How to say hello, thank you and goodbye in Czech

Walk into a small Prague bakery and say nothing, and you will be served. Say dobrý den first and the service is often warmer. The effort is tiny. Czech is a hard language, but the words for greeting, thanking and leaving take minutes to learn and are used all day.

This is a working set, not a course. The companion for the sounds is our guide to Czech pronunciation, and the wider picture is in what language is spoken in Czechia.

Hello: two registers

Czech has a polite form and a familiar form, a distinction known as vykání and tykání. It colours even the greeting.

Dobrý den (DOH-bree den) means "good day" and is the standard hello. It is correct with strangers, in shops, at the doctor's, in offices and with anyone older than you. You can use it from morning until early evening, and it is the only greeting you need to remember at first.

Ahoj (AH-hoy) is the informal hello, used among friends, colleagues of the same age and young people. It is also the informal goodbye, which confuses beginners: the same word opens and ends a conversation. Using ahoj with a stranger, an official or an older person sounds too casual.

Čau (chow) is a still more relaxed hello and goodbye, borrowed from Italian ciao. It is a word for friends only.

For the time of day, there are three set greetings:

• Dobré ráno (DOH-bray RAH-no), good morning, used early.
• Dobrý večer (DOH-bree VEH-cher), good evening, from about dusk.
• Dobrou noc (DOH-broh nots), good night, said at parting and not on meeting.

Goodbye

The polite goodbye is na shledanou (nah SKHLEH-dah-noh), which means roughly "until we see each other again". It is the word to say when you leave a shop, a clinic or an office, and it is often shortened in speech to nashle. Among friends, ahoj or čau works. If you are leaving late in the evening, add dobrou noc.

Foreigners are often surprised by the Czech habit of greeting and taking leave of a room full of strangers. Leaving a waiting room, a lift or a small restaurant without a na shledanou is a small breach of manners. The reply, na shledanou or hezký den (have a nice day), is routine.

Thank you

Two words cover most cases.

Děkuji (DYEH-ku-yi) is the full, correct form, and it is what you read in writing. In speech you hear děkuju (DYEH-ku-yu), the relaxed version. Díky (DEE-ki) is the short, friendly "thanks", and it is perfectly fine in a shop. For emphasis, add moc (mots), which means "a lot": děkuji moc is "thank you very much".

Prosím (PRO-seem) is the hardest small word. It means please, but also "here you are" when you hand something over, "you're welcome" in reply to thanks, and "pardon?" when you did not hear. A waiter who hands you a menu says prosím, and you say děkuji, and he says prosím again. It is a friendly loop, not confusion.

Please, sorry and excuse me

• Prosím for please, as above.
• Promiňte (PRO-min-tyeh) is "excuse me" or "sorry", the one to use in a crowded tram or to catch someone's attention.
• Pardon (PAR-don) is used like the English "pardon", borrowed from French, and is common in speech.
• S dovolením (s DOH-vo-leh-nyeem) means "with your permission" and is used when passing through a crowd.

A few useful extras:

• Ano (AH-no) and ne (neh): yes and no.
• Mluvíte anglicky? (MLOO-vee-teh AHNG-lits-ki): Do you speak English?
• Nerozumím (NEH-ro-zoo-meem): I don't understand.
• Na zdraví (nah ZDRAH-vee): cheers, said with a drink.
• Dobrou chuť (DOH-broh khoot): enjoy your meal, said by staff and by fellow diners at a shared table.

Pan, paní and the polite you

When you know someone's name, the polite form adds a title. A man is addressed as pane and a woman as paní, followed by the surname: dobrý den, paní Nováková. Czech then changes the ending of a male surname in direct address, so Mr Novák becomes pane Nováku. That small grammatical turn, the vocative case, trips up learners. A foreigner who gets it wrong will be forgiven, and one who gets it right will be noticed. Our piece on Czech surnames and naming conventions explains why Mr Novák's wife is Mrs Nováková.

Titles such as doktor or inženýr are still used in speech and in writing, and many people expect them in a formal exchange, a habit explained in the same piece. Moving from the polite vy to the familiar ty is usually proposed by the older or more senior person, and it is polite to wait for it.

On the phone and in email

On the phone, Czechs answer with their name or with prosím or haló, and the caller opens with dobrý den. In email, the standard opening is dobrý den followed by a comma, and the standard close is s pozdravem ("with greetings"), followed by your name. The English "dear Sir or Madam" has no direct equivalent, and a business email that opens with dobrý den and closes with s pozdravem reads as correct and unfussy. Among colleagues who know each other, ahoj and měj se hezky (take care) are normal.

Using them in real situations

Attach the words to a place you visit every day. A shop is the easiest.

If you do not know the word for what you want, pointing and prosím works. If you find yourself lost, promiňte, mluvíte anglicky? is a polite opening that most Czechs will answer kindly, even if the answer is "a little".

Small mistakes to avoid

Using ahoj everywhere. It marks you as friendly, but with an official or an elderly neighbour it can sound brusque. Start with dobrý den and let the other person set the tone.

Dropping the stress. Czech always puts the stress on the first syllable. Say DOH-bree den and not do-BREE den, and you will be understood far more easily.

Fearing the ř. None of the phrases above contains it, but you will meet the letter in Dvořák and tři (three). Most learners are forgiven a rough approximation, a rolled r with a hint of "zh".

Not replying to a greeting. If a neighbour says dobrý den in the lift, answer with the same words, even if you say nothing else.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most useful Czech phrase for a visitor?

Dobrý den, the polite hello. Said on entering a shop, café or office, it signals respect and usually softens the whole encounter.

Is ahoj rude?

No, it is friendly, but it is informal. Use it with friends and people your age, and use dobrý den with strangers and officials.

How do I say thank you in Czech?

Děkuji, or the shorter díky. Add moc for 'very much'.

Do Czechs expect foreigners to speak Czech?

No, but a few words of greeting and thanks are noticed and appreciated, and they often make the conversation easier.

Does na shledanou have a shorter form?

In speech it is often shortened to nashle. Both are acceptable among friends; the full form is better with strangers.

Say dobrý den at the next door you open.