se máte?
   "Hi boys, how are you doing?"

Examples from the dialogue:

1. Jak se máš?
   "How are you?"
2. Děkuju, dobře.
   "Fine, thanks."

Sample Sentences

1. Tak ahoj, měj se!
   "Bye then, take care!"
2. Tak čau, já jdu.
   "See you then, I'm going. "
3. Nazdar, jak se daří?
   "Hey, how have you been?"

mít se "to be doing"

mít = "to have,"  se = "oneself," mít se = "to be doing"

On its own, the verb mít means "to have." When the reflexive pronoun se (meaning "oneself") is added, the meaning of the verb changes into "to be doing."

This is used mainly in question form when asking how somebody is doing. For example:

1. Jak se máš?
   "How are you doing?"

When used in an answer, you may see...

1. Já se mám dobře.
   "I'm doing well."
2. Ty se máš dobře.
   "You're doing well."
3. Vy se máte dobře.
   "You're doing well." formal
4. On/ona/ono se má dobře.
   "He/she/ it is doing well."
5. My se máme dobře.
   "We're doing well."
6. Vy se máte dobře.
   "You're doing well."
7. Oni se mají dobře.
   "They're doing well."

For example:

1. Jak se máš od Vánoc?
   "How have you been since Christmas?"

děkuju "thank you"

The infinitive form of děkuju is děkovat ("to thank"). This phrase is used when expressing gratitude for something. Děkuju is the spoken form, and the written form is děkuji. Děkuju, dobře means "Thank you, I'm fine."

For example..

1. Děkuju za dárek.
   "Thank you for the present."

dobře "I'm fine"

Dobře means "well" or "fine." There are a few other forms as well. You may see...

dobrý ("good") for masculine nouns,

dobrá ("good") for feminine nouns, and

dobré (good) for neutral nouns in written form. Dobrý for neutral nouns in spoken form.

For example:

1. Není mi dobře.
   "I don't feel well."

Gestures and Etiquette when Greeting Czech People

Meeting for the first time requires shaking right hands in both formal and informal situations.

Sometimes in informal situations shaking hands can be skipped and you can use only a greeting. For example, when you meet a whole group of new people, shaking hands with each of them is not necessary.

If the situation allows, formal language can also be skipped and conversation can start informally. For example, if a friend is introducing a friend, or the speakers are of the same age and meeting in an informal setting, you could start conversing casually right away.

The formal language, using a person's surname and addressing them as vy ("you," polite) is called vykat. Informal language, calling a person by their first name and using ty ("you") is called tykat.

Useful expression:

1. Ahoj, můžeš mi tykat.
   "Hi, you can call me by my first name."