Lesson 18 – Talking About Your Family And Friends

Marta: Toto je můj bratr. Je mu osm let a chodí na základní školu.
Pavla: Jé, je roztomilý. Také mám bratra, ale staršího. Má dvacet tři let, už s námi nebydlí, studuje v Praze.
Marta: Jak se jmenuje?
Pavla: Jakub. Myslím, že jsem ti ho už představila, ale už je to dávno.
Marta: Opravdu? Nevzpomínám si. Jak vypadá?
Pavla: Je mi prý hodně podobný, až na to, že má světlejší vlasy. Skoro blond. Také nosí brýle a nemá rovnátka.
Marta: Už vím! Podobáš se na něj. Je vysoký a hubený, že?
Pavla: Přesně. Máme to v rodině. I má sestra je štíhlá, nicméně je mnohem menší.
Marta: A má černé vlasy, ne?
Pavla: Ne od přírody. Je bruneta, ale barví si vlasy na černo.
Marta: Aha, ale sluší jí to, má světlou pleť.

VOCABULARY:

až na ['azye 'nuh] except for

barvit (imperf.) ['bur-vit] to dye, to colour; verb

blond (indeclinable) ['blond] blond; adj.

bratr, m. (bratra; prdg. pán) ['bruh-tr] brother; noun
brýle, p. n. (brýlí; prdg. růže) ['bree:-leh] glasses; noun

bruneta, f. (brunety; prdg. žena) ['broo-neh-tuh] brunette; noun

černý/á/é (prdg. mladý) ['tcher-nee:] black; adj.

dávno ['du:h-vno] a long time ago; adv.

ho – declined on (meaning 'him')

hodně ['hoa-dnye] a lot, very; adv.

hubený/á/é (prdg. mladý) ['hoo-beh-nee:] skinny; adj

chodit (imperf.) ['choa-dyit] to go, to walk, to atted; verb

i ['ee] even, and; conj.

jé ['yae] wow, yay; interj.

menší – comparative of malý ['men-shee:] smaller; adj.

mnohem ['mnoa-hem] a lot more, far; adv.

myslet (imperf.) ['mee-slet] to think

námi – declined my (meaning 'us')

nicméně ['nyits-mae:-nye] nevertheless; conj.

nosit (imperf.) ['noa-sit] to carry, to wear; verb

opravdu ['oa-pruv-doo] really

pleť, f. (pleti; prdg. kost) ['pletye] complexion; noun

podobat se (na) (imperf.) ['poa-doa-but seh] to resemble; verb

podobný/á/é ['poa-dob-nee:] similar, alike, like; adj.

prý ['pree:] allegedly; part.

představit (perf.) ['przyed-stuh-vit] to introduce; verb

přesně ['przye-snye] exactly; adv.

příroda, f. (přírody; prdg. žena) ['przyee:-roa-duh] nature; noun

rovnátka, p. n. (rovnátek; prdg. město) ['roa-vnu:h-tkah] braces; noun

roztomilý/á/é (prdg. mladý) ['roaz-toa-mee-lee:] cute, adorable; adj.

sestra, f. (sestry; prdg. žena) sister; noun

skoro ['scoa-roh] almost; adv.

světlý/á/é (prdg. mladý) ['svye-tlee:] light, not dark; adj. (here in comparative– světlejší)

škola, f. (školy; prdg. škola) ['shkoa-luh] school; noun

slušet (imperf.) ['sloo-shet] (used only with object) to suit, to look good

štíhlý/á/é (prdg. mladý) ['shtyee:-hlee:] slim; adj.

taky ['tuh-cky] too, also; adv. (part.)

už ['oozye] anymore, finally, already; adv.

vlas, m. (vlasu; prdg. hrad) ['vlus] hair; noun
vypadat (jako) (imperf.) ['vee-puh-dut] to look like, to seem like; verb

vzpomenout si (perf.) ['vz-poa-meh-noat sih] to remember; verb

základní (prdg. jarní) ['zu:h-klud-nyee:] basic, elementary; adj. 

PHRASES

Toto je...                             This is...
This phrase doesn't change according to the gender of the subject. However, if the subject is plral, you have to use 'jsou' instead of 'je'. Toto jsou mí rodiče. (=These are my parents.)

