HI Y'all -- I've heard this word used in ,what sounds to me, like opposite meanings in context therefore could someone provide the following translated contexts correctly for me in Czech please?? This way I can see how the word ZNAMY is used and hopefully it will dispell any prior confusion. Thanks in advance. -- -M- ex #1- Lenka is my acquaintance. We barely know each other. ex #2- Lenka got an agent and a record label now... suddenly she's famous.
Ok.. so from doing my own research it looks like the ROOT of the word "známý" comes from " seznámit" or " znát se" which seems to suggest that an 'acquaintance' is more than just someone you know by face and name. It almost seems that in Czech though, that before you use such a word that you actually know a few facts about this person. This seems to differ from the usage of the word 'acquaintance' as I understand it in American English... Any further comments anyone?
1) Generally známý is an adjective derived from the verb znát (to know), basically it means known. short forms in nom. sing.: znám, známa, známo (m,f,n) long forms in nom. sing.: známý, známá, známé (m,f,n) e.g. je mi známo = it is known to me jsem známý tím, že ... = I am known for ... známý zpěvák = a well-known singer 2) Like many adjectives it can be substantivized: známý (masc.), známá (fem.) = a person who is known to someone (NOT known publicly) but there are certainly many levels of acquaintanceship, the term is not precisely defined it is possible that známý/známá (noun) does not mean exactly the same as acquaintance in American English e.g. Lenka je známá (adj.) zpěvačka. = Lenka is a well-known singer. Lenka je moje známá (noun). = Lenka is my acquaintance. (Maybe we barely know each other. Maybe I know her very well, but we are not close friends.) ---- ex #1- Lenka is my acquaintance. We barely know each other. Lenka je moje známá. Sotva se známe. It sounds strange in Czech (semantically; grammatically it is OK). The second sentence almost negates the first one. ex #2- Lenka got an agent and a record label now... suddenly she's famous. ... rázem je známá. (... rázem se stala známou)
