What is the official language in Prague? What is the language in Prague? To be understood on the street

The Czech language is a Slavic language of the West Slavic group of languages. Czech is spoken by approximately 12.5 million people, more than 10 million of whom live in the Czech Republic. Czech is one of the 24 official languages of the EU. As a result of several waves of emigration over the past 150 years, the Czech language is spoken by dozens of emigrants and their descendants in Slovakia, the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Romania, Australia, Ukraine, and other countries. In this article I will tell you about the Czech alphabet, loanwords, and the connection between the Czech language and Slovak.

Czech alphabet

The Czech alphabet has 42 letters (including the digraph ch). The Czech Republic has its own alphabet, which is a Latin alphabet supplemented with letters indicating softness (háček) – č, ž, š, ř etc., indicating a long utterance (čárka) - á, é, ú etc., with plural designation - ů. As you have seen, longitude in Czech words is indicated by our Russian stress, so do not think that, for example, in the word dobrý the stress falls on the last syllable, it’s just that the ý in it will be pronounced for a long time, and the stress, as in most Czech words, falls on first syllable.

Letter	Pronunciation
A a / Á á	short a / long a
B b	bae
C c	tse
Č č	what
D d	de
Ď ď	de
E e / É é / Ě ě	short e / long e / soft e (e)
F f	ef
G g	ge
H h	ha
Ch ch	Ha
I i / Í í	short and / long and soft and
J j	e
K k	ka
Ll	el
M m	Em
Nn	en
Ň ň	en
O o / Ó ó	short o / long o
P p	pe
Q q	kve
R r	er
Ř ř	erzh
Ss	es
Š š	esh
T t	te
Ť ť	those
U u / Ú ú / Ů ů	short y / long y
Vv	ve
W w	double ve
X x	X
Y y / Ý y	short and / long and
Z z	zet
Ž ž	zhet

A bit of style

Stylistically, the Czech language has 4 levels:

Literary language(spisovná čeština) is a written form of the language, codified in the Rules of the Czech Language (Pravidla českého pravopisu) and in the Dictionary of the Literary Czech Language (Slovník spisovné češtiny).
Book language(knižní čeština) is a literary language with extensive use of obsolete words.
Colloquial(hovorová čeština) - an oral form of the literary language, with some borrowings from common Czech.
Common Czech language(obecná čeština) is an oral form of the language in Bohemia and western Moravia, partially following the norms of the Czech Language Rules.

At the university and in language courses, you will be taught exactly the literary version of the language, or the literary version of the language with elements of spoken language.

Czech dialects

The dialects of the Czech language are standardly divided into Czech and Moravian. Speakers of different dialects generally understand each other. The difference between dialects is expressed in different lengths of sounds and soft/hard pronunciation of consonants/vowels.

For example, in Prague they speak with a drawl, and often very quickly, while in the Moravian part of the country (Brno, Olomouc, Ostrava) they practically do not draw out words and use a lot of words borrowed from the Russian language. For example, in Prague a bottle is invariably called lahev, in Brno it may already be butylka. In Prague a bun is called houska, in Brno it is bulka. In Prague, all verb endings are pronounced firmly, for example, the verb dělat (to do) is read here as dielat, but in Brno the ending can be softened - dielat.

History and development of the language

The Czech language was formed from the Proto-Slavic language. The first written document in Czech dates back to 1057. In the 14th century, the Czech language began to flourish: on the orders of Charles IV, the first translation of the Bible into Czech was carried out. Since that time, a significant number of works in the Czech language have appeared, in which the Latin alphabet is used, the letters of which are not enough to convey all the sounds.

The situation changed dramatically in 1406, when Jan Hus, a Czech preacher and thinker, proposed a new spelling system, which included the already familiar letters with gachek and charka. Since the 17th century, Czech literature has experienced a significant decline due to the emigration of the Czech intelligentsia and the assignment of German to the status of the second official language in Bohemia and Moravia, and then its complete superiority over Czech. In those days, the Czech language was spoken only in villages; in large cities, the German language predominated.

During the 19th century, the Czech language regained its status and acquired the form in which we know it today.

Borrowings in Czech

Words in the Czech language come mainly from Slavic languages. The Czech and Slovak languages have retained 98% of their Proto-Slavic words, more than any other Slavic languages. As a result of close contacts with Germanium, many borrowings were established in the language from German(knedlík - dumpling, šunka - ham, taška - bag, brýle - glasses, rytíř - knight).

Borrowing from Russian quite a lot (vzduch, příroda, chrabrý). However, not everything is so simple: despite the similarity of our language with Czech, there are identical-sounding words with completely different meanings in the Czech language. See for yourself: stůl - table, čerstvý - fresh, smetana - cream, zapach - stink, pitomec - fool. You can see the continuation of this list.

