I can invite a friend to the movies, a concert, or a museum, accept an invitation or say no politely, and agree on where we'll meet.
Půjdeme do kina? How to invite and how to say no
Půjdeme do kina? How to invite and how to say no
To invite: Půjdeme…? “Shall we go…?” (on foot), Pojedeme…? “Shall we go…?” (by vehicle). These are set questions: learn them as a whole. Or directly: Zvu tě (with vy: Zvu vás) na kávu.
Where to: English says “to the movies” and “to a concert”; Czech says do kina, but na koncert. A building takes do + the genitive: do kina, do divadla, do muzea. An event takes na + the accusative: na koncert, na fotbal, na kávu.
To say yes: Proč ne? To je dobrý nápad. Tak dobře.
To say no politely: first apologize or say bohužel, then give a reason: Bohužel nemůžu, musím pracovat. A bare “Ne.” sounds rude.
To link ideas: a “and”, ale “but”, nebo “or” (in a question with a choice: do kina, nebo do divadla?). English “not …, but …” is ne…, ale…
Common mistakes:
• דPůjdeme na kino?” → Půjdeme do kina?
• דJdu do koncertu.” → Jdu na koncert.
• דNe.” in reply to an invitation → Bohužel nemůžu, …
• דNejdu do kina, a do muzea.” → Nejdu do kina, ale do muzea.
Invitations: what to say
Where to: do + the genitive — do kina, do divadla, do muzea; na + the accusative — na koncert, na fotbal, na kávu.
| What to do | In Czech |
|---|---|
| invite | Půjdeme…? Pojedeme…? Zvu tě / vás… |
| accept | Proč ne? To je dobrý nápad. Tak dobře. |
| say no politely | Bohužel nemůžu. Promiňte, dnes nemám volno. |
| agree on a plan | Sejdeme se u kina? V osm? |
Lesson notes
Půjdeme do kina? How to invite and how to say no
To invite: Půjdeme…? “Shall we go…?” (on foot), Pojedeme…? “Shall we go…?” (by vehicle). These are set questions: learn them as a whole. Or directly: Zvu tě (with vy: Zvu vás) na kávu.
Where to: English says “to the movies” and “to a concert”; Czech says do kina, but na koncert. A building takes do + the genitive: do kina, do divadla, do muzea. An event takes na + the accusative: na koncert, na fotbal, na kávu.
To say yes: Proč ne? To je dobrý nápad. Tak dobře.
To say no politely: first apologize or say bohužel, then give a reason: Bohužel nemůžu, musím pracovat. A bare “Ne.” sounds rude.
To link ideas: a “and”, ale “but”, nebo “or” (in a question with a choice: do kina, nebo do divadla?). English “not …, but …” is ne…, ale…
Common mistakes:
• דPůjdeme na kino?” → Půjdeme do kina?
• דJdu do koncertu.” → Jdu na koncert.
• דNe.” in reply to an invitation → Bohužel nemůžu, …
• דNejdu do kina, a do muzea.” → Nejdu do kina, ale do muzea.