Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Michael: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CzechClass101.com. This is Absolute Beginner Season 1 Lesson 8 - Receiving a Gift in the Czech Republic. Michael here.
Martin: Ahoj. I'm Martin.
Michael: In this lesson, you’ll learn phrases you can use when you’re giving someone a gift. This conversation takes place at Tom and Irina's house.
Martin: It's between Irina and Martin.
Michael: The speakers have been introduced to each other, so now they are using informal speech. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Martin: Tome a Ireno, tohle je pro vás suvenýr z Japonska.
Irena: Jé, moc děkujeme!
Martin: Vůbec není zač.
Michael: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
Martin: Tome a Ireno, tohle je pro vás suvenýr z Japonska.
Irena: Jé, moc děkujeme!
Martin: Vůbec není zač.
Michael: Listen to the conversation with the English translation.
Martin: Tom and Irina, this is a souvenir from Japan for you.
Irena: Wow, thank you very much!
Martin: Don't mention it.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Michael: Martin, what are the most popular gifts in the Czech Republic?
Martin: When it comes to souvenirs from a different country, sweets, tea, and interesting snacks or foods make for nice gifts.
Michael: But what about gifts Czech people usually give each other?
Martin: Well, for example, when you visit someone for a house warming, it's kind of a custom to bring a plant or flowers in a pot for either their balcony or living room.
Michael: And what about Christmas or birthdays?
Martin: Well, like anywhere else, in those cases you should choose something that suits the receiver's personal taste. People often give music, books, pictures for the wall - things like that. If you’re unsure, just get something practical for the household or something of good quality that anyone can use.
Michael: Are there any traditional wedding presents?
Martin: In recent years, wedding presents are quite often chosen from a registry the bride and groom make for the guests. It’s also become quite popular to give a voucher or a ticket to something the newlyweds can enjoy together as a couple: for example, a massage or a dinner.
Michael: Is there an expression related to this topic we need to learn?
Martin: A good one to remember is Šťastné narozeniny!
Michael: "Happy birthday!" Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
Michael: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is..
Martin: pro [natural native speed]
Michael: for
Martin: pro[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: pro [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: suvenýr [natural native speed]
Michael: souvenir
Martin: suvenýr[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: suvenýr [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: jé [natural native speed]
Michael: wow
Martin: jé[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: jé [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: moc [natural native speed]
Michael: very
Martin: moc[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: moc [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: děkovat [natural native speed]
Michael: to thank
Martin: děkovat[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: děkovat [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: vůbec [natural native speed]
Michael: at all, whatsoever, by no means
Martin: vůbec[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: vůbec [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: nebýt [natural native speed]
Michael: not to be
Martin: nebýt[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: nebýt [natural native speed]
Michael: Next we have..
Martin: zač/ za co [natural native speed]
Michael: what for, who
Martin: zač/ za co[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Martin: zač/ za co [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Michael: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is..
Martin: jé
Michael: meaning "wow." This is an interjection and exclamation of pleasure, admiration, or surprise. It can be negative or positive. What kind of negative situation would we use it in?
Martin: This word can be used, for example, when you have a small accident, like spilling a drink. On the other hand, it can also be applied as an exclamation in the positive sense, like when you receive an unexpected gift.
Michael: It can be used to express admiration when you see something or somebody you like a lot, and it can express pleasure when you feel good about something, like getting a relaxing massage. Can you give us an example sentence using this word?
Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. Jé, to je hezký.
Michael: ..which means "Wow, that's nice. " Okay, what's the next word?
Martin: není
Michael: meaning "is not, isn't."
Martin: Není, “is not,” is the opposite of je meaning “is.”
Michael: It’s the negated conjugation of the verb “to be.”
Martin: Which is být in Czech. This is the singular form of the third person on není.
Michael: Meaning “He is not.” What are the other singular forms of the conjugation?
Martin: Já nejsem
Michael: “I'm not.”
Martin: ty nejsi
Michael: “You are not.”
Martin: to není
Michael: “It is not.” Please note that in terms of negating verbs in Czech language, ne, meaning “no,” comes in front of the verb as a negative prefix.
Martin: In third person singular form, není is used in connection with something, for example něco,
Michael: meaning “something,”
Martin: and něco neníI,
Michael: “something is not,”
Martin: or to,
Michael: meaning “it,”
Martin: and to není,
Michael: “It is not.” Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Martin: Sure. For example, you can say.. To není problém.
Michael: .. which means "It’s no problem." Okay, now onto the grammar.

Lesson focus

Michael: In this lesson you'll learn some phrases you can use when you give or receive a gift. Let’s start with what to say when you’re giving a gift.
Martin: It’s simple! In an informal situation you can say Tohle je pro tebe.
Michael: Meaning “This is for you.” And what if it’s more than one person?
Martin: In that case you can say Tohle je pro vás, also meaning “This is for you.” This can be used in both formal and informal situations.
Michael: What can you say in formal situations when you’re talking just to one person?
Martin: Tohle je suvenýr pro Vás,
Michael: which literally means “This is a souvenir for you.”
Martin: Suvenýr can be replaced by any other noun, such as- dárek
Michael: “present”,
Martin: květiny
Michael: “flowers”
Martin: něco malého
Michael: “a little thing”
Martin: něco pro tebe
Michael: “something for you.” Ok, so what does “This is a box of chocolates for you” sound like?
Martin: Tohle je bonboniéra pro tebe.
Michael: Apart from these sentences, are there some common expressions that someone giving a present will likely say?
Martin: There are. You might hear Tady je taková maličkost
Michael: “Here is just a small thing.”
Martin: Tady je něco od cesty
Michael: “Here is something from my trip.”
Martin: Please make sure to distinguish between the singular and plural form of nouns in Czech. Some words, like kalhoty, meaning “trousers,” are commonly used only in the plural form.
Michael: So when you offer a present to someone, you should also change the structure of the sentence.
Martin: That’s right. When you’re talking about a singular noun, the sentence in Czech language starts with Tohle je, meaning “This is.” When speaking in plural or about a noun with plural meaning, it starts with Tohle jsou, or “These are.”
Michael: Let’s hear a singular example.
Martin: Tohle je čaj z Mongolska.
Michael: “This is tea from Mongolia.”Let’s hear a plural example.
Martin: Tohle jsou bonbóny z Belgie
Michael: “These are bonbons from Belgium.”
Martin: Another good sentence is Snad se ti to bude líbit.
Michael: "Hopefully you will like it." Now let’s see what you should say when you’re accepting a present.
Martin: You can simply thank the person by saying Mockrát děkuju.
Michael: “I thank you very much.”
Martin: Or if you are in a pair or group receiving something, you can use the plural form Mockrát děkujeme.
Michael: “We thank you very much.”
Martin: You can also say To je milý, děkuju.
Michael: “This is very kind, I thank you.”
Martin: If the atmosphere is casual enough, you can say Jé, to jsi nemusel/la, děkuju!
Michael: meaning “Wow, you didn’t need to, thank you!”
Martin: Or more simply, Jé, díky moc!
Michael: “Wow, many thanks!”

Outro

Michael: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
Martin: Děkuji.

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