Borrowings are common from English(fotbal, hockey, tenis, software, hardware).

A little grammar

Among the parts of speech in the Czech language, as in Russian, the noun,
adjective, pronoun, numeral, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, particle,
interjection.

Czech has 7 cases, including the vocative case:

Nominative case (Nominativ)
Genitive case
Dative case (Dativ)
Accusative case (Akuzativ)
Vocative case (Vokativ)
Prepositional case (Lokál)
Instrumental case

Connection with the Slovak language

The Czech language is very close to the Slovak language; they differ in vocabulary and pronunciation. The differences in the vocabulary of these languages are much smaller than the differences between some dialects of other languages. The Slovak language has a simpler script and grammar. It is spoken by 7 million people. As a rule, Czechs understand Slovaks without any problems. During Czechoslovak times, both of these languages were regarded as dialects of the same language.

The official language of the Czech Republic, spoken by about 95% of the population, is Czech. Czech belongs to the West Slavic group of the Indo-European language family. In some regions there are also speakers of other languages:

German (most widespread in the Sudetenland, where many ethnic Germans lived, however, recently it has been replaced by Czech);
Slovak, who took root here after the formation of Czechoslovakia,
Russian, which was especially widespread here during the existence of the USSR.

In total, there are about 12 million people in the world who consider Czech their native language.

History of the formation of the Czech language and its dialects

Czech, like many other Eastern European languages, arose from the ancient Proto-Slavic language. That is why in Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Serbian and Czech you can find similar words and general rules of morphology. Around the 11th-10th centuries, three groups emerged from a single Proto-Slavic language:

southern,
eastern,
western.

It was then that the Czech language itself was formalized. Soon the first records in this language appeared. In the 12th century, written sources on the territory of modern Czech Republic were created only by monks. When preparing liturgical books, they used Latin, but sometimes allowed themselves to insert individual sentences in Czech into the text. The Latin alphabet was also used to write Czech words.

The impetus for the development of the Czech language was the spread of literacy and the emergence of a developed bureaucratic system at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, who was an ethnic Czech. Thanks to the efforts of the emperor, in 1360 the first translation of the New Testament into Czech appeared. The peculiarities of Czech pronunciation in this text have so far been conveyed not by special letters, but by digraphs and trigraphs (chz, rz, ye).

A century later, the leaders of the Czech Reformation set themselves the task of making the text of the Bible understandable and accessible to the common people. Jan Hus, who was engaged in research into the Czech language and spelling, coped brilliantly with this task. He is responsible for the creation of the letters: ů, á, é, í, ř, š, ž. Jan Hus completed the translation of the New Testament in 1412. However, the first complete translation of the Bible did not appear until 1488. This text has become the standard of the literary Czech language.

In the middle of the 16th century, the Czech Republic became part of the Habsburg Empire, which fought in every possible way against Czech nationalism. A large number of Germans settled in the Czech Republic, which led to the appearance of many Germanisms in the Czech language. After 1620, when Czech fighters for independence were defeated by the Habsburg army at the Battle of the White Mountain, persecution of everything Czech by the supreme authorities only intensified. German has become the official language in the Czech Republic. State documents were compiled on it, books were created, and educated citizens communicated. Czech was considered the language of common people.

In the 18th-19th centuries, the process of national revival began in the Czech Republic. Representatives of the intelligentsia and politicians were involved in the popularization of folk culture and the Czech language. The most radical of them believed that Czech should be cleared of the impurities of the German language. Active development of rules for spelling, pronunciation and morphology of the Czech language also began. This process lasted almost two centuries. The last reforms aimed at improving Czech took place in the 1990s.

Today in the Czech Republic there are four groups of dialects spoken by residents of different regions of the country. These adverbs include:

a classic version of the Czech language, based on the dialects of the inhabitants of Bohemia,
Ghanaian dialects,
Silesian dialects,
East Moravian dialects.

(5 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)
In order to rate a post, you must be a registered user of the site.

Today, learning the Czech language is gradually becoming fashionable among our compatriots. And the reason for this, not least of all, is the fact that Czech belongs to the Western Slavic language group, which means it has a lot in common with Russian. Literally after a few minutes of being in the Czech Republic, you will begin to understand the meaning of many signs, the meaning of individual words and expressions, and after a few days you will probably be able to exchange a few phrases with the locals.
Those who also know another Slavic language, such as Ukrainian, will be especially lucky: these travelers will be able to almost freely understand most conversations on everyday topics.
And yet, before plunging into the language environment, let's take a closer look at its features.

