I can name clothes and shoes, say what I'm wearing and what I usually wear, ask for and give a size, ask to try something on, say “bigger, smaller, better, worse”, and buy vegetables at the market.
Clothes, sizes, and the market
Clothes, sizes, and the market
Clothes are oblečení; the words are in the table. Two words exist only in the plural: kalhoty (pants, as in English) and šaty — they take jsou and ty: „Kde jsou moje kalhoty?“ Boty is an ordinary plural (one shoe: bota). Šaty is a dress, even one dress; clothes in general are oblečení.
English “wear” has two Czech verbs. What someone has on now is mít na sobě: „Co má Eva na sobě?“ What you usually wear is nosit: „V práci nosím kalhoty.“ What you look for and buy takes the accusative: „Kupuju novou tašku.“ In the plural this form looks like the subject form: „Chci ty modré kalhoty.“
To try on: zkusit si (si in second position). Size: velikost. If something doesn't fit, four words are enough: větší, menší, lepší, horší — “bigger, smaller, better, worse”; they don't change with gender. Learn the request as a whole: „Máte to ve větší velikosti?“ The fitting room is kabinka.
To recognize: sako — blazer, blůza — blouse, rukavice — gloves, deštník — umbrella, vyměnit — to exchange. At the market weight goes by the kilo: jedno kilo, tři kila; 100 grams is deset deka.
Common mistakes:
• ׊aty — “clothes” → oblečení.
• ×Ta kalhoty → Ty kalhoty (plural).
• ×Potřebuju nová bunda → Potřebuju novou bundu.
Clothes
Plural only: ty kalhoty, ty šaty. Boty is a regular plural (one shoe is bota).
| In Czech | In English |
|---|---|
| tričko | T-shirt |
| košile | shirt |
| svetr | sweater |
| bunda | jacket |
| kabát | coat |
| čepice | hat |
| sukně | skirt |
| šaty (pl.) | dress |
| kalhoty (pl.) | pants |
| boty (pl.) | shoes |
Doesn't fit?
These four words don't change for gender: větší svetr, větší bunda, větší tričko.
| In Czech | In English |
|---|---|
| větší | bigger |
| menší | smaller |
| lepší | better |
| horší | worse |
Lesson notes
Clothes, sizes, and the market
Clothes are oblečení; the words are in the table. Two words exist only in the plural: kalhoty (pants, as in English) and šaty — they take jsou and ty: „Kde jsou moje kalhoty?“ Boty is an ordinary plural (one shoe: bota). Šaty is a dress, even one dress; clothes in general are oblečení.
English “wear” has two Czech verbs. What someone has on now is mít na sobě: „Co má Eva na sobě?“ What you usually wear is nosit: „V práci nosím kalhoty.“ What you look for and buy takes the accusative: „Kupuju novou tašku.“ In the plural this form looks like the subject form: „Chci ty modré kalhoty.“
To try on: zkusit si (si in second position). Size: velikost. If something doesn't fit, four words are enough: větší, menší, lepší, horší — “bigger, smaller, better, worse”; they don't change with gender. Learn the request as a whole: „Máte to ve větší velikosti?“ The fitting room is kabinka.
To recognize: sako — blazer, blůza — blouse, rukavice — gloves, deštník — umbrella, vyměnit — to exchange. At the market weight goes by the kilo: jedno kilo, tři kila; 100 grams is deset deka.
Common mistakes:
• ׊aty — “clothes” → oblečení.
• ×Ta kalhoty → Ty kalhoty (plural).
• ×Potřebuju nová bunda → Potřebuju novou bundu.