Jak vypadá...?                   What does he/she/ it look like...?
As you may notice, we use 'how' instead of 'what'. If a girl asks you 'Jak vypadám?' just say 'Dobře.' Make sure you use an adverb in your response. 'Vypadáš unaveně.' (=You look tired.) 'Vypadá hezky?' (=Does she/he/it look nice?)

Už vím!                              Now I see!
Also 'I got it already' (which means that I understood, not got like obtained). You can also ask 'Už víš?' (=You got it already? or Remember?) when you try to explain or describe something/ someone, or want someone to recall or remember something.

..., že?                                  ..., right?
I think this doesn't need to be explained. 'Ty chodíš na univerzitu, že?' (=You attend a university, right?)

Máme to v (naší) rodině.            We have this in our family.
We use this more often than our English friends. They usually mention it in relation to some diseases or allergies; in Czech you can use it when talking about a personality trait, customs, appearance, etc.

..., ne?/ ..., nebo ne?       ...,or not?

Ne ...                                    Not...
We use 'ne' when we want to negate something that is not a verb. If it is a verb, 'ne' is used as a prefix, if not, it is separated by a space. 'Udělali jste to?' 'Ano, ale ne záměrně.' (=Did you do that? Yes, but not on purpose.)

Od přírody                            by nature

barvit si vlasy                        to dye one's hair
'Barvíš si vlasy?' (=Do you dye your hair?)

na ... (nějaká barva)            (some colour)
In English, you can say 'I dye my hair purple.' and it's okay but in Czech you have to add 'na', which symbolizes a movement or change (i. e., it looked somehow and now it looks differently). 'Proč si barvíš vlasy na zeleno?' (=Why do you colour your hair green?). 

Sluší jí to.                               It suits her well./ She looks good.
'Jí' here means 'her', it is a declined form of 'ona,' more specifically it is the third case. You have to use the third case in this phrase. 'Sluší ti to.' (=You look good.) 'Sluší' is not conjugated (you can't say 'You suit her well.' =Slušíš jí.)

Family members in Czech

Sourozenci (Siblings)

bratr (brother)
sestra (sister)

Rodiče (Parents)

otec (father)
matka (mother)

Prarodiče (Grandparents)

babička (grandmother)
děda (grandfather)

Vnoučata (grandchildren) 

vnuk (grandson)

vnučka (granddaughter)

Zbytek rodiny (The rest of a family)

manžel (husband)

manželka (wife)

teta (aunt)

strýc (uncle)

bratranec (cousin– male)

sestřenice (cousin– female)

neteř (niece)
synovec (nephew)

nevlastní ... (step...)

tchán (father-in-law)

tchýně (mother-in-law)

zeť (son-in-law; don't mistake for 'zeď' [wall])

snacha (daughter-in-law)

Kamarádi/ Přátelé (Friends)

kamarád (friend– male)
kamarádka (friend– female)

Presenting family members

I've already mentioned the phrase 'Toto je...' (=This is...) and the plural form 'Toto jsou...' (=These are...). If you're pointing at someone who is further from you, you should use 'Tamto je...' (=That is...) and 'Tamto jsou...' (=Those are...). As we learned in Lesson 12, these phrases are followed by predicate subjects that are always in nominative case. 

Toto je má manželka. 

Toto jsou má vnoučata.

Tamto je můj děda.

If you want to say 'This woman/ man/ girl/... is...', you have to pay attention to the nouns gender:

Tato žena je má sestra.

Tento kluk je můj syn.
Toto dítě je má neteř.

Tyto ženy jsou mé babičky.

Tito lidé jsou mí prarodiče. 
Tato děvčata jsou mé dcery.

You might have noticed that the Czech words for 'this' are basically the demonstrative pronouns ('ten, ta, to, ti, ty, ta') I once (hopefully) presented to you. You can also use them instead of those listed above. To say 'that', you just add 'tam' and remove 'to':
Tato => Tamta
Tento => Tamten
Toto => Tamto
Tyto => Tamty
Tito => Tamti
Tato => Tamta

Now that your interlocutor knows who you're talking about, he or she can start asking these questions:

A: 'Tato žena je má sestra.' B: 'Jak se jmenuje?' A: 'Jmenuje se Klára.'

