Does tatínek mean father/dad and is there a shorter version of that like tata or something, and is mom- maminka?thanks for any of your help!
Hi Ruzete, Yes, tatinek really means father. More precisely, it`s the diminutive of "tata" with the English approximation perhaps closest to "daddy". The same applies to maminka. Besides "tata", there are other variations such as "tat`ka", "tat`ula", "tat`ulda". In addition to maminka, I can now think of "mamka", "mamca" --hacek over c. "mamina" is also a word, at least in the region where I grew up, for a pretty, luscious woman. Somewhere round 30 years of age. Karel PS I`m desperately in need of the Czech diacritic marks. The trouble is my Japanese version of Windows doesn`t quite agree with Czech . Sorry if it`s painful on the eyes.
Hi Karel. I have some late-20-early-30 year old female Czech friends who definitely fit the description above. Is it considered impollite to say "Cau Mamino" if the situation applies (in a fun way)? I get so tired of saying Cau Krasko all the time LOL. How abundant is the usage of 'mamino'? Dekuji Shawn
Howdy Shawn, Speaking for our clan, we`d use this expression only as a comment or an afterthought. Sorry, I have no idea how widespread this is, but it`s probably non-standard Czech as to the meaning being talked about. Every time I had my hair cut, the hairdresser would ask me "A co dela mamina?" She obviously meant the standard meaning, and was just asking after my mum`s health and stuff. I`d probably not greet your lady with "Cau mamino" --sounds a bit awkward to my ears--, but it`s not impossible. Another comment-expression is "kost" = bone. Hele tamhleta kost - Look at that bone over there. Warning! If you say that somebody is a kost, it also means that s/he is skinny. You shouldn`t then comment on girls suffering from anorexia. I`ve read somewhere that Czechs are keen on quoting from classic Czech movies...Jachyme hod ho do stroje, Marecku podejte mi pero, Jak basnici..... etc. I`m convinced that it`s true. Why am I talking about this anyway? In the Basnici series, there are two words which might appeal, and are more appropriate than the one above, I reckon. Cau boruvko Cau jeskynko If you say that I think she`ll chuckle. Now, if you`re on almost intimate terms with her, you might try Cau prdelko Be warned that if this falls flat, there is going to come a massive slap all over your face. (Don`t blame it on me then) However popular these are, I had a different way of addressing girls. I`d always greet them with "dobry den, pani" The trick is that a young, single girl is being addressed rather formally, and the conversation yields to "Vykani" instead of "Tykani". Very unnatural but having the desired effect and funny. It may sound strange but it always worked. Karel
Dobre rano Karel, a velice moc dekuji I can't find the meaning of these 2 words (boruvko & jeskynko), could you please be so kind? Actually my best friend is a huge fan of her movies, so if I quoted her a Czech movie, she'd see right through me, ha ha... Funny thing, too, another of my good friends, we already call Prdelko (ha ha again). Also (sorry to hijack this post ), one fun thing my friend says in English to me all the time is 'see ya, but I wouldn't wanna be ya' - might there be a common Czech expression I could throw back at her in response to this? Zatim cau. Shawn
Morning morning Shawn, boruvko (from boruvka sg. and boruvky pl. = a bilberry) jeskynko (from jeskyne = a cave :arrow: jeskynka = a little cave) These are clean safe and you can`t spoil anything. Just give it a go. She`ll be only too glad to hear them. If I were you, I`d reply to her saying "tahni uz" Tahni, vypadni = beat it Don`t forget to wink at her and give her a smile to avoid any possible misunderstading. Hope this is of some interest and use. Karel
Wonderful, thanks very much, Karel. 2 last ones, and I'll leave you alone: Cau sedmikrasko (does it sound corny? I saw the word on another post here, I like it ) and...what I'd really like to say to someone in particular - hi 'sunflower' or hi 'sunshine' but I have a feeling they're tricky ones... As always, thanks Shawn
