ככה תפצחו בקלות את השפה הצ'כית (Easy Hacks To Learn Czech for Hebrew and English Speakers): Recent Episodes

Vita

Speaking foreign languages provides an exciting opportunity to experience different cultures, it expands one’s horizons, and enables people to think in concepts that they might not have in their own language. However, when learning a new language, it is the very first steps that seem to be the hardest to take. Where do you even start? If you speak Hebrew, then making those first baby steps is easy! Learn with me some fun Czech words that also exist in Hebrew!

View Details

Speaking foreign languages provides an exciting opportunity to experience different cultures, it expands one’s horizons, and enables people to think in concepts that they might not have in their own language. 

However, when learning a new language, it is the very first steps that seem to be the hardest to take. Where do you even start? If you speak Hebrew, then making those first baby steps is easy! Learn with me some fun Czech words that also exist in Yiddish!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Conjugation of "TO BE" - "BÝT"

  1. I am      -        jsem

  2. You are -         jsi

  3. He, she, it is -  je

  4. We are         - jsme

  5. You are       - jste

  6. They are     - jsou

Translate:

  1. You are crazy.

  2. He is crazy

  3. She is a politician 

Answers ep. 18:

We will come at noon.             Přijdeme v poledne

They will come.                       Přijdou v poledne

She will come at noon            Přijde v poledne

Mom will come at noon.         Máma přijde v poledne

Dad will come at noon.          Táta přijde v poledne

Brother will come at noon.     Bratr (brácha) přijde v poledne

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Conjugation of "přijít" - to come

I will come at noon Přijdu v poledne

You will come at noon Přijedeš v poledne

She, he, it will come at noon Přijde v poledne

We will come at noon Přijdeme v poledne

You all will come at noon Všichni přijdete v poledne

They will come at noon Přijdou v poledne

Exercise - cover the cheat sheet above and translate the following:

We will come at noon.

They will come.

She will come at noon

Mom will come at noon.

Dad will come at noon.

Brother will come at noon.

*Brother - bratr

Mother- máma

Father - táta

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word Count:

30. Hebrew / Czech

קְלִיד (piano key) /klid (calm, peace)

Exercise: 

Add the correct form of the word "klid"

Masculine form: 

  1. klid ____ táta. (calm dad)

  2. klid ____  brácha (or bratr, calm brother, mentioned in ep.) 

  3. klid ____  kůň  (a calm horse, mentioned in ep. 13)

  4. klid___ český lev (a calm Czech lion)

Feminine form:

  1. klid ____ máma. (calm mother)

  2. klid ____ sestra. (calm sister)

  3. klid_____ Praha. (calm Prague)

Neutral form:

  1. klid_____ místo. (a calm place)

Find the answers in the description of the next episode.

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word Count:

  1. Hebrew / Czech

לב (heart) / lev (lion)

Lev je symbolem České republiky.

vocabulary: je -  the 3rd person of "být", to be

symbol: a symbol 

Picture source: 

Wikipedia: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_lev_(heraldika)#:~:text=%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD%20lev%20je%20pojem%20pro,Koruny%20%C4%8Desk%C3%A9)%20objevuje%20od%2013.

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Hebrew / Czech

1. טֶלֶפוֹן / Telefon

2. מַנְגוֹ / Mango

3. סֻכָּר / Cukr

4. סָלָט / Salát

5. יוגורט / Jogurt

6. נקטרינה /Nektarinka

7. בננה / Banán

8. בַּנְק / Banka

9. בֶּנְזִין / Benzín

10. יַכְטָה / Jachta

11. סְטוּדֶנְט / Student

12. מאמי / Mami! (when you call your mom)

13. libi / líbí (to like)

14. מוּזִיקָה / Muzika

15. אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה / Univerzita

16. פראג / Praha

17. פָקוּלְטָה / Fakulta

18. בְּרָכָה/ brácha (brother)

19. מִלָּה /dear (female form)

20. מַה / má (my, female form)

21. Kus ( [kʊs], a piece)

22. נְשִׁיקָה / Nešika (butter fingers)

23. חוּמוּס/ humus (disgusting)

24. Skoda/ škoda - damage

25. לִיבַּת to kiss

26. סִיר (pot) / Sýr (cheese)