A: 'Tito lidé jsou mí prarodiče.' B: 'Jak se jmenují?' A: 'Jmenují se Anna a Josef.'

A: 'Tento kluk je můj syn.' B: 'Kolik je mu let?' A: 'Je mu třináct let.'

A: 'Toto dítě je má neteř.' B: 'Kolik má let?' A: 'Má šest let.'

A: 'Tyto ženy jsou mé babičky.' B: 'Odkud jsou?' A: 'Jsou z Ostravy.'

A: 'Tato děvčata jsou mé dcery.' B: 'Ony jsou dvojčata?' A: 'Ano, jsou.' 

NOTE: dvojče, n. (dvojčeta; prdg. kuře) ['dvoy-tcheh] twin; noun

In the next lesson, I'll show you how to describe people's appearance and personality. (Plus some grammar of course. 3:-)

love & peace
Ciray

Lesson 16– Affirmative Sentences, Negative sentences, Questions In The Present Tense

We already know how to create an affirmative sentence.

Negative sentences in Czech

I chose the following one, as our model sentence:

Hledám své klíče.
(I'm looking for my keys.)

Now the same sentence in negative:

Nehledám své klíče.

In Czech you just add the prefix ne- to the verb you want to negate. A few examples:

Mám hlad. => Nemám hlad. (I'm not hungry.)
Zalévám kytky. => Nezalévám kytky. (I'm not watering/don't water the flowers.)
Dělá si úkoly. => Nedělá si úkoly. (She/he is not doing/doesn't do her/his homework.)
Kreslí obrázek. => Nekreslí obrázek. (They/she/he are/is not drawing a picture.)

When you use pronouns such as nikdo (no one), nic (nothing), žádný (none), etc., or adverbs like nikde/ nikam (nowhere), nikdy (never), etc., the verb still has to be negated. A couple of examples:

Nehledám nic. (I'm not looking for anything.)
Nemluvím s nikým. (I'm not talking to anyone.)
Nikam nejdeš. (You're not going anywhere.)  
Nemám nic. (I've got nothing.)

NOTE: All the pronouns mentioned above can be declined but the adverbs not– nikde is an exception. Nikde means a static place, even though it's basically "nowhere". Nikam means a movement. Nikde není (He/she's nowhere [to be found]) means that the person you're looking for should be in some place (you don't know where) and exist there. Nikam nejedeme (We're not going anywhere.) means that there is a place you should or want to go but you're not going there.

Questions in Czech

To create a question you have to basically do what is called the upward inflection. Your voice has to "go up" or "increase the pitch", if you know what I mean. Australians definitely do. 
What you do is saying the affirmative sentence in a different melody. Try it:

Jdeš s námi? (Are you coming with us?)
Spíš? (Are you sleeping? or Do you sleep?)
Je vysoká? (Is she tall?)

Another way to ask someone a question is to put a question word before an affirmative sentence. Some of our question words and their usage:

kolik (how many, how much)
Kolik dětí mají? (How many children do they have?)
Kolik vážíš? (How much do you weight?)

kde (where- static)
Kde jste? (Where are you?)

kdo (who)
Kdo má rád psi? (Who likes dogs?)

kam (where- movement)
Kam jedete? (Where are you going?)

kdy (when)
Kdy jsme se poznali? (When did we meet?) (Sorry, I couldn't work out a sentence with kdy in the present tense.) 

čí (whose)
Čí je toto pero? (Whose is this pen?)

který/která/které (which)
Který den v týdnu je osmý? (Which day of the week is eighth?)
Kterého psa chcete? (Which dog do you want?) (Chci psa– psa= 4th case. Explanation below.)

jaký/jaká/jaké (what...like, also French 'quel/le'= what)
Jaký je? (What is he like?)
Jaké je tvé mobilní číslo? (What is your phone number?)
Jaký je ten dort? (What is the cake like? or What does it taste like?)

jak (how)
Jak se máš? (How are you?)
Jak to děláš? (How do you do that?)

proč (why)
Proč chodíš plavat? (Why do you go swimming?)

co (what– asking in the accusative case)
Co říkáš? (What do you say?)
Co děláš? (What are you doing? or What do you do?)

koho (whom– asking in the accusative [the fourth] case, animate [= just people and animals])
Koho máte rádi? (Whom do you like?)