All Slavic languages have one common source - the Old Church Slavonic language, which was spread by the well-known Cyril and Methodius. However, if the Russian alphabet inherited the so-called Cyrillic writing of letters, then in the Czech Republic, as a European country, they began to use the Latin alphabet, adapting it to the peculiarities of the local pre-existing language using superscripts - apostrophes and acutes. Apostrophes were placed above consonants to indicate their hardness (for example, the word lekař (doctor) sounds like “doctor”) and above the vowel “e” to indicate the softness of the preceding consonant. Acutes, which look like an accent mark, to denote long vowels (á, é, í, ó, ý). To indicate a long “u”, a small circle (ů) was placed above it. These rules exist in the Czech language to this day.
Unlike Russian, the Czech language has retained a large number of archaic forms. For example, in addition to the six main cases of nouns, it also has the so-called vocative case form, the analogue of which in Russian is appeal.

A few words about the peculiarities of pronunciation in the Czech language. First of all, it should be noted that, unlike Russian, the stress here always falls on the first syllable (in polysyllabic words there is an additional stress). Now about what sounds correspond to individual letters:
the letter “c” corresponds to the sound [ts],
č is pronounced like [h],
the combination of letters ch means one sound [x],
the sound of the letter “h” resembles the Ukrainian [g], which in Russian is preserved in the exclamation “Wow!”
“ř” denotes either the sound [рж] or [рш], depending on its position in the word,
“š” sounds like [sh],
“ž” sounds like [zh],
"j" sounds like [th],
the letter “ň” corresponds to the sound [н].
In addition, there are a huge number of nuances associated with pronunciation, which are simply not possible to talk about in one article.

It would be nice, of course, to know a few words and expressions that can be useful in different situations when communicating with the staff of a hotel, restaurant, store and others.
Here's a small one phrasebook, containing the most common of them:

Everyday
Good morning! Good morning! [Good early!]
Good afternoon Good day! [Goodbye Dan!]
How are/are you doing? Jak se mate/maš? [Yak se mate/mash?]
Thank you, good Děkuji, dobře [Děkuji, kinder]
My name is... Jmenuji se... [Ymenui se...]
Goodbye! Na shledanou! [Na shladanou!]
Morning Ráno [Early]
Afternoon Odpoledne [Odpoledne]
Evening Večer [Evening]
Night Noc [Noc]
Today Dnes [Dnes]
Yesterday Včera [Yesterday]
Tomorrow Zitra [Zitra]
Do you speak Russian (English, German)? Mluvíte ruština (anglicky, německy?) [Mluvite ruština (English, German)?]
I don’t understand Nerozumím [Ne rosumim]
Please repeat again Řekněte to ještě jadnou, prosim [Rzhekněte to ishte ednou we ask]
Thank you Děkuji [Děkuji]
Please Prosim [We ask]
Who/what Kdo/co [Gdo/co]
Which Jaký [Yaki]
Where/where Kde/kam [Where/kam]
How/how much Jak/kolik [Yak/kolik]
How long/when? Jak dlouho / kdy? [Yak dlougo/gdy]
Why? Proč? [Other?]
How is this in Czech? Jak ten to česky? [Yak ten to cheski?]
Can you help me? Můžete mi pomoci? [Muzhete mi pomotsi?]
Yes/no Ano/ne [Ano/not]
Sorry Promiňte [Prominte]

Tourist
Do they provide information to tourists here? Je tu turistiká informace? [Ie tu tourist information?]
I need a city plan / list of hotels Máte plan města / seznam hotelů? [Mate plan for the place / I wanted to]
When does the museum/church/exhibition open? Kdy je otevřeny museum/kostel/výstava? [Where are the museum/church/exhibitions?]

In the shop
Where can I find… ? Kde dostanu… ? [Where can I get it...?]
What is the price? Kolik to stoji? [How long are you standing?]
It's too expensive To je moc drahé [To je moc drahé]
Don't/like Ne/libi [Ne/libi]
Do you have this item in a different color/size? Máte to ještě v jiné barvě/velikosti? [Mate to yestje in ine barvier/greatness?]
I take it Vezmu si to [Vezmu si to]
Give me 100 g of cheese / 1 kg of oranges Dejte mi deset deka sýra / jadno kilo pomerančů [Dejte mi deset deka sýra / jadno kilo pomerančů]
Do you have newspapers? Máte noviny? [Mate new?]

