Czech for the Tourist in Prague
50 words and phrases worth knowing before a stroll through the city
The Czech language is simultaneously very close and very treacherous for a Pole. On the first day in Prague, you feel like you understand almost everything. On the second day, you discover that you understood half the words… completely differently.
Czechs speak calmly, melodiously, and many words sound Polish. The problem is that sometimes they mean something entirely different.
That’s why it’s good to know a few basic phrases before heading to Charles Bridge, a pub, or a tram.
Basic Tourist Dictionary
Below are some of the most commonly used words that will really come in handy in Prague.
| Czech phrase | Polish meaning | How to pronounce | |---|---|---| | Dobrý den | Good morning/afternoon | dobry den | | Ahoj | Hi/Hello | ahoj | | Děkuji | Thank you | dziekuji | | Prosím | Please / You're welcome | prosim | | Na shledanou | Goodbye | naschledanou | | Kolik to stojí? | How much does it cost? | kolik to stoi | | Kde je toaleta? | Where is the toilet? | gde je toaleta | | Jedno pivo, prosím | One beer, please | jedno piwo prosim | | Zaplatím | I will pay | zaplatim | | Pozor! | Watch out! | pozor |
These few words are enough to:
- order a beer in a pub
- ask for directions
- pay at a restaurant
- find the toilet
And in Prague, that’s already quite a lot.
Most Important Czech Words in the City
Walking around Prague, you’ll see many characteristic signs. It’s worth knowing what they mean.
| Czech | Meaning | How to pronounce | |---|---|---| | Pozor | Watch out | pozor | | Pomoc | Help | pomoc | | Policie | Police | policie | | Toaleta | Toilet | toaleta | | Kde je toaleta? | Where is the toilet? | gde je toaleta | | Vchod | Entrance | wchod | | Východ | Exit | wychod | | Zákaz | Prohibition | zakaz | | Otevřeno | Open | otewżeno | | Zavřeno | Closed | zawżeno | | Metro | Metro | metro | | Tramvaj | Tram | tramwaj | | Zastávka | Stop | zastawka | | Nádraží | Station | nadrażi | | Letiště | Airport | letiszte | | Most | Bridge | most | | Hrad | Castle | hrad | | Náměstí | Square | namniesti | | Ulice | Street | ulice | | Centrum | Center | centrum |
Restaurant, Beer, and Czech Pubs
Czech culture is deeply tied to beer, so it’s worth knowing a few words from this domain.
| Czech | Meaning | How to pronounce | |---|---|---| | Pivo | Beer | piwo | | Jedno pivo prosím | One beer, please | jedno piwo prosim | | Hospoda | Pub | hospoda | | Pivnice | Beer hall | piwnice | | Restaurace | Restaurant | restaurace | | Jídlo | Food | jidlo | | Menu | Menu | menu | | Kolik to stojí | How much does it cost? | kolik to stoi | | Zaplatím | I will pay | zaplatim | | Účet prosím | Bill, please | uczet prosim |
The most classic tourist sentence is, of course:
Jedno pivo, prosím.
And it really works in most situations.
Currency in Czechia
Many people arriving in Prague assume that the euro is the currency in Czechia. In fact, the currency is the Czech koruna.
| Czech | Meaning | How to pronounce | |---|---|---| | Koruna česká | Czech koruna | koruna czeska | | Koruna | Koruna | koruna | | Sto korun | One hundred korunas | sto korun | | Tisíc korun | One thousand korunas | tysic korun |
You will most often see prices written as:
100 Kč 250 Kč
Although you can pay by card in most places, knowing the word koruna is always useful.
Words That Amuse Poles
The most interesting thing about Czech is words that are very similar to Polish but mean something entirely different.
Sklep
In Polish, it obviously means shop. In Czech, sklep means cellar.
So the sentence “I’m going to the shop” might sound to a Czech like news about going down into the basement.
Čerstvý
It sounds like “czerstwy” (stale), but it means exactly the opposite:
čerstvý = fresh
So čerstvý chléb is fresh bread.
Porucha
A word often seen on trams or at metro stations.
porucha = breakdown
If you see the sign “porucha”, it means something has stopped working.
Lustr
A Pole will think of a mirror. A Czech is talking about a chandelier.
Škoda
In Poland, it sounds like complaining.
In Czechia, it is primarily a surname and a car brand. The company name comes from the Czech industrialist Emil Škoda.
Interestingly, the word “škoda” in the Czech language means exactly the same as in Polish: pity, shame, loss.
That’s why Czechs sometimes joke about this name. The sentence “To je škoda” can mean both “what a pity” and… the name of a car.
The Shortest Czech Lesson
If you remember only three sentences, you’ll manage just fine in Prague:
Dobrý den – Hello Jedno pivo, prosím – One beer, please Děkuji – Thank you
The rest will come naturally – usually after the second beer.
You Best Learn a Language on the Street
The most interesting thing about Czech is that you only start to understand it during conversations in the city – on a tram, at a market, or in a small pub.
If you want to learn about the city’s history, legends, and places that are hard to find on your own, you can join a guided walking tour.
👉 Prague in a Nutshell.
👑 Royal Prague.
👻 Prague in the Shadow of Legends – Spirits of the Old Town.
🚢 Walk and Cruise on the Vltava.
If you want to avoid linguistic blunders, see where the toilet actually is, and find out which beer to order so you don’t sound like a tourist – choose one of our tours in Prague. The groups are small, the guides are patient, and local transport is always within reach.