Potřásat si

[scrimshaw]

I wonder which is the correct way to say 'shake someone's hand' in czech.

Potřásal jsem si jeho rukou......anebo....dál jem mu ruku.

[Alexx]

I wonder which is the correct way to say 'shake someone's hand' in czech.

Potřásal jsem si jeho rukou......anebo....dál jem mu ruku.

Potřesu si s ním rukou (future)
Potřásl jsem si s ním rukou (past)

Potřásl jsem si jeho rukou is like "I was shaking with his hand"


EDIT: Corrected, thx wer.

[TomKQT]

Potřásl jsem si jeho rukou is like "I was shaking with his hand"

You meant "Potřásal jsem ...." i guess

[wer]

You meant "Potřásal jsem ...." i guess

No, I don’t think so. That’s only a difference in verbal aspect. I guess Alexx was not interested in aspects at all.

But I guess Alexx dropped a “si” in the second example (Potřásl jsem s ním rukou ~ he was shaken by my hand).

anebo....dal jsem mu ruku.

Not wrong, but you should rather use the prefixed verb “podat” to avoid confusion with other idiomatic meanings:

dát někomu něčí ruku = to give somebody’s hand in marriage to somebody

dát někomu volnou ruku = to give somebody free hand

podat někomu ruku = to shake somebody’s hand, to glad-hand, to extend somebody’s hand to somebody (to help somebody, to offer an assistance, to offer a reconciliation…)


Notice also the usage of reflexive “si” whenever you wan’t to express the mutuality of the act.

[Ctyri koruny]

dát někomu volnou ruku = to give somebody free hand

Is this like "to give someone a hand" as in to help someone with something?

[TomKQT]

No, I don’t think so. That’s only a difference in verbal aspect. I guess Alexx was not interested in aspects at all.

I don't know. It just looked to me like a typo. To make it clear:
Potřásl jsem s ním rukou. = I shook his hand.
Potřásal jsem si jeho rukou (potřásal jsem si s ním rukou). = "I was shaking his hand"

[TomKQT]

dát někomu volnou ruku = to give somebody free hand

Is this like "to give someone a hand" as in to help someone with something?

Nope.
Dát někomu volnou ruku means to allow him to do something in any way he decides to.
Mít volnou ruku means to be able to do something in any way you decide to.

Máš naprosto volnou ruku v tom jak budeš řídit své oddělení, pouze po tobě chceme dobré výsledky!
(you can manage your division however you want, we won't limit you, we just want some good results from you)

"Mít volnou ruku" is like "nebýt ničím omezován" (to not have any limitations).

[scrimshaw]

Dát někomu volnou ruku

We have a slightly different version in english, but it means the exact same thing.

Dát někomu volné otěže....Give somebody free rein.

Představa...Jezdec může řídit koni kamkoli, kam chce.

I never thought about it before, but it could mean 'Give somebody free reign'.
Rein, reign and rain sound exactly the same. English.

Přiblížil jsem se k něm a potřásl jsem si s nim rukou. Snažil jsem se udělat dobrý dojem. Skutečně potřebuji tuhle práci.