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!
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
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
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:
4. klid ____ máma. (calm mother)
5. klid ____ sestra. (calm sister)
6. klid_____ Praha. (calm Prague)
Neutral form:
7. klid_____ místo. (a calm place)
Find the answers in the description of the next episode.
Word Count:
29. 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.
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)
'Fakt jo' in Czech = 'really' in English
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/
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
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, to je ale humus!" 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.“
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!
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
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.
2. Mám rád pána.
3. Líbí se mi ten hrad.
4. Mám rád hrad.
6 Líbí se mi ta žena.
7. Mám rád ženu.
8. Líbí se mi to pivo.
9. Mám rád pivo.
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
2. Mám rád ______________ (pán) I like a man. Masculine animate
3. Líbí se mi ten ______________ (hrad) I like the castle. Masculine inanimate
4. Mám rád ______________ (hrad) I like a castle. Masculine inanimate
6 Líbí se mi ta ______________ (žena) I like the woman. Feminine
7. Mám rád ______________ (žena) I like a woman. Feminine
8. 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.
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.
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
Today we will practice what we've learned in episodes 1-5! Just to make sure that you remember. :)
Hebrew/ Czech
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!
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!
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
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.
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 memorize because 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.
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
14. מוּזִיקָה / Muzika
15. 1. אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה / Univerzita
16. פראג / Praha
17. 1. פָקוּלְטָה / Fakulta
18. 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.