Help with homework

It's like being back at primary school! For those of you who know New Czech Step by Step, we're describing the two houses on page 11 of the green exercise book.

This is what I'm trying to say but bearing in mind we haven't done plurals yet and only nominative and accusative cases, it's proved a bit tricky!

The house on the left is very nice, and very expensive. It is large and has several rooms. The house has many windows and pretty shutters. There is a staircase on the outside of the house, therefore there are are two floors. There are tall trees in the garden and two lamps outside the door. Its owner is probably successful and very rich.

The house on the right is ugly and derelict. Although its surroundings are very beautiful, the house is not nice. It is small and old and its garden is overgrown. Its owner is probably very old and poor, with no family.

And my stab at the Czech is (without diacritics):

Dum navelo je velmi hodny a velmi drahy. Je velky a ma nekolik mistnosti. Dum ma mnoha okna a hesky okenice. [Tam?] je schodiste vne dum proto [tam] je dve patra. [Tam] jsou vysoky stomy na zahrade a dve svitilny pred dvere. Jeho majitel je asi uspesny a velmi bohaty.

Dum vlevo je osklivy a opustery. I kdyz jeho postredi jsou velni krasny, dum neni hodny. Je maly a stary a jeho zahrada je porostla. Jeho majitel je asi velmi stary a levny bez rodiny.

Any help in spotting the many errors gratefully received! Don't bother making it more imaginative or interesting - at this stage in the game we're keeping it very simple!

 

Brilliant! Thanks, Karel. Actually, if you ignore the typos and where I couldn't read my notes from the lesson, and where I didn't know the plural, I did actually get quite a lot right!

What's the difference between hezky and hodny? Our teacher seems to like hodny.

 

"Hezký" means nice and use it about a thing or person, which looks well (pretty, handsome, attractive)
"Hodný" is used to describe a nice or good person (kind, warm-hearted)

I must say you have done very well

"Lost in translation"
I am editing an older reply 8) 8) 8)

Another meaning is in "Hodný kus světa" = "rather big piece of the world", but this is a bit ancient. 8)

Curiously enough you can say "Hezký kus světa" meaning the same

Eg.
He has seen quite a big piece of the world.
Viděl už hezký (hodný) kus světa.

Tenhle kousek světa je zvlášť hezký.
This piece of the world is particularly nice.

 

In my little knowledge "hodny" is adjective - quality, character as good man, nice man in E. "hezky" is adj. as beautiful, pretty...
But in Czech , I never heard people say "hezky hodny" as " pretty nice in English.

 

Polednik-jsi jístý, že nejsi Čzech? To je úžasné.
To ti učili ve prvním sešitu?
Jak dlouho se učíš česky? Pošlej na forů víc lehci, prosím tě.
Moc zajímavé.

 

That is a prime example of why I'm glad I'm learning Czech and don't have to learn English! The idea that a word like 'pretty' can mean something looks 'nice' but can also mean 'quite' as in 'pretty nice'! Too complicated by half!

 

Thanks, Scrimshaw. I'm off out for the day now but I will try to translate that message when I get back. I understood the first line but I don't know yet whether you're being encouraging or sarcastic, in a funny way I'm sure! Either way, thank you - I'm having a lot of fun with Czech!

 

Thank you, kind sir!

Hezky sounds a useful litle word. No wonder I hear it a lot when I'm listening to the radio.

 

Polednik===I was not at all being sarcastic!definitely not in a mean way), maybe joking a little.
But really, my first thought was that you used a lot of words I am unfamiliar with.
So I learned. I thought you did really well.
I too am studying the czech language.
Je to hezké, nemyslíš?

 

Then thank you very much! And yes, it is a beautiful language.

We came to live in Prague at the end of December and we're loving it. I started Czech lessons in January - two 90 minute classes a week. It's hard going but yes, I think I'm making progress, on paper at least. We went to Plzen yesterday and picked up one of the little town guides. My partner was quite impressed with amount I could translate.

But speaking it is a different matter. I know how the words should be pronounced but they never seem to come out right! And if I'm struggling, living here and hearing the language on the radio, television and listening to people speaking in the shops and on the tram, I can't imagine how hard it must be for you in Florida!

 

To je velmi hezke, Scrimshaw ! A nejhezci je se ucis Cestinu s Ceskymi holkami . Muzes slyset jejich hlasy, jemne jako zmrzlina, a rychle jako fouka vitr....Jestly mas sance to svedcit dvema Ceskama devcata maji svou konverzaci...Musis se mnou souhlasit : Zivot je moc krasny

 

You're right ! The best thing when you learn Czech language is live in Czech, among Czech people. But I am warning you : Learning Czech once, it will follow you throughout your life ! :lol: . Its my experience

 

Doman
Hlasy jemné jako zmrzlina eh? :lol:
To je legrace.
Mohu si to představit. A rychle jako fouká vitr. Určitě by to pro mýmí ušima znílo.

a Pohlednik
Ty se máš. To je skvělé, že tam bydlíš! Určitě to je hezký zázitek.
Doufám, že pošlej další přispěvky.
You can tell us about your adventures.

 

These 2 sentences evade me. Please translate.

 

I must sound odd to the czech ear.
referring to her earlier statement about speed of tallking I tried to say...
Certainly to my ears it(the speed) would sound.(it would seem fast)

and
I hope you send more letters(messages).
I should have said posíláš

Nedomluvím se. :?

 

Mohu (umím) si to představit. A rychlé jako když fouká vitr (or rychlé jako vítr).
Určitě by to mým uším tak znělo.

Certainly to my ears it would sound so. (without the "so" the sentence sounds somewhat incomplete in Czech)

Doufám, že pošleš (budeš posílat) další přispěvky.

 

To by naši uším tak znělo také.
Actually we need that to complete the sentence too
It would sound so(like that) to our ears too.

Děti si podívá rychlé jako vitr. Nemohu rozumět ani jednomu slovu.
Ale rozumím smích.

 

Nemohu rozumet ani slovo, ale rozumim úsmevu.

 

Díky
Když děti si v parku hraje na hřišti, si povídaji jako vitr.
Proto ani slov nerozumím. Ale rozumím úsměvu.
Úsměvy jsou všude stejné.
Děti jsou děti, zda žiji na evropě nebo afričce nebo australii.
Jen si chtějí hrát, bez problémy světu.
Jsou štastné se jejích vzdušené zámraky.
Já také by si raději někde jen myslel na vzdušené zámraky.
Ostatní může někde dořešit problémy světu.
Nemohu udělat všechno.