At the restaurant
Menu please Jidelní listek, prosím [Jdelní listek prosiim]
Bread Chléb [Bread]
Tea Čaj [Tea]
Coffee Káva [Kava]
With milk/sugar S mlékem/cukrem [With mlek/cukrem]
Orange juice Pomerančova št’áva [Pomerančova shtiava]
White/red/rosé wine Vino bile/Červené/Růžové [Wine bile/Červené/Růžové]
Lemonade Limonada [Lemonade]
Beer Pivo [Beer]
Water Voda [Water]
Mineral water Mineralní voda [Minerania water]
Soup Polevka [Polevka]
Fish Ryba [Fish]
Meat Maso [Maso]
Salad Salát [Salad]
Dessert Dezert [Dezert]
Fruit Ovoce [Ovoce]
Ice cream Zmrzlina [Zmrzlina]
Breakfast Snidaně [Snidaně]
Lunch Oběd [Lunch]
Dinner Večeře [Večerzhe]
Invoice, please Účet prosím [Account, please]

At the hotel
I booked a room with you Mám u vás reservaci [Mam you have reserve]
Is there a double room? Máte volný dvoulůžkovy pokoj? [Mate are free to peace of mind?]
With a balcony S balkónem? [With balcony]
With shower and toilet Se sprchou a WC [Se sprchou a vetse]
What is the room rate per night? Kolik stojí pokoj na noc? [Kolik stand still at night?]
With breakfast? Se snidani? [Se nidanim?]
Can I have a look around the room? Mohu se podívat na pokoj? [Can I go to rest?]
Is there another room? Máte ještě jiný pokoj? [Mate is still in peace?]
Where can I park? Kde mohu parkovat? [Where can I park?]
Bring my luggage please Můžete donést moje zavazadlo na pokoj prosím? [Muzhete mi donest moi zavazadlo ask for peace?]

Different situations
Where is the bank/exchange office? Kde je tady bank / vyméný punkt? [Where is the bank/exchange point?]
Where's the phone? Kdye mogu telefonovat? [Where can I phone?]
Where can I buy a calling card? Kde mohu dostat telefonni kartu? [Where can I get a phone card?]
I need a doctor/dentist Potřebuji lékaře/zubaře [Potrřebuji lékaře/zubaře]
Call the ambulance/police Zavolejte prosím zachrannu službu/policii [Zavolejte ask zachrannu službu/policii]
Where is the police station? Kde je policejní komisařství? [Where are the police of the commission?]
They stole from me... Ukradli mně... [Stole my mne...]

Download and print the phrasebook (.doc format), which will be useful to you on your trip.

A little history
Each national language is directly connected both with the individual person who speaks it, and with the entire people as a whole. And, like people, it tends to change over time - to develop or, conversely, to fade, to be influenced by other languages, to transform its own rules in every possible way, and so on.
Before acquiring its current form, the Czech language underwent many different reforms and improvements. However, the most interesting fact from its history is, perhaps, that it became the official state language twice. First in the 15th century, after the basic literary norms and rules were formed, and then at the beginning of the twentieth century. Why did this happen, you ask. The thing is that at the beginning of the 17th century, after the fatal battle at the White Mountain, the Czech Republic for three whole centuries was part of the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was ruled by representatives of the German House of Habsburg. In order to strengthen their power in the occupied states, the Habsburgs tried to strengthen the influence of the German language in these territories. Despite the fact that the members of the government were chosen from the circles of the German nobility, the main population of the Czech Republic still spoke their native language, moreover, it continued to develop: books and treatises were published in Czech, grammatical rules were formed, and at the end of the 19th century it was published the first Czech encyclopedia.
By the way, traces of the historical past are visible in the Czech Republic to this day: here tourists who speak German are still understood better than those who speak English. In 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, the independent Republic of Czechoslovakia was founded, and two years later the Czech language (more precisely, Czechoslovak) again acquired official status.

Deceptive words
Despite the fact that the Russian and Czech languages have very strong similarities in vocabulary and the meaning of most words can be determined simply by inspiration, in Czech there are many so-called deceiver words. Such words sound or are written almost the same as in Russian, but have a completely different meaning. For example, the word “stůl” means table, “čerstvý” means fresh, and “smetana” means cream. Most often, the difference in values causes only slight bewilderment, but there are times when it causes wild merriment among our fellow citizens. This is not surprising, because when you find out that in order to buy a fashionable dress in a store, you need to ask for a robe (Czech “roba”), the phrase “pleasant smell” does not exist in principle, because the word “zapach” means stench (with In this case, perfume in Czech sounds like “stink”), and “pitomec” is not a pet at all, but a fool, it is simply not possible to hold back a smile.