If you don't understand when to use kdo and when to use koho, read this:
In the previous lesson I told you when we use the accusative case. For example, our today's model sentence: 

Hledám své klíče. 

Klíče is in the accusative case. So when in English you ask this way: What are you looking for? in Czech, it must be: Co hledáš? (It's co because keys are not animate.) If you're not sure, just say it in the affirmative mood and then turn it into a question. 

If there's anything unclear, feel free to ask me. 

love & peace 
Ciray

My First Video!

You'll find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj-VOMQFr1o&feature=youtu.be.

Seriously, why do all of my ideas seem to be so cool at the start? I found out I couldn't even speak English. Anyway, it's there, watch it, like it, dislike it, share it, do whatever you want with it. I'll make some more videos and we'll see if it works and helps you learn Czech. 

I wanted to be different from other Czechs making videos like this therefore I added some music. I didn't want it to be so serious, formal, and boring. Sorry for that (I guess I already have some haters. Hehe.
          Also, I've been thinking about teaching French, too. But, every idea seems to be good at the start, as I say, so I'll save it for later.

I was afraid my friends would find this video but then I realised that the Internet is huge and... I don’t have friends, actually.

Damn, I sound really stupid in that video. 

love & peace

Ciray

PS: Change the quality if it's blurry.

Things We Do Differently– Capital Letters

The capitals are a dangerous enemy to lots of Czechs. There are not many rules but we are just... lazy. I know, I use this as an excuse too often. But we are.

I've made a short list of rules you should follow when writing in Czech. There are not all of them but the most important are, of course, included.

• Every sentence starts with a capital letter. 
• Days of the week, months, and seasons of the year start with a small letter.
• Names (of people, countries, planets, etc.) are written with a capital at the beginning.
• A citizen of a certain state (nouns: Čech/Češka, Polák/Polka, ...) is written with a capital.
• An adjective formed from a noun (e. g. Amerika=> americký) starts with a small letter. (Applies to names.)
• Languages start with a small letter (e. g. angličtina, čeština, arabština, etc.)

love & peace

Ciray

Lesson 11– Numbers 0-10

Hello everyone,

     it's been almost a month since my last lesson so my remorses started doing their work and here I am writing, baby!

      I've figured out that nobody would continue learning if I started talking about all the cases back and forward, forward back, upside down, downside up. Therefore I decided to start BUT I'm not going to dedicate next seven lessons to cases only. There will probably be (if I get around to do it = when I feel not so lazy as usual) a few vocabulary, different grammar (the important parts for beginners), and conversational lessons and me chattering about latest news that nobody cares about. Seems like a lot of fun, huh?

      Today's lesson is very special. People usually learn this when they're in kindergartens but we were too awesome to do it. Wait, there's no point in doing an epic intro for this topic because I've already named the post after it. Phhhhhhhit.

Čísla od 0 do 10

0    nula ['noo-lah]

1    jedna ['ye-dnah]

2    dva ['dvah]

3    tři ['trzi]

4    čtyři ['tchtee-rzie]

5    pět ['pyet]

6    šest ['shest]

7    sedm ['seh-dm]

8    osm ['oa-sm]

9    devět ['de-vyet]

10  deset ['deh-set]

     Nula is declined according to žena paradigm. Jedna and dva have masculine, neuter, and feminine forms:

Jeden stůl. Jedna židle. Jedno kolo.
Dva stoly. Dvě židle. Dvě kola.

      So science, such knowledge, huh?
     And every numeral can be declined.

VOCABULARY:
Calm down, it's just three words.

číslo, n. (čísla; prdg. město) ['tchee:sloh] number; noun
od ['odd] from, since; prep.
do ['doh] to; prep.

PS: This is my first post from my new bedroom! Yay!

love & peace
Ciray

Lesson 10– Introducing yourself in Czech

Hej hej!

This is my 10th lesson! Yay! So, I'm glad you've gotten so far and, as a reward, I've made this article more conversational. There won't be much to learn except for the vocabulary which is, as you know, the most important part of learning any language (except for C++ and so on).

