How do you greet people politely in Czech?
Krátký medailonek investigativní novinářky Pavly Holcové
A2 Czech listening practice · Standard Czech · Picked for people who know a little
Asked what she’d teach someone in three minutes, investigative journalist Pavla Holcová answers without hesitating: slušně pozdravit, “to greet politely”: «Slušně pozdravit». In Czech the greeting is not optional. You say “Dobrý den” entering a shop, a lift, a doctor’s waiting room, even to strangers, and skipping it reads as rude.
The verb pozdravit (“to greet”) covers the whole ritual: “Dobrý den” by day, “Dobrý večer” at night, “Ahoj” or “Čau” with friends, “Na shledanou” on the way out. Holcová’s point is quietly Czech: manners first. Get the greeting right and doors open.
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Source: OpenSubtitles 2024 + FineWeb-2 (MorphoDiTa lemmas) (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸Pavla Holcová’s investigative reporting with the OCCRP and Czech outlet investigace.cz.
- ▸In every Czech shop, lift, and waiting room the moment you walk in.
- ▸Czech etiquette and language guides for newcomers to Prague.
- ▸Czech TEDx talks (this clip is from one) on everyday civility.