Interesting statistics
Many linguists argue that language statistics is not such a useless exercise as it might seem at first glance. In particular, based on ratings of the frequency of use of certain parts of speech or even their percentage, one can get some (albeit incomplete) idea of the psychology of people speaking a particular language.
What is the national character of the Czech people, we will leave it to you to judge. We have selected here the results of some statistical studies of the Czech language and seasoned them with some interesting linguistic facts.

The most frequently used words in Czech are:
a (conjunctions “and”, “a” and “but”), být (to be, to be), ten (that, this), v (prepositions “on”, “by”, “in”), on (pronoun “ he"), na (prepositions “to”, “in”, “for”, “from”), že (prepositions “from”, “from”), s (se) (preposition “with”), z (ze ) (preposition “from”), který (which, which).

The most common nouns in the Czech language are:
pan (pán) (mister (before the surname)), život (life), člověk (person), práce (work, business), ruka (hand), den (day, date), zem (země) (country), lidé (people), doba (period, century, time), hlava (head).

The most common verbs in the Czech language are:
být (to be), mít (to have, possess), moci (to be able to, to be able to), muset (to be obliged to do something, to have to), vědět (to know, to be able to), chtít (to want, to desire), jít (to go ), říci (to say), vidět (to see), dát se (to start, for example, dat se do pláče start crying).

The most common adjectives in the Czech language are:
celý (whole, whole, complete), velký (veliký) (big), nový (new), starý (old), český (Czech, in Czech), dobrý (good, kind), malý (small), možný ( possible, feasible, probable), živý (živ) (alive, vigorous, temperamental).

If we talk about the frequency of use
Most synonyms describe character hardness: pevný, trvanlivý, odolný, solidní, bytelný, nezdolný, nezmarný, silný, tuhý, kompaktní, hutný, nehybný, nepohyblivý, stanovený, nezměnitelný, neměnný, stálý, ust álený, fixní, stabilní, trvalý, zajištěný, jistý, bezpečný, nepoddajný , nezlomný, nezdolný, neoblomný, nesmlouvavý, houževnatý, sukovitý, neochvějný, rázný, rozhodný, důrazný, odhodlaný, energický, průbojný, průrazný, , hluboky.
Longest word without vowels: scvrnklý (withered, wrinkled).
Longest word that can be read from right to left: nepochoopen (misunderstanding).

As for the frequency of use of different parts of speech in the Czech language, the popularity rating here is as follows: nouns took first place (38.93%), verbs came in second (27.05%), and adjectives came third (20.98%). , fourth adverbs (9.04%), the remaining places with a small gap from each other were divided into pronouns, numerals, conjunctions and prepositions. And Czechs use interjections least of all - only 0.36%. These are some interesting statistics!

Therefore, remembering something from the school curriculum of one of the European languages, getting directions if you get lost in the narrow streets of Prague is not a problem. Almost all restaurants and pubs have a menu in English or at least one waiter who speaks good English, the same is true with shops, a little worse with. And, fortunately for tourists from Russia, most of the older generation of native Prague residents understand and speak Russian quite well, thanks to our common socialist past. In general, you can go to Prague without knowing the Czech language - in any situation there will be an opportunity to explain yourself and understand your interlocutor.

However, when going on vacation, it is always better to know a few of the most necessary expressions and words in the language of the country you are going to. The easiest way, perhaps, is to buy a small phrasebook, or select the phrases you think you need on the Internet before leaving. If you didn’t remember this in time, or simply didn’t have enough time, here is a small selection of simple phrases and words that may be useful to you during your holidays in beautiful Prague.

Words and expressions that will definitely be useful to you (stressed vowels are in bold):

	In Czech	Approximate pronunciation
Yes	Ano	A But
No	Ne	N uh
Hello / Good afternoon	Good day	D O brie d uh n
Good evening	Good evening	D O brie in uh black
Goodbye	Na shledanou	On SHL uh Danow
Men/Women	Muži/Ženy	M at zhi/f e us
Please	Prosím	Etc O Sim
Sorry	Promiňte	Prom And nte
Thank you very much	Mockrat děkuji	Motskr A t Dec at yee
I don't speak Czech	Nemluvím česky	Neml at vim h e ski
Do you speak Russian/English?	Mluvíte rusky / anglicky?	Mluv And te r at ski / english And tski
Closed / Open	Zavřeno / Otevřeno	Zavrzhen O/ Otevren O
No entry allowed	Vchod zakazan	In O d zak A zan
Exit / Entrance	Východ / Vchod	IN And stroke / In O d
coffee house	Kavarna	Kav A rna
Bon appetit!	Dobrou chuť	Good O y x at t
Beer house	Pivnice	Pivn And tse
One glass	Jedno beer	Y e bottom p And in

Phrases that may be useful when shopping:

Phrases that will help you navigate the city:

