Czech phrases
Learn basic Czech words and phrases with our mini-HVPT course.
Even though English is spoken at all the hotels, shops and restaurants in Prague, we include a few basic Czech words and sentences that can be useful during your stay in Prague. In what may be seen as a mini-HVPT (high-variability phonetic training), you can listen to the words recorded under different conditions by eight of the organizers :-)
| Word | Translation | Transcription | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Ahoj | [ aˈhoj ] * | ||||||||
| Good day | Dobrý den | [ ˈdobriː ˈdɛn ] | ||||||||
| Good evening | Dobrý večer | [ ˈdobriː ˈvɛt͡ʃɛr ] | ||||||||
| Good night | Dobrou noc | [ ˈdobro͡u ˈnot͡s ] | ||||||||
| How are you? | Jak se máte? | [ ˈjak sɛ ˈmaːtɛ ] | ||||||||
| I'm fine! | Mám se dobře. | [ ˈmaːm sɛ ˈdobr̝ɛ ] ** | ||||||||
| Thank you | Děkuji | [ ˈɟɛkujɪ ] *** | ||||||||
| How much does it cost? | Kolik to stojí? | [ ˈkolɪk to ˈstojiː ] | ||||||||
| Beer | Pivo | [ ˈpɪvo ] | ||||||||
| Don't you wanna go for a beer? | Nechceš jít na pivo? | [ ˈnɛxt͡sɛʃ jiːt ˈna pɪvo ] | ||||||||
| One | Jeden | [ ˈjɛdɛn ] | ||||||||
| Two | Dva | [ ˈdva ] | ||||||||
| Three | Tři | [ ˈtr̝̊ɪ ] **** | ||||||||
| Ten | Deset | [ ˈdɛsɛt ] |
* This is probably the only word in standard Czech which is not stressed on the first syllable.
** Notice the famous Czech fricative trill ř. It used to have its own IPA symbol before the 1989 Kiel Convention.
*** The Czech “palatal” stops are not true palatals, but rather alveo-palatals: EPG evidence shows that it is the coronal contact which is primary.
**** The ř sound undergoes progressive voicing assimilation here; otherwise, Czech relies mostly on regressive voicing assimilation.
If you want to learn more about the sound patterns of Czech, click here.
