Useful english words that are missing in the Czech language?

Discussion in 'General Language' started by ta, Jul 14, 2009.

  1. cestina

    cestina Active Member

    Ok, that's helpful. But supposing I want to say "My friend Susan..." and I'm still talking about the same person ie we've been close friends for 50years and I want that to come out in the conversation....
     
  2. Eleshar

    Eleshar Well-Known Member

    In this case "kamarádka" is probably the best to avoid confusion... but if you have been friends for 50 years (so I assume you are 60 or something), you can say "přítelkyně" as well, I think, and no one will suspect.
     
  3. cestina

    cestina Active Member

    :) 67 and female......
     
  4. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

    I had a couple of problems with kamarád and přítel when I first visited Prague - I would introduce my male traveling companion by saying "To je můj přítel" since přítel was the only word I had learned for friend. A new Czech acquaintance informed me with a grin and a raised eyebrow that it might be better to use "kamarád".

    The phrase did come in handy on Wenceslas Square when we were being pestered by a couple of "working" girls - it made them role their eyes and walk away with a frown. :wink:
     
  5. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    Glenn, that's funny!
    I had the opposite experience in Germany. I was with a female friend (not a girl friend) but every time I introduced her as my Freundin (female friend) people grinned and thought that she and I had a "relationship"
     
  6. Dannae

    Dannae Well-Known Member

    How about the word "pet". I am not sure if we have a short name for this one except for "domaci mazlicek".
     
  7. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    How about the word "jerk". I use it often and when our Czech friends asked what it meant, my husband says there isn't a word for it because all relating words in Czech are too harsh/rude.
     
  8. Levandule

    Levandule Member

    Ignorance is bliss. :lol:
     
  9. Levandule

    Levandule Member

    A lot of English words that start with over- are not possible to translate with one-word Czech terms. I don't mean words like overstep (překročit), overturn (převrátit), overlook (přehlédnout), overcome (přemoci) and others, which are OK, but how about overuse (nadměrně používat), overbook (rezervovat více jízdenek, pokojů..., než je k dispozici), overstaff (zbytečně zatížit velkým množstvím pracovníků), overqualified (mající vyšší kvalifikaci, než je požadovaná)? P.S. The above Czech translations are taken from Velký anglicko-český slovník.
     
  10. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    I just thought today about Czech words starting pro- for which there aren't one word equivalents:

    Like:
    prozvonit
    proskočit
    proběhnout
    proletět
    projít
    propadnout
     
  11. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    I was looking to see if their was a one word meaning in czech for 'conundrum', there is--hádanka, hlavolam, but interestingly etymology said the roots of this word were unknown. You don't see that very often.
     
  12. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    That is not surprising to me.
    I am bilingual (English/Spanish). The word "jerk" doesn't have an equivalent word in Spanish.
    I can describe a "jerk" using some very rude Spanish words, but not using a single word. :lol:
     
  13. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

    Well, pendejo and cabrón come to mind - not exact but used that way a lot.
     
  14. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    LOL! Glenn, pendejo could be a good Spanish translation for the English word "jerk". :lol:
     
  15. kibicz

    kibicz Well-Known Member

  16. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    LOL... Too many verbs... you can ignore all the verbs :)

    Hm, a jerk is someone who is: stupid, obnoxious, rude, etc.

    Can you find a good equivalent in the slovnik.seznam.cz list?
     
  17. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

  18. Irena M

    Irena M Well-Known Member

    I thought that meant stupid?
     
  19. Petronela

    Petronela Well-Known Member

    would "magor" do?
     
  20. kibicz

    kibicz Well-Known Member

    Yes and not, but usualy its stupid to meet him;)

    "stupid, obnoxious, rude" - that would be it.
     

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