	In Czech	Approximate pronunciation
Where is …?	Kde je…?	CD uh e...
It is far?	Je to daleko?	E then d A easy
Where is the nearest stop?	Kde je nejbližší zastávka?	Kde e n e near the station A vka
Where can I buy a ticket?	Kde si můžu koupit jízdenku?	Kde si m at bug O upit yizd uh nku
Right left	Doprava / Doleva	D O rights / D O leva
Front/Rear	Vepředu/Vzadu	IN uh forward / back at
On the corner	Na rohu	N A horn
Directly	Rovne	R O outside

Phrases we hope you won't need:

The Czech language, along with Russian, Finnish and Thai, is considered one of the most difficult languages in the world. Czech, like Russian, belongs to the Slavic languages, however, despite this, for Russian ears the Czech language is quite unusual in the presence of a large number of consonants, and in some Czech words there are no vowels at all: for example, finger - prst, neck - krk, and the wolf is vlk. Also, many Czech words and their meanings may seem funny or confusing to you:

Funny Czech words		Words that can confuse

Let's a dlo	Airplane	Č e rstvý	Fresh
Let's uška	Stewardess	Zelen i na	Vegetables
Sed a dlo	Seat, armchair	Ok u rka	Cucumber
šlap a dlo	Catamaran	O voice	Fruits
Vrt u lnik	Helicopter	Č e rstvý rotr a viny	Fresh food
Zmrzl i na	Ice cream	Smet a na	Cream
Obsazen o	Busy	Poz o r	Attention
Koko u r	Cat	H e rna	Slot machine hall
Pon ožka	Sock	Pit o mec	Blockhead, fool
Kalh o ty	Trousers, trousers	Mr á z	Freezing
H o lič	Hairdresser	Rod i na	Family
Slun í čko	Sun	Slev a	Discount
Voň a vka	Perfume	Vedr o	Heat
Rv ačka	Fight	Podvodn í k	Scammer
Čerp a dlo	Pump	Ú žasny	Amazing
Straš i dlo	Ghost	K a ki	Persimmon

I am often asked if it is possible to go to Prague without knowing any language other than Russian. There are also issues related to security in the Czech capital. Today we’ll talk about how to communicate in Prague and whether it’s worth walking along empty streets at night.

Safety

Tourists they are afraid to return late to the hotel or linger in a restaurant.

Don't miss your chance to try at least some of these delicious dishes, but if you find that you can only eat so many goulash and dumpling dishes, know that there are still many options available. Like any major city in the world, Prague offers a wide range of choices. Greek, Italian, French, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Balkan and even Afghani cuisines. They are good and inexpensive, and more often than not the restaurants tend to be crowded with young locals rather than tourists.

There's more to drink than just beer

When tipping, in most places you can simply round up the bill to 10 or 20 kroner. Just tell him or her how much you'd like to return, or tell him or her to save the change instead of leaving it on the table. Many great places have menus in Czech and English, but you'd still be wise to avoid places, especially around Old Town Square, that have menus in nearly dozens of languages. They are usually the most overpriced.

Always check to see if a tip has been added to the final bill.
It is considered polite to hand the tip to the waiter.

The Czech Republic is a beer.

Don’t be too afraid, but be wary and afraid...

Of course, you shouldn’t specifically look for adventure, but you shouldn’t worry too much about being late in a restaurant or club; the streets of Prague are quite safe, especially in the city center. Although, of course, God protects those who are protected.

Beer has been brewed here since at least the 12th century, and the country has the world's highest per capita beer consumption. Almost all of the beer brewed here is lager, known for the clean water and high-quality hops used in production, and it comes in both light and dark varieties.

Many traditional pubs are licensed by a single brewery, so your choice will be limited to light or dark. In these pubs, simply place a coaster on your table and they will bring you beer until you say stop while the beer is counted on a piece of paper on your table.

Hello, don't be afraid of me, I'm kind!

But what you should be wary of is theft, in public places - transport, a crowd of tourists, train stations or even in a restaurant, watch your belongings, pockets and bags. While a crowd of tourists stares at Orloy, pockets may be emptied, but you shouldn’t become paranoid about this either. In fact, this is a problem not only in Prague, but in all cities and countries where a large number of tourists come: where tourists relax and spend money, there are always people who want to get their hands on this money.

Prague consists of 10 distinct districts

But light and dark beers aren't your only options. And when you don't think you can drink another beer, you can try Czech wines from Moravia and Bohemia. Take the 50-minute bus ride from town to Melnik Castle and you can even enjoy a wine tasting - just be aware that the whites are much nicer than the reds.