27. מָלֵא (full)/ malé (small)

28. ברק (lightning)/barák (house, slang; dům is more formal)

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

'Fakt jo' in Czech = 'really' in English

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word Count: 28. Hebrew/Czech

ברק (lightning)/barák (house, slang; dům is more formal)

Picture source: https://www.facebook.com/informacni.centrum.olomouc/photos/a.174126969326186/5236811479724351/

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Bt3hYhCn4

Picture: Josef Lada (1887 - 1957) Title: Vodník, 1942

Hidden Killers in Tudor Homes, the water experiment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02gx6k4

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word count episodes 1-4: 23. Humus Hebrew/ Czech חוּמוּס (Hummus, food) / Humus [ɦʊmʊs]

You probably know hummus as a delicious Middle-Eastern dish, but in the Czech context, humus has nothing to do with the popular savory spread. Its name is derived from Latin and it refers to “compost.“ Moreover, in slang it could refer to something that is discussing.

"Fuj, tojealehumus!" Ew, that is disgusting!

Note: The Czech letter “h“ is a voiced glottal fricative whose pronunciation is closer to the initial letter “h“ in the English word “healthy“ than the voiceless “ח.“

  1. Skoda, simply "damage" Hebrew/ Czech סקודה/ Škoda [ˈʃkoda] Damage, pity

Now, this is not exactly a false friend, but given the popularity of this brand around the world, I decided to add it to our list. Škoda means literally „damage“ or „pity“. When you feel regret for something, you can say „To je škoda“. If you wonder why you are driving a car called „damage“, Škoda is a common Czech surname, and does not speak for the quality of the brand. In fact, I am quite a fan of this car.

How would you translate the following sentence? „Líbí se ti Praha? Ne? Škoda!

Find the answer in in the description of the next episode.

Sources:

Vltava: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwd51vB7Uow

Plzen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Synagogue_(Plze%C5%88)

Picture: Sinai Guez, podcaster

Answers Ep. 3:

a. I like a talented brother

b. I do not like an untalented brother.

c. You are clumsy

d. Dear talented student!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Sources:

  1. Little child singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxxxAhmhts&t=388s

  2. Kytice Czech version: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kytice_(b%C3%A1se%C5%88)

  3. ERBEN, Karel Jaromír. Kytice z pověstí národních. V Praze: Tisk a náklad Jarosl. Pospíšila, 1853. Read online: https://kramerius5.nkp.cz/view/uuid:1eb82210-15e9-11dd-9d3a-000d606f5dc6?page=uuid:71694210-26e5-11e8-8220-005056827e51

  4. Intro picture: Noon Day Witch from Narodni Galerie Praha  https://sbirky.ngprague.cz/dielo/CZE:NG.K_64571

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word Count: 27. Hebrew/Czech

מָלֵא (full)/ malé (small)

Klubovna pub official web page: 

(Btw, I heard that most movies in Klubovna are in English! :)))  

http://www.klubovna.povalec.cz/?fbclid=IwAR16ksk-tFGzaM1m11PT6tFfLuYtf29UQ6PrA3R_nlV45tCaNDMmgJzFF_8

Answers to exercise ep. 9:

1.Líbí se mi ten pán.

  1. Mám rád pána. 

  2. Líbí se mi ten hrad.      

  3. Mám rád hrad.

6 Líbí se mi ta žena.     

  1. Mám rád ženu.      

  2. Líbí se mi to pivo.        

  3. Mám rád pivo.    

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Sources:

Czech pub song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7k4-aqqFWI

List of countries by beer consumption per capita: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_beer_consumption_per_capita

Czech cases, check out the chart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_declension#:~:text=As%20with%20many%20other%20Slavic,one%20place%20in%20each%20paradigm.

Use nominative with líbí se mi.

Use accusative with mám rád.

Exercise: add the correct form of the noun in the brackets.