When you come to a foreign country, you usually want to talk to local people. And you need to introduce yourself to them. I think you don't long to sound as if you were illiterate and talking to a Czech in English isn't the best option either. Not that we weren't taught English at school, I must say there are tons of people who speak English perfectly. But many, many, really MANY people here just cannot speak it because what teachers want from them at school is grammar.

So, back to the topic.

Introducing yourself in Czech

Raphaël is new to the school. He's alone and confused in the turmoil of the first school day but everybody looks enthusiastic and those who have studied here longer with welcoming smiles help "newbies" get where they need. Raphaël meets a Czech girl named Daniela who was entrusted with doing a survey among the new students. How did she know Raphaël was a foreigner? He looked pretty disoriented.

Daniela: Ahoj, můžeš mi prosím pomoct? Dělám průzkum.

Raphaël: Dobrý den. Rád vám pomůžu. 

Daniela: Můžeme si tykat? Jsem Daniela. Jak se jmenuješ?

Raphaël: Jmenuji se Raphaël Perret. Těší mě. 

Daniela: Nápodobně. Takže... Kolik je ti let?

Raphaël: Je mi dvacet jedna. A tobě?

Daniela: Ta otázka je součástí průzkumu. Haha. Ale mně je dvacet tři. Odkud pocházíš?

Raphaël: Jsem z Francie, ale já a má rodina žijeme v Německu. 

Daniela: Co studuješ? 

Raphaël: Studuji slovanské jazyky a dějepis. 

Daniela: Bydlíš na internátě, nebo máš vlastní byt?

Raphaël: Bydlím se třemi dalšími studenty v bytě v centru Prahy.

Daniela: Děkuji za odpovědi. Uvidíme se později, měj se hezky. 

Raphaël: Nemáš zač. Ahoj!

Vocabulary:

ahoj ['ahoy] hello/ hi, bye; (informal)

moct ['motst] can/ be able to; forms used here: můžeš, můžeme

já ['ya:] I; forms used here: mi, mě, mně

prosit ['proasit] to please; forms used here: prosím

pomoct ['pohmotst] to help; forms used here: pomůžu

dělat ['dyelaht] to do; forms used here: dělám

průzkum, m. ['proo:zcum] survey

dobrý den ['dobree: 'den] good day; (formal)

rád/a, adv. ['ra:d] gladly

vy ['vee] you; (formal); forms used here: vám

tykat si ['teecut sih] tutear (Spanish), to address as "ty" not "vy", i. e. informally

jsem ['ysem] I am

jak ['yuck] how

jmenovat se ['ymehnovaht seh] to be named/ called; forms used here: jmenuješ se, jmenuji se

těší mě ['tyeshee: mnye] nice to meet you (enchanté, mucho gusto)

nápodobně ['nah:poadobnye] likewise

takže ['tuckzye] so

kolik ['coleek] how much/ how many

být ['beet] to be; forms used here: je, jsem

léta, pl ['lae:tah] years (used in plural only, if you want to say "1 year", it's "1 rok")

dvacet jedna ['dvatset yednah] twenty-one

a ['ah] and

ta ['tah] that (when referring to a noun of feminine gender; "ten"– masc.; "to"– neuter)

ale ['uhleh] but

dvacet tři ['dvatset trzih] twenty-three

odkud ['odcood] wherefrom

pocházet ['poacha:zet] to come (from); forms used here: pocházíš

z ['z] from

Francie, f. ['phrantsieh] France

má ['ma:] my/ mine (when referring to a noun of feminine gender; "můj"– masc. and neuter)

rodina, f. ['rodyinah] family

žít ['zyee:t] to live; forms used here: žijeme

v ['v] in

Německo, n. ['nyemetscoh] Germany

co ['tso] what

studovat ['stoodovut] to study; forms used here: studuješ, studuji

slovanské/á/ý ['slovunskeh:] Slavic

jazyk, m. ['yazick] language, tongue

dějepis, m. ['dyeyepis] history (a subject at school)

bydlet ['bidlet] to live, dwell; forms used here: bydlíš, bydlím

na ['nah] on

internát, m. ['intaernah:t] boardinghouse

nebo ['nehbo] or

mít ['meet] to have; forms used here: máš, nemáš

vlastní ['vlustnyee:] own (your own, my own, ...)

