From England - Czechs arriving all the time!

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by Jacqueline, Jun 6, 2007.

  1. Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Member

    Ahoj!! It is great to see so many of you lovely Czech people arriving here in England - I am really enjoying getting to know you! :D :!:
    Jacqueline x
     
  2. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    I hope you are not kidding because what I know there is a large group of people in the UK who doesn´t like so called "gastarbeiters" like Polish guys.

    (when I was returning from Westminster to Greenwich by tube last time the tube was full of Poles :))
     
  3. Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Member

    No I'm not kidding! The Czechs are making a great change from all the Poles! But as far as I'm concerned, all are welcome! You're right though that the Czechs don't like to be mixed up with the Poles! The Czechs are very special though!! Everyone I know thinks they are really good people and hard workers. A question for you - one of the Czech guys said to me what sounded like "yi krajshna" - sorry I don't know how this is spelled - but he won't tell me what it means - any ideas please? Jacqueline xx :D :D :?:
     
  4. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    :)

    "Jsi krásná" I guess.

    You're pretty/beautiful.
     
  5. Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Member

    Thank you DjAvatar! What a nice surprise, although maybe not so much of a surprise! You're all so charming!! I will surprise him by letting him know I know what it means!! THANK YOU! Jacqueline x :D
     
  6. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Jacqueline, surprise him by saying:

    "Ano, ja vím. Jsem kočka!"
    yes I know, I am pretty. (but in more of a slang term).

    It's pronounced. Ahno, ya veem (rhymes with seem). Sem(rhymes with hem) ko-(rhymes with so)-ch-ka.

    Have fun.
     
  7. Kanadanka

    Kanadanka Well-Known Member

    lol, that would be "koucka" and not "kocka". Kocka is pronounced as
    kaw (but without prolonging the sound) ch (as in chair) ka.
     
  8. Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Member

    Thank you very much for the 'phrase' dzurisovak, what a great idea - I can't wait to use it - he will be very surprised!! That's if I get the pronunciation right and he doesn't just say 'ugh/what???' (It's also assuming that you're telling me the truth and the phrase doesn't mean something really rude instead!!!) :shock: :shock:
    I'm confused, are you in Canada or Michigan - it seems to come up with both. I have a friend arriving from Toronto this weekend, so plan to really party with her - hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!
     
  9. Kanadanka

    Kanadanka Well-Known Member

    there were two separate people who replied to you
    dzurisovak (who is in Michigan)
    and Kanadanka (who is in Canada)
    I think you got confused because I (Kanadanka) 'quoted" dzurisovak so her name appeared at the top of my posting.
    :)
     
  10. Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Member

    Thank you Kanadanka!
     
  11. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Kanadanka, I'm very confused. Are you saying I spelled it wrong or told her to pronounce it wrong?

    I thought it was the same word for cat which is kočka. And I told her to pronounce it like ko (rhymes with so). Are you saying that kočka is pronounced like kaw-ch-ka?

    At any rate Jacqueline, he should understand you. I pronounce it to my czech friends and husband like ko-(rhymes with so)ch-ka and they know what I'm saying.

    However, I can't get them to understand Bůh ty žehnej no matter how many times I say it. I definately must be pronouncing that one wrong. :x :)
     
  12. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

    I'm always confused by these Englishlike transcriptions. :D

    In IPA it is [ˈkotʃka].

    Or, you can combine "kočka" from "kotě" and "čočka" as recorded here.

    Yes, it's the same word.

    I would suggest "co" (like the Latin prefix in "cooperation") for the beginning.

    In IPA: [ˈbu:x ˈcɪ ˈʒɛɦnɛj].
    And my attempt in the English way: "Booh tyi zhahnay"
     
  13. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Thanks wer. I think I was saying it more like Booh tyi zhaynay. I'll try to put that h sound instead of the zhay sound in there. :wink: :)
     
  14. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

    :? "h" instead of "zhay"?

    I wrote "zh" for the Czech "ž" since I have no better idea how to write it in English. It is similar to English "j", but not identical. The French "j" fits the Czech "ž".
     
  15. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Right, but I was not putting the h sound in žehnej instead I was saying it like žejnej.

    I was pronouncing žeh and nej the same way like žejnej. But with your help, I realized it's žehnej, with an h sound instead of a y sound. I hope that makes more sense now. Thanks for your help! :)
     
  16. Jacqueline

    Jacqueline Member

    Hi Kanadanka, Dzurisovak and Wer!
    Sorry to have caused so much fuss and thanks for all the advice!! You should all know that it worked anyway - he fully understood and was so shocked, (even that I knew any Czech)! He then started coming out with huge long sentences, which he knew I wouldn't be able to remember, but it was well worth finding out just to see his face - we all had a great laugh, so thanks. :lol:
    Now I want to know what 'Bůh ty žehnej', that you're all talking about means!? :?
    Jacqueline
     
  17. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    :arrow: "Bůh ti žehnej" means "God bless you".
     
  18. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    I'm happy it worked for you. I know by experience how fun it is to shock your czech friends by knowing what they are saying or saying something to them. You should have seen my husband's face when I first understood his statement to his daughter that I my pants made my butt look big!!! :evil:

    When he realized I understood, everyone laughed but him and me!!! :twisted: Then he started butt-kissing! :twisted: Trust me after that statement, he said I am kočka!
     
  19. Kanadanka

    Kanadanka Well-Known Member


    You spelled it right, but by saying the "ko" part rhymes with "so", it would be "koucka" not "kocka. When you say "kocka", you should not be pronouncing the first syllable as a diphthong, but a straight vowel
     
  20. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Perhaps we pronounce so differently. I pronounce so, not as a diphthong, but a straight vowel: same as go and no.
     

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