Walk through Prague 1 or most of Prague 2 and you might think you've seen Prague. But there is much more to the city to discover.

The thieves are right here!

As for car thefts, in this case I advise you to use guarded parking lots, this way you will reduce the risk of being robbed.

If something does happen to you, call the police at 158, ambulance at 155, and emergency phone number at 112.

Or explore Žižkov, a former working-class neighborhood now home to many students, artists and expats. Play roulette in Prague - choose a numbered block, jump on the tram and go. Public transport in Prague is excellent and you'll have a choice of tram, bus or underground to help you get around. Buy your ticket at the metro station and then validate it when you start.

Prague is still going through some growing pains

As with any city heavily visited by tourists, scams designed to separate individual tourists from their cash abound.

Language

The fact that all Czechs actually understand Russian is not entirely true, therefore, Coming to the Czech Republic without knowing English or Czech, you risk being misunderstood.

In the Czech Republic, the Russian language is sometimes perceived ambiguously.

In tourist places, hotels, restaurants in the center or museums you can be understood in both English and Russian; in such places they often work with foreigners and speak the language, but as soon as you go to a supermarket or move away from the center, the chance of remaining misunderstood increases.

Pikpers pose a threat in the most crowded areas - Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, Wenceslas Square and the Old Town. You don't need to be paranoid, just keep your thoughts on yourself in tourist areas and don't set yourself a target. For ladies, carry a wallet that can go over your shoulder and don't throw it over the back of a restaurant chair. If someone claims to be an undercover police officer and asks for your passport, do not hand it over; instead, ask to go to the police station or the nearest hotel.

And if plainclothes "civil inspectors" ask to look at your ticket and then tell you that it is invalid and requires a fine, do not refuse; real inspectors should show you the badge. Obviously, most people involved in the tourism industry in Prague do not have bad intentions, but what some of them have not yet learned is that happy tourists will help the economy of both the city and themselves in the long run than making a scam out of a quick buck.

Once upon a time, Russian was compulsory in Czech schools, but that was quite a long time ago, and learning does not mean knowing.

Try to remember basic phrases, arm yourself with a small dictionary and remember that polite treatment, a sincere smile and body language will help you find mutual understanding with the local population.

You don't need to speak Czech

Avoid picking up taxis on the street, especially in more touristy areas, as you will almost always end up paying more than you should. If necessary, use a radio-receiving taxi and know that the driver does not have the right to refuse you a receipt. One scam that seems to be quite common involves shorting, usually around 100kg, but the amount may vary depending on your change for a large bill. Tourists naturally assume that the changes are correct or do not notice because they are not familiar with the currency, and the server receives a very big tip. When confronted, the server apologizes and gives the remaining money.

Avoid changing money anywhere other than a bank.
Exchange rates are very poor and hidden fees are common.

Over the last decade or so, Prague has been the place for expats who want to teach English in Europe, and it looks like their hard work has paid off.

The most serious concern that arises when traveling abroad is associated with an understandable everyday reason - the language barrier. How to communicate with hotel staff, avoid getting into trouble in a restaurant, or find out about the location of an attraction?

When going to the Czech Republic, many Russians are sure that there will definitely not be problems with communication here, remembering the times when our countries had strong relations, and almost every Czech knew at least a little Russian. Alas, enough time has passed since then. The world has changed, and in today's Czech Republic Russian speech is no longer so common. Young people are increasingly learning German and English, and our speech is remembered, albeit not always well, by middle-aged and older Czechs.

Outside of Prague and among the older generation you will find many people who do not speak English, but almost all young people in Prague, especially those who work in the tourism industry, will be able to help you, even if you can barely muster a "ask". This doesn't mean you shouldn't try to perform at least a few Czech pleasantries in memory: saying thank you, have a nice day, check in please, and of course a beer will help as you become familiar with the pronunciation of Czech words. And the more you plan to spend time outside of the tourist areas of Prague, the more useful a small Czech one will be.

In places where tourists gather, the situation is better. For example, in Prague, where there are probably more guests than residents, German, English and, of course, Russian are spoken along with Czech. Germans and Russians are the most frequent guests of the country. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid that tourists from Russia will be ignored. How quickly a guest can be understood depends on the location and circumstances.

Your Dollar still goes a long way in Prague

"Grab a beer from your local store and you'll be looking at less than a beer." And those on a tight budget can stretch their dollars even further. Fill another hearty bowl of potato soup with about 50 kg or sausage or a slice of pizza from a street vendor. Grab a beer from your local store and you'll be looking at less than a dollar per beer.

Prague is not the only city in the Czech Republic

Prague is obviously just a part of the Czech Republic, but many people don't even consider visiting any other areas of the country. While you could easily spend weeks or months exploring Prague, it's also worth getting out of the city for at least a day or two.