byt, m. ['bit] flat, apartment

s, se ['s, 'seh] with

tři ['trzi] three

další ['dulshee:] other, another

student, m. ['stoodent] student

centrum, n. ['tsentroom] centre/ center

Praha, f. ['pruhah] Prague

děkovat ['dyecovut] to thank; forms used here: děkuji

za ['zah] for (only in this case), behind

odpověď, f. ['odpohvyedye] answer

vidět se ['veedyet] to see "each other" (like in "see your later"); forms used here: uvidíme se

později ['pozdyeyi] later

mít se ['meet seh] to be well/ do well; forms used here: měj se

hezky ['hezki] nicely

nemáš zač ['nehma:sh zutch] you're welcome (informal)

These are your new words.

I'm making a dictionary where I'll add the paradigms by which the nouns are inflected.

Now let's translate the conversation:

Daniela: Hi, can you please help me? I'm doing a survey.

Raphaël: Good day. I'll be happy to help you.

Daniela: Can we "use the informal form"? I'm Daniela. What's your name?

Raphaël: My name is Raphaël Perret. It’s nice to meet you.

Daniela: Likewise... So, how old are you?

Raphaël: I'm twenty-one. And you?

Daniela: The question is a part of the survey. Haha. But I'm twenty-three. Where do you come from?

Raphaël: I'm from France. But I and my family live in Germany.

Daniela: What do you study?

Raphaël: I study Slavic languages and history.

Daniela: Are you staying in a boarding house or have your own flat?

Raphaël: I'm staying with three other students in a flat in the city center of Prague.

Daniela: Thanks for the answers. See you later, stay cool.

Raphaël: You're welcome. Bye!

It doesn't seem so complicated now, huh?

Now that we understand whole text, let's look at the phrases.

Phrases

As some of you know, I've already made two posts on casual greeting phrases (Lesson 2– Greetings, Lesson 3– Short conversations) so I'm not going to talk about them. 

Můžeš mi prosím pomoct? = Can you please help me? (Informal.)

Můžete mi prosím pomoct? = Can you please help me? (Formal.)

The difference between the formal and informal versions of the sentence is the modal verb's conjugation suffix. The conjugation of MOCT/MOCI is here. Because in Czech we conjugate the verb and for each person there is a suffix, we don't have to use the pronoun anymore. You can say it using conditional mood but it's too sophisticated but anyway, I suppose you can get away with this.

Rád/a vám pomůžu. = I'll be happy to help you. (Formal.)

Rád/a ti pomůžu. = I'll be happy to help you. (Informal.)

The difference between the formal and informal versions of the sentence is the pronoun. "Ty" and its inflected forms are the informal way to say "you" in Czech. "Vy" (+ other forms) means "you", too, but it's formal. Now "ti" and "vám" are in the third case. How do I know? Except for being a native speaker I also know that the verb "pomoct" (to help) is always connected with the mentioned third case. 

As to the word "rád/a" (gladly)– it depends on whether a man or a woman is speaking. If it's a woman, she says "ráda". If it's a man, he says "rád".

Můžeme si tykat? = Can we "use the informal form"? 

Now this sounds weird in English. Hehe. Usually, the older one of those speaking asks this question because it's a way to express honour and respect and they give them up by using the informal way of speaking.

Jak se jmenuješ? = What is your name? (Informal.)

Jak se jmenujete? = What is your name? (Formal.)

The suffixes make the difference here. I hope you all know at least one of these words: llamarse, s'appeler, heissen, chiamarsi, heta, because "be named" sounds strange and I try to avoid using it. "Jmenovat se" is the equivalent of all of the words mentioned above.

Jsem ... = I'm ...

Jmenuji se ... = My name is ...

I think this is obvious. I just wanted to say that there are two ways of telling someone your name.

Kolik je ti let? = How old are you? (Informal.)

Kolik je vám let? = How old are you? (Formal.)
(Kolik máš/máte let?)

Alternatively: kolik ti je let? kolik vám je let? There's nothing to talk about. It's a phrase. Just remember– the pronouns in this sentence are in the third case.

Je mi ... let. = I'm ... years old.

Mně je ... let. = I'm ... years old.

(Mám ... let.)