1.Líbí se mi ten ______________ (Pán ) I líke that man. Masculine animate

  1. Mám rád ______________ (pán) I like a man. Masculine animate

  2. Líbí se mi ten ______________ (hrad) I like the castle. Masculine inanimate

  3. Mám rád ______________ (hrad) I like a castle. Masculine inanimate

6 Líbí se mi ta ______________ (žena) I like the woman. Feminine

  1. Mám rád ______________ (žena) I like a woman. Feminine

  2. Líbí se mi to______________ (pivo) I like the beer. Neutral

Mám rád ______________ (pivo) I like beer. Neutral

Exercise Episode 8 Solutions:

Líbí se mi TEN táta.

Nelíbí se mi TEN brácha.

Líbí se mi TEN sýr.

Líbí se mi TA máma.

Líbí se mi TA sestra.

Líbí se mi TO avokádo.

Líbí se mi TO mango.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Exercise: Add "ten", "ta", "to"

1.  Táta: father, masculine

Líbí se mi________táta.              I like the father.

2. Brácha, or bratr (more formal): brother, masculine

Nelíbí se mi ________ brácha.   I don't like that brother.

3. Sýr:  cheese, masculine

Líbí se mi _________ sýr.               I like the cheese.

4. Máma: mother, feminine

Líbí se mi ___________ máma.          I like the mother.

5. Sestra: sister, feminine

Líbí se mi ___________sestra.  I like the sister.

6. Avokádo, mango, neutral words tend to end with "o". What would you add, "ten","ta", or "to"?

Líbí se mi_________avokádo.

Líbí se mi____________mango.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word count: 

26. Hebrew/Czech

סִיר (pot) / Sýr (cheese)

If you happen to pass by Olomouc, you must try : http://www.tvaruzkovacukrarna.cz/

The official webpage: https://www.tvaruzky.cz/?lang=en

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Today we will practice what we've learned in episodes 1-5! Just to make sure that you remember. :)

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word count episodes 1-5:

Hebrew/ Czech

טלוויזיה צ'כית/ Ceska televize 25. Hebrew Name: לִיבַּת.  / Líbat, to kiss

Sources:

Libat:  http://www.allhebrewnames.com/hebnames/en/name_details.seam?nameID=3974

Ceska televize: https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/domaci/1409987-posledni-den-v-dubnu-patri-carodejnicim-na-hranici

Answers ep. 4.:

Líbí se ti Praha? Ne? Škoda!  -  Do you like Prague? No? Pity!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

What do Czech words “kus” and “neshika” have in common?

Word count episodes 1- 3:

21. Kus ( [kʊs], a piece)

In this section we are going to take a look at words that have a negative meaning in one language, but in another language the meaning is positive. One such an example is the word “kus.” While in Hebrew “kus” is a cuss word, in Czech you may use it in every polite conversation. “Kus” means a piece of something. In a real life situation, you may go to the fruit section in a supermarket and see a label “avokado, 39Kč/ 1 kus”. That means that you should be careful, this is the price per piece, not per kilo.

Czech numbers:

``` jeden kus - one piece

dva kusy - two pieces

tři kusy - three pieces

čtyři kusy - four pieces

pět kusů - five pieces

šest kusů - six pieces

sedm kusů - seven pieces

osm kusů - eight pieces

devět kusů - nine pieces

deset kusů - ten pieces

```

  • I will record the pronunciation of these numbers ASAP.

22. Nešika

The noun neshika means “a kiss” in Hebrew, but in Czech it refers to someone who is clumsy. Look at the sentence below. How would you translate this sentence? You will find the correct answer in the audio:

a. Brácha je nešika. My brother has butter-fingers.

When looking at the Czech noun nešika, the suffix “ne- ” negates the word, it gives the word a negative meaning. The positive adjective "to be talented" is “šikovný” for male singular, “šikovná” for female singular, and “šikovné” for neutral gender.

Male gender: Šikovný student - a talented male student

Female Gender: Šikovná studentka - a talented female student

Neutral Gender: Šikovné dítě - a talented child

Notice that the “ý” ending of an adjective refers to the male singular form, the “á” ending refers to the female singular form, and “é“ in the expression "šikovné dítě" forms a neutral gender. It is independent of the actual gender of objects. For instance, the word “dítě (child)” will always take the neutral gender, regardless whether the child is a girl or a boy.

