When looking at the idioms in this link http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_la ... dioms.html one can see that they are written in the infinitive "to throw" "to walk" I would assume but just want to clarify that the general use is not in these forms. Am I right? EX: Znát něco jako své boty. To know something like one's own shoes. To know something like the back of one's hand. I assume when using this most Czechs would say Znám to jako své boty or znaš to jako své boty. (I'm thinking the své changes as well, but I'm not sure how) Is that right?
I'm sure you are right, Katko, all those verbs would be conjugated in conversation. I like the one....chodit kolem horké kaše. Nikdy neříká, co si opravdu myslí. Chodi pořád kolem horké kaše a mám se snažit odhadnout co se snaží říct.
Ok, my best translation at this: Never say what you think is true. Always walk around hot porridge and I aspire myself to forcase what one aspires to say. :? In the words of Oh Brother Where Art Thou - "That don't make no sense"
Nikdy neříká, co si opravdu myslí. Chodí pořád kolem horké kaše a já se mám snažit odhadnout, co se snaží říct. My translation (not sure about "beat about the bush" - taken from a dictionary): He/she never says what he/she really thinks. He/she beats about the bush, and I should guess what he/she wants to say.
Katko, here is the literal, word for word, translation. Karel reminded me that I did not clarify a gender. Ona neříká nikdy, co si opravdu myslí. Chodi pořád kolem horké kaše a mám se snažit odhadnout co se snaží říct. She never says what she really means(is thinking). She always walks around the hot porridge and I have to try to guess what she's trying to say.
Yes, typically it is conjugated, but it needn’t be. It’s like in English. The infinitive forms are used as the basic dictionary forms. Not exactly. The Czech verb “mít” is of different meaning when used as a modal verb: mít = should, ough, be supposed to…
musím se snažit - I have to try mám/měl bych se snažit - I should try "mám" is not as strong as "musím"
Another confusing idiom taken from Radio Prague: "příliš vysoko - carry their noses too high - meaning they are conceited" Slovnik.cz translates příliš as exceeding or too much. So there is nothing in this idiom of the word nose. Is it ALWAYS implied or only implied in the article about noses by Radio Prague? If I were to say it to someone would they know that I'm saying they are conceited? If I were to say it about someone would that be "příli vysoko" and the listener would know I'm saying "she's conceited"?
I believe there was some mistake on the radio. It's allways - Nosí nos příliš nahoru / Nosí nos moc vysoko etc... There has to be word "nos" in this idiom.
Thanks (or I recently learned Cheers me deers ) Yet I'm still confused about the word příliš. Is it a verb or an adjective? It looks like a verb in the "ty" form but that wouldn't translate to "too high".
Yes, it's an adverb. It modifies either an adjective or another adverb (why do I have "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your adverbs here" running through my mind--here's the text of the video for those who have trouble following along). Generally an adverb can modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb, but in the case of příliš, I think it can only modify adjectives and adverbs. I think the simplest translation of příliš is "too," as in "too fast, too furious," or "too slowly," etc. In some cases, perhaps, the translation "too much" makes more sense. Indubitably ...
Definitely snobby or as we would probably say in the UK, stuck-up. Another variation would be "She walks round/acts/behaves like she's got a bad smell under her nose!"
We mostly say in the States "she carries her head too high" or "she's got a big head" or "she is big-headed". However, we do have one idiom that means the same and relates to the nose: "she's got her nose stuck in the air" Thanks Sova, it was fun to go back to elementary school for a moment.
No, it could modify even the verbs or adverbials (= group of words function as an adverb). verb: příliš pracovat = to work too much/hard/long…, to overwork příliš si důvěřovat = to be overconfident adverbial: příliš z cesty ~ too far from the way “Too” or “over-” is the best translation when it is used as an intensifier, but it doesn’t work for the basic adverb. You have either to use something like “overly, excessively, to excess, to a fault” or to insert another adverb (příliš z cesty = too from the way → too far from the way). There is also doublet form “přílišně”. And pay attention to the negation, it could revert/modify the meaning of “příliš”. nemít na výběr = to have no choice nemít příliš na výběr = to have little choice