Another phrase, always with the third case. You might have noticed I didn't use "let" in the answers in the dialogue. People usually don't say it. The same applies to the questions: kolik ti je? kolik vám je?

A tobě? = And you?

The pronoun is in the third case again. It just has to be because you’re asking “kolik je ti let.”

Odkud pocházíš? = Where do you come from? (Informal.)

Odkud pocházíte? = Where do you come from? (Formal.)

Odkud jsi? = Where are you from? (Informal.)

Odkud jste? = Where are you from? (Formal.)

When there's the question word "odkud", it refers to the second case.  "Z" (from) is an "official" preposition indicating the second case.

Jsem z ... = I'm from ...

Pocházím z ... = I come from ...

The following word will be in which case? If you don't know, go three lines backwards. It's the second case, of course.

Děkuji za ... = Thanks for ...

The following word is in the fourth case because it's a direct subject. "Za" means "for" in this case only. It usually means "behind".

Nemáš zač. = You're welcome. (Informal.)

Nemáte zač. = You're welcome. (Formal.)

I think this is enough for today. I hope you enjoyed this lesson, if you have any questions, feel free to post a comment below or send me a message.

Now I'm going to stimulate my brain cells by considering whether studying for a tomorrow's test is worth it.

Love & peace

Ciray

Conjugation– MOCT/MOCI (to be able/allowed to)

Mohu & můžu; mohou & můžou; moct & moci are interchangeable.

PRESENT TENSE 

Já mohu/ můžu                              My můžeme

Ty můžeš                                        Vy můžete

On/a/o může                                   Oni/y/a mohou/ můžou

FUTURE TENSE

Já budu moct/ moci                       My budeme moct/ moci

Ty budeš moct/ moci                     Vy budete moct/moci

On/a/o bude moct/ moci                Oni/y/a budou moct/ moci

PAST TENSE

Já jsem  mohl/a/o                            My jsme mohi/y/a

Ty jsi mohl/a/o                                Vy jste mohl/i/y/a

On/a/o mohl/a/o                              Oni/y/a mohli/y/a

IMPERATIVE

Já ------                                             My -------    

Ty ------                                            Vy --------

On/a/o ------                                      Oni/y/a -------

Example sentences:
Mohla jsem mu to říct, ale nechtěla jsem. (I could tell him but I didn't want to.)
Můžeš prosím otevřít okno? (Can you please open the window?)
Až budu mít osmnáct, budu moct dělat cokoli. (When I'm 18, I'll be able to do anything.)

Lesson 9 – Nouns (basics, declension)

It's been a long time since my last grammar post. Wow, I could hear your heartbeat speed up.

As I have promised, I'm going to dedicate this article to the nouns of our model sentence. Let's check it out.

We now know which two words create the ZSD together. (If you don't, go back here.) One of them, the subject, is a noun (or a pronoun). If you've read the Lesson 7 carefully, you know that the subject can only be in the first case. So "pes" (="a dog") is a noun in its basic form, nominative (the first) case. (If you don't see why, just look at this sentence: "I'm going shopping." The subject is "I" and, as you can see, it's not inflected. How do you know? Well, the English language evolved from Latin and German and there are still some "anachronisms" or relics which include the declension of pronouns. It's not a big deal, really, but every time you want to say "I" in a different place than as a subject you say "me". That's it. If you'd use "me" in English, it's the sign that the Czech word is inflected.) 

What about the object? That's tricky. Let's write down what we know. It's a noun.... Man, we don't know much about it. Let me give you a hint. Check out the list of prepositions for each case mentioned in the Lesson 7. Now look at the preposition in our model sentence. It's "s" (="with") which indicates which case? The instrumental (seventh)! Great, now how do we find out the gender, number and the paradigm? I'm sorry to disappoint you but no how. There’s no way of figuring it out. I decided to make it easier for you by using the word "kost" (=bone) which is a paradigm itself. But still you have to know which paradigm the noun belongs to. This has an advantage, though. If you memorize the paradigm, you don't have to learn the gender because each gender has its own group of paradigms. 