We form a negation with the prefix "ne- "

Male gender: nešikovný student - an un talented male student

Female Gender: nešikovná studentka - an untalented female student

Neutral Gender: nešikovné dítě - an untalented child

A small test, episodes 1 - 3: how would you translate the following sentences? Find the answers in the description of the next episode

a. Líbí se mi šikovný brácha.

b. Nelíbí se mi nešikovný brácha.

c. Jsi nešika.

d. Milý šikovný student!

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Word count: 

Hebrew/Czech

19.  מִלָּה /dear (female form)

20. מַה / my, female form

In Czech, “milá” means “dear,” female form. The ending is sensitive to the noun that follows the adjective. Let’s take a look at a few Czech names to illustrate how the ending reacts to the gender. Female names: Markéta, Lada, Denisa, Helena.

j. Milá Markéta

k. Milá Lada

l. Milá Helena

The masculine form is milý. Male names: Miroslav, Marek, Pavel. Notice that they tend not to end with the wovel “a” (with some exceptions), but rather with a consonant. 

m. Milý Miroslav

n. Milý Marek

o. Milý Pavel

This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message

View Details

Many people would agree that speaking foreign languages provides an exciting opportunity to experience different cultures, it expands one’s horizons, and it is also good for the brain as it trains the memory and enables people to think in concepts that they might not have in their own language.

However, when learning a new language, it is the very first steps that seem to be the hardest to take. All those new unusual concoctions of sounds (such as srč prst skrz krk, a famous Czech tongue twister) might seem to be impossible to memorize by heart because there is nothing to relate to from one’s own experience. As a language teacher, my advice would be to begin with such words that are easy to associate with in your own language because it creates a comfort zone for the learner. Luckily for Hebrew speakers who are trying to learn Czech, there are many words that are similar in these two languages. I will separate these words into two groups, the true friends and false friends.

True Friends Words that sound similar in two languages and share at least a part of the meaning are called true friends. They are usually loan words that originated in the same language like Latin, English, Spanish, and Sanskrit etc. Here are just a few of them:

Hebrew / Czech

  1. טֶלֶפוֹן / Telefon

  2. מַנְגוֹ / Mango

  3. סֻכָּר / Cukr

  4. סָלָט / Salát

  5. יוגורט / Jogurt

  6. נקטרינה /Nektarinka

  7. בננה / Banán

  8. בַּנְק / Banka

  9. בֶּנְזִין / Benzín

  10. יַכְטָה / Jachta

  11. סְטוּדֶנְט / Student

  12. מאמי / Mami! (when you call your mom)

However, what some people might find more fun to learn are the so-called false friends. As the name suggests, those are words in different languages that sound similar, but the meaning is different. Perhaps they might be easier to memorizebecause of the absurdity that comes from such associations. For instance, the Hebrew word “dira (דִּירָה)” and Czech “díra“ have similar sound, but the Czech meaning is “a hole,“ whereas in Hebrew it means “a flat.“ Thus, if you say that you live in a “dira (דִּירָה),“ in Czech it would mean that you live in a hole.

Learning such words is not only an entertaining way to boost one’s vocabulary, but they can also help to explain simple grammar structures.

  1. I “heart” Czech language, the language of love One example of a false friend an easy word to associate with, “libi” (my heart in Hebrew) which also exists in Czech language, and it means “I like.” In the chart B above is the Hebrew transcription with its meaning. In the right column is the Czech word, its meaning and the pronunciation. You can make the association that something is in your heart (libi), and therefore you like it.

Let’s make Czech sentences. If you point your finger at something and simply say “libi,” it means that you fancy something. To make a full sentence you can add two extra words “libi se mi…….,” and name the object of your fancy. Here are a few suggestions that you can use the word with:

.

Hebrew / Czech

  1. מוּזִיקָה / Muzika

    1. אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה / Univerzita

  3. פראג / Praha

    1. פָקוּלְטָה / Fakulta

  5. בְּרָכָה/brother

If you say to yourself “my brother is my blessing,” it is a beautiful phrase that is easy to relate to. If you form this connection, you would remember that the word "בְּרָכָה" means "brother" in CZ.

Are you able to translate these sentences with the information given? You will find the answers at the end of this article.

a. Libi se mi muzika,

b. libi se mi univerzita,

c. libi se mi Praha.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/czech-with-viki/message