Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Prosím

Prosím (pronounced pro-seem) is definitely one of the words any visitor here needs to learn because you use it all of the time. Literally it means "I beg". So just like "bitte" in German...it means both "please" and "you're welcome".

You can also use prosím for "I beg your pardon" when you can't hear someone properly. It can also mean "here you are" if you hand something over to someone. A lot of Czechs say prosím when they answer the telephone.

If you need to address a stranger, then the polite way to say "excuse me" is by using "prosím vás" (please you).

You also use it when you offer up your seat on the tram. If you open the door and want to let someone pass...you got it...you say prosím.

2 comments:

  1. Do you have some czech advisor? You have usually good and accurate info:) Anyway thumbs up for trying to learn czech language and czech customs:)

    Petr

    P.S. enjoy nice weather while you can. We are expecting Indian summer with moderate temperatures and then its getting colder and colder:)

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  2. Thanks Petr. I just ask lots of questions at work. I am excited to start Czech lessons in 2 weeks. Hopefully, it won't take me years to get to a usefull level of competency.

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