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!