"Kost" is neuter and singular. Why do I refer to the object of our model sentence as "kost" not "kostí"? It's not a typo. The word "kost" is in the nominative (first) case which means it's in its basic form. When I talk about a word I shouldn't use the inflected forms because it's confusing. (Now that I'm talking about "confusing", I should mention that diacritics are pretty important because "kostí" is the seventh case of the word "kost" whereas "kosti" is a plural form of the word "kost".)

I've nothing more to tell you about this since all you need to know are the suffixes which you just have to memorize.

It's been a lot of information in the last few lessons, I'll make a conversational one next time! (:

love & peace

Ciray

Ty x ty, Vy x vy – Ginah's inquiry

I'm back; I don't stop bothering you during holiday (which lasts till tomorrow, at least here). 

But the reason why I'm posting this is that I've received an e-mail from one of those who have come upon my blog and I'm pretty happy somebody finally appreciates what I do! ^-^ (Now this sounds pathetic. Nvm.)

Ginah asks whether there is a difference between Ty and ty, Vy and vy, Váš and váš, Vaše and vaše...and so on. 

My answer is: grammatically not, but stylistically yes. 

Since most of you are starters I won't go into detail, so just concisely. 

Use capitals only when writing a letter or a message, they are used when addressing directly and they express honour and respect towards the one who reads it. These forms are used on notices, signs, messages, etc. This rule only regards pronouns "ty" and "vy", their inflected forms (tebe, tě, vás, vámi,...) and possessive pronouns Tvůj and Váš + their inflected forms (tvá, tvými, vaše, vaši,...).

EXAMPLE:

Vážená paní Fialová,

děkuji za Vaši spolupráci při našem projektu Allumez le Feu dans un Coeur. Chtěla bych Vás ještě požádat, zda-li byste byste byla ochotna poskytnout rozhovor našim redaktorům. 

S přáním úspěšného dne

Ciray Magym

Translation (as literal as possible):

Dear mrs. Fialová (a Czech surname, means "purple"),

thanks for your collaboration during our project Allumez le Feu dans un Coeur. I'd also like to ask you, if you would be willing to give our editors an interview. 

Wishing you a successful day (a phrase)

Ciray Magym

PS: If there's anything unclear (in this article or anywhere else), feel free to leave a comment below and I'll explain everything.

Thank you for this inquiry, Ginah! (:

Love & peace 

Ciray

Conjugation– ZPÍVAT (to sing)

PRESENT TENSE

Já zpívám                               My zpíváme

Ty zpíváš                               Vy zpíváte

On/a/o zpívá                           Oni/y/a zpívají

FUTURE TENSE

Já budu zpívat                         My budeme zpívat

Ty budeš zpívat                       Vy budete zpívat

On/a/o bude zpívat                   Oni/y/a budou zpívat

PAST TENSE

Já jsem zpíval/a/o                       My jsme zpívali/y/a

Ty jsi zpíval/a/o                         Vy jste zpívali/y/a

On/a/o zpíval/a/o                       Oni zpívali/y/a

IMPERATIVE

Já ---                                           My zpívejme

Ty zpívej                                    Vy zpívejte

On/a/o ať zpívá                          Oni ať zpívají

Example sentences:
Ráda zpívá. (She likes singing.)
Zpívej nahlas. (Sing aloud.)
Zpíval jsem ve sboru. (I sang in a choir.)

Conjugation– JÍT (to go [on foot])

PRESENT TENSE

Já jdu                                  My jdeme

Ty jdeš                                Vy jdete

On/a/o jde                           Oni/y/a jdou

FUTURE TENSE

Já půjdu                                  My půjdeme

Ty půjdeš                                Vy půjdete

On/a/o půjde                           Oni/y/a půjdou

PAST TENSE

Já jsem šel/ šla/ šlo                    My jsme šli/y/a

Ty jsi šel/ šla/ šlo                       Vy jste šli/y/a

On/a/o šel/ šla/ šlo                      Oni šli/y/a

IMPERATIVE

Já ---                                             My jděme

Ty jdi                                            Vy jděte

On/a/o ať jde                                Oni ať jdou

Example sentences:

Jděte touto ulicí. (Follow this street.)
Zítra půjdu nakupovat. (I'll go shopping tomorrow.)
Jdu domů. (I'm going home.)
Šel okolo, ale neviděl nás. (He went past us but didn't see us.)