I think the choice largely depends on your personality. Having noticed you`re into painting, you might go for the poetic ones. I prefer the rough ones with twisted meanings. Sedmikraska doesn`t sound corny to me as I`ve heard it only a few times but it`s too obvious what you`re after. Just my opinion. Sunflower = slunecnice. Honestly, I wouldn`t go for this one either. Sunshine = slunicko. Yes, this is common but for that reason perhaps hackeneyd. Though the best of all three in my opinion. In Czech you can do quite a lot with first names. I`m Karel, Kaya, Kodl, Carlito, plus the borrowed ones ,Carlos, Charlie and many others plus diminutives. You could try to come up with a new nickname derived from her first name. Sorry Shawn, I don`t understand the last one, vysluna. Don`t worry about the number of your questions. I`m glad I could help. Karel
Yeah, I definitely go for more poetic/cute names, usually. As expected, I like sunshine the most, as that's what I say to her in English. I also really like boruvka and jeskynka, but jeskynka...sounds like a mysterious thing to call someone? The only one I could think to say it to is one friend, she is very quiet and shy, as if she is is hiding in a little cave, but I don't know that such gets the gist of the meaning. It's always hard to learn these personal little things, eh? Thanks as always for your help, Karel. Shawn ps I better be careful with the pivo for a while otherwise I'll be saying 'cau sklenicku'...instead of slunicko, and i'll be ordering small sunshine's of beer
In this context jeskyňka is rather divoženka = the Wild Woman of the Woods. Zde je seznam netradičních oslovení: http://www.tenzor.cz/valecko/files/nadavky.pdf
Hi Bohaemus, "Cau divozenko" is a nice thing to say? I don't want to say anything like "Hi my Amazonian friend"...LOL
You can use it as a joke (be careful). In fact, jeskyňky (also jezinky) and divoženky are bad wild women living in the woods. They usually steal and eat little children. (ref. literature - Božena Němcová: About Smolíček.)
Karel, I was thinking to start a new thread on "terms of endearment" but it would seem the root is here. You'll appreciaciate I'm appealing to your linguistic prowess - I can speak as much Czech as there are fingers on one hand, or two if not holding a glass. I was running a few of your words through www.slovnik.cz and was amused by the results; viz cave-dweller, bilberries, bum-sucker!. This is enchanting stuff. Is this regular Czech or perhaps a local slang? (I'm thinking particularly of the second major city). Wishing you well and in appreciation of your continuing erudite additions. Harry
Hello Harry, Thank you for such praise. I`m a wee bittie late, aren`t I? I took in your post the day it was posted but didn`t have time to respond. Until now, actually. You had, unless I`m mistaken, two or three words to be translated for your friend, but now I can recall only cumacku. (you`ve deleted that part) čumáček = a little snout (from čumák). I feel this expression as standard and of good taste. As regards the previous expressions, I cannot really tell whether they are heard in Brno, but I imagine they are. Mamina would probably be the only one on my list of the vernacular. I could be wrong though. These are also common: beruška = ladybird princezna = princess Popelka = Cinderella (popelka from popel = ash, hence the girl smeared with ash) I couldn`t swear on it, but I think Popelka was also a nickname used in the Basnici series. Jeskynka, as explained in great detail by Bohaemus, is an interesting one. The story kicks off by jeskynky`s knocking at Smolicek`s door, saying .....jenom dva prsticky tam strcime a hned zase pujdeme = We`ll just stick there two fingers, and then we leave.... The last one I have in store is almost a false friend. One of my friends would always pamper his girlfriend by calling her "pusinko" (from pusa = kiss, mouth) Better still, the plular reads "pusy". Would you expect a well directed skelp for this, Harry? I don`t think it would come, but I wouldn`t opt for "pusinko" even if I were drunk as a lord. Karel
Karel, Thanks for those. You're quite right, I did do a bit of editing the following morning - just about posting terms of endearment. I shall tread carefully with their use. Skelp is not a word you come across every day and I don't think I'd be on the recieving end of one, but like you, I'd prefer not to go there in the first place. Btw, nice Steven Wright quote; I always revert to the "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it" one but there are so many... Harry
