Learn what to say when you receive a gift
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| 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. |
Comments
HideHello Listeners! What would you like to receive as a souvenir from the Czech Republic?
Hi Jeanette,
yes, you translated it very well. Keep it going👍.
Cheers,
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
I (Google) translated your Czech response to:
Thank you for your comment. If you like comments in future, then this one is in Czech and for you. Good luck with your road study, and soon you will be able to write comments in Czech yourself.
Have a great time.
I'm hoping I've got your translation right, and thank you for your response.
Ahoj Jeanette,
děkujeme ti za komentář. Jestliže se ti líbí komentáře v češtině, tak tento je česky a pro tebe. Hodně štěstí se studiem češtiny, ať můžeš brzy sama psát komentáře česky.
Měj se moc hezky
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
I'm in total admiration of comments written in Czech. As yet, I'm not up to that yet.
Ahoj Myfanwy Blissett,
dekujeme ti za komentář👍! Černým chlebem myslíš žitný chléb (rye bread)? Ten je v České republice velmi oblíbený!
Malé vysvětlení předložek:
-obrázek z České republiky (picture from the Czech Republic)
-obrázek České Republiky (picture of the Czech Republic)
-obrázek v České republice (picture in the Czech Republic)
Hodně štěstí se studiem češtiny. Dej nám vědět, pokud budeš mít nějaké otázky.
Měj se zatím moc hezky
Anna
Team CzechClass101.com
Ahoj! Chtěla bych černý chléb nebo obrázek v České republicě.
Děkuji!
Ahoj Jen,
děkujeme za komentář. Raději tedy chcete víza místo suvenýru? 😜
S pozdravem,
Tomáš
Team CzechClass101.com
Snad dostanu moje vízum, ne suvenýr ale něco
Ahoj Tatiano,
jsme rádi, že se ti tahle lekce líbí, a moc děkujeme za tvůj komentář ❤️️ (Jen pozor, malá chybička. Správně je "Tohle je moc hezký")
Cheers,
Bára
Team CzechClass101.com
Tohle je hezkí moc!
Mockrát děkuju!
Tohle je pravé zlato.
Dear Silvia,
please check your subscription settings and if the issue is still there don't hesitate to contact us via email and we will be happy to help you fix it.
Cheers,
Bára
Team CzechClass101.com
Hello,
I have a problem with the format of the Lesson.
Since today I have no more access to the check of pronunciation, example of phrases with pronounciation and the quiz tests. Could you please explain and re-set these options?
Thanks
Regards
Ahoj Ann Marie,
to jsou hezké suvenýry! 👍
Corrections: Chtěla bych kuchařku! Nebo knihu o ptácích v České republice. 😉
Cheers,
Barbora
Team CzechClass101.com
Chtěla bych kuchařka! Nebo knihu o ptáky v Česke Republice.
Hi Dominisha,
thank you for pointing the incorrect translation out. You are absolutely right, there should be "These are sweets from Belgium". I already reported this to our technical team, so the correction should be implemented soon.
Cheers,
Barbora
Team CzechClass101.com
Hi
Isn't the translation incorrect? shouldn't it be sweets or candy or something like that?
Tohle jsou bonbóny z Belgie.
"These are bonbons from Belgium."
Hi Jae,
Thank you for your message.
Please check out our Pronunciation course:
https://www.czechclass101.com/category/pronunciation/
Regarding writing, please check out our Czech Writing System lesson:
https://www.czechclass101.com/lesson/all-about-2-the-czech-writing-system/
We hope this helps! If you have any questions, please let us know.
Sincerely
Cristiane
Team CzechClass101.com
where can I get some information about adding accents to the letters nd pronouncing them?