At a hotel or inn

A tourist who has purchased a comprehensive tour that includes the services of a personal assistant has nothing to fear. But an independent tourist needs a common language with the staff when checking into a hotel and completing documents.

In large hotels, especially in the capital, as well as in travel companies, there are quite a lot of Russian-speaking employees, so you can count on support both in the receptionist service and at the reception desk. It is much more difficult to find mutual understanding with immigrants from Turkey, Poland or Slovakia, who sometimes make up hotel staff.

It's well connected by rail and bus, and there are several towns that are close enough to be viable day trips while still offering a look at another side of the country. "While you can easily spend weeks or months exploring Prague, it's also worth getting out of the city for at least a day or two."

Prague is no longer Europe's "hidden gem"

No, now Prague sparkles there in all its glory, recognized as one of the most beautiful, charming cities in Europe. During these months, the line to enter St. Vitus Cathedrals around the building and Charles Bridge appears to move as the pulsating mass of people makes their way across the Vltava River from sunrise to sunset.

In a restaurant or cafe

In restaurants frequently visited by tourists, there is a convenient menu in several languages, and the staff of high-status establishments consists of native speakers of the most popular languages to communicate with guests.

Most of the guests in the Czech Republic are from Germany and our country. According to statistics, Russians are more willing to visit colorful and not the cheapest cafes and restaurants that serve national cuisine. The Czechs, noticing this feature, are targeting such establishments specifically at the Russian audience, which means there will be no problems with choosing dishes and communicating.

There is no escape from the crowds in these tourist areas, but if you go a few blocks from the epicenter, you will be amazed at how quickly and dramatically the crowds disappear. The Czech language in the past was sometimes also called Bohemian, a member of the West Slavic group of the Slavic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. The official language of the Czech Republic is spoken by about 11 million people, of which more than 10 million live there, and about 1 million of them are in Slovakia and North America combined.

What language is spoken in the Czech Republic?

Grammatically, Czech has seven cases for nouns, pronouns and adjectives. There is no need to use personal pronouns with verbs, since person and number are clearly indicated by the end of the verb; however, personal pronouns may be used for emphasis. In Czech pronunciation the stress always falls on the first syllable of a word, but this accentuation is not shown by diacritics such as accents. A clear distinction is made between long and short vowels, and acute accent is used to indicate where vowels are lengthened, that is, where their pronunciation is relatively drawn out.

Frugal Germans can often be found in inexpensive street cafes. But Americans and Asians do not risk switching to Czech national dishes and prefer traditional fast food.

If an inquisitive guest wants to go to a cozy tavern far from the tourist routes, he will have to deal with the predominance of the Czech language and will require maximum effort to be understood.

A hook or inverted envelope above a consonant is a sign that the consonant is palatalized, or pronounced with the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth. The earliest surviving account of the Czech language comes in the form of scraps in an 11th-century Latin manuscript. There were many dialects at that time. Czech literature began to take shape in the 13th century. Standardization of the spelling and pronunciation of the language occurred during the Central European period of 15 and 16 cents. Mainly due to the work of John Huss, the famous Czech religious reformer, who made the Prague dialect the basis of his long-term study of language reform.

To be understood on the street

There are more and more tourists from Russia on the streets of Prague and other cities of the Czech Republic, business connections between the two countries are also being established, so the Russian language is becoming more and more interesting to students and business people.

But when asking about the nearest metro station or the road to the museum, you should not hope that the first Czech will be able to understand the question in Russian. How can he not carry on a conversation in English? Residents of the Czech Republic are much less eager than their neighbors from Austria or Poland to master this language of international communication. According to official data, less than a third of the population speak English. But in tourist centers and hotels, in banks, at train stations and airports, an English-speaking tourist will not be lost.

You can always find help at major museums, memorial sites and other attractions. There will always be a Russian or English-speaking guide there.

What if they don’t understand?

When addressing a question or request to Czechs, it is still better to start the conversation in English. If the interlocutor is young, there is a chance of being understood the first time. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be shy and you can try to communicate in all available languages and even with gestures.

You shouldn’t strive for correct pronunciation either. For local residents, oddly enough, a related Slavic dialect can help them understand foreign words. But in order to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation when going to the Czech Republic, it will still be useful to have a phrasebook with you. And having learned a few of the most necessary words from it, you can feel completely confident.

And, most importantly, there is no need to be afraid of being misunderstood. Whatever language a guest of the country speaks, Czechs are ready to hear and understand him in order to reveal the beauty of the Czech Republic and their heart.

It might be useful to read: