As most of you already know I have lived in the US for over 10 years now so I call myself kind of a “hybrid” when it comes to languages. My Czech is not perfect enough to pass for a “true” Czech anymore and my English is not perfect enough to pass for a true American either. Now that I talk to our little Hahna in Czech the hybridization process has accelerated quite a bit. I keep switching from Czech to English (and vice versa) more often hence there are two possible outcomes that may happen in the future. Either my brain will explode or I become more proficient in both languages. Just to show you what I mean by the word “hybridization” in practice, here are some Czech words that I have accidentally made up by mixing up the 2 languages together. Some may call it “Czenglish”:
- zmensit = zminit (CZ) + mention(EN)
- klepat rukama = clap (with hands) + tleskat (CZ)
- objemek = hug (EN) + obejmuti (CZ)
- odpadkari = popelari
- kakabunt = kakabus + vagabunt
- someone is “melous” = mellow (EN) + klidous (CZ)
- rednout = to get red (EN) + cervenat se (CZ)
- poopat = to poop (EN) + kakat (CZ)
Do you have any other words to add from your personal vocabulary of Czenglish? We would love to hear it (leave a comment)!
CZ: Jak jiz vetsina ctenaru vi, ziji v USA jiz vice nez 10 let a take se to na me mluve (jak anglicke tak ceske) ukazuje. Pripadam si jako jakysi “jazykovy hybrid”: perfektni cestinu nemam, ale ani ta anglictina neni bez chyb. Ted kdyz mam doma nasi Hanicku, tak se tento proces hybridizace jaksi urychluje. Neustale totiz prepinam z jednoho jazyku do druheho, z cehoz v budoucnosti mohou vyplynout pouze dve moznosti: bud mi z toho praskne hlava, anebo se v obou jazycich zdokonalim. Vyse je uvedeny list mych nedavnych “hybridu”, nebo-li slovni zasoba z jazyka Czenglishskeho.
Mate svoje vlastni slovni hybridy? Sverte se nam!
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haha 🙂 ano, ja mam tiez svoj ‘language’. Ja som prec 16 rokov a moja rodina mi hovori ze potrebuju iny slovnik ako anglicko-slovensko-cesky na mna. Ja pouzivam slova ako:
‘checknut’
‘mat dobry cas’
‘zober si cas’
‘zoberiem sprchu’
‘idem dolu z telefonu’
‘to je coolovite’
‘stretneme sa o druhej “pi-em-vite” ‘
‘beriem lietadlo’
‘zober vlavo’
etc… 🙂
I have lived here for almost 12 years and I can so relate to this. I have two children 3 and 5 so it has been interesting.
My favorite always has been (now this is not from me, but a friend of mine whose parents immigrated when she was 7 years old from Czech Republic. So I have to cut her a slack) luxovac (instead of lux or vysavac).
My parent’s favorite mixed up word from me (they are still in Czech) is Mensiky (wanted to say Meciky – “gladiolas”). They still make fun of me every time this comes up.
I have made up enough crossed words and some I use so often I actually think they are real Czech words. Immagine the surprise when I go to Czech and everybody looks at me like I just came from moon when I use my “perfectly good old Czech word” 🙂
Keep on teaching your daughter Czech. She will love it when she is older. Both of my kids are fluent in both and I am so proud of them.
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed your Milk and Honey post over at Ivanas. Have a great day. 🙂
To Michaela: my favorite is “idem dolu z telefonu” 🙂
Moje nejoblibenejsi je “jdem dolu z telefonu” a pak “zober si cas” – to zni tak filosoficky:)))
To Lenka: I have used the word “luxovac” before!!!
Taky mi nekdy z pusy vypadne slovo “luxovac”!! Ja vim, tech prvnich par dni v Cechach je fakt vzdycky sila…prijdu si jako uplny ufon!
sure ze jo
drivovat
ja drivuju karu
kakey cakes
Pockej, co je “drivovat”??? To jsem nejak nepochopila. Jako drivi?
I do not know how to spell these words.
Driveovat to drive a car
Basically take an english verb and add ovat to make it Czech
I remembered two more:
sortky shorts
texassky for blue jeans
my jsme sortky v cechach pouzivali a texasky byly tenisky.
It is funny, because as I think about it my kids (especially my son, since Czech was his first language to learn unlike my daugher, whom learned english first) would use Czech words and add ing ..
kouping (taking bath), nebo s… botys. Puts smile on my face every time.
How cute! “kouping”!!! We shall see how are we all going to sound in 20 years :))
No, uvidime, jak budeme vsichni znit za 20 let …. kdyz nam teda nevybouchnou ty nase mozky 😉
“checknout” or “vocheckovat” that is definitely used among all young or computer skilled people. I also totally love “kouping” and “rednout” ; )))
I even think there already has been a book written about czenglish.
What I miss in Czech most is “ago”. instead of 10 years ago you have to say before 10 years (does it make sense at all?) (10 let zpatky zni fakt blbe)
“ago” is definitely a good one; I also like “homesick”(1 word) instead of “styska se mi po domove” (5 words)
Lenka, good for you that your kids speak both languages. I think it’s very important and it will surely keep a special bond between you and your children 🙂 I don’t have any children yet, but when I do I will make you they speak my language, too :)(it’s Slovak)
I spent a year in the Czech republic and naturally I did this as well.
When I didn’t know the czech verb I would just add “-ovat” to the English one… And, often I added “-ing” Like “it’s snezing!”
I still, even though I rarely hang out with anyone speaking czech here, integrate words like pozdeji, pohode, pozor, pockej and prosim into my daily convserations.
🙂
Na techto strankach jsem poprve a hned jsem si je dala do bookmark. Moc se mi libi vsechny zajimave a legracni stories a asi dneska zkusim jeden z tvych receptu.
Jinak tohle je bomba. Ziju v Aust. od svych 11let (je mi 37) a nekdy taky nevim jestli to slovo ktere vyslovuji je zpravne ceske nebo jen mnou vymyslene. Strasne jsem se nasmala tem komentarum. Ja podobne rikam.. jdu ven s rubbishem, nebo ze se jde shoppingovat. Mam taky 2 male deti a snazime se porad na ne mluvit cesky, ale obcas mam problemy, protoze pul vety reknu cesky a tu druhou pulku anglicky. Tak se jim ani nemuzu divit kdyz nic z toho nepochopi. 🙂 ‘uvidime se pozdeji’ 🙂
To Adrienne: that’s great! keep those Czech words going! See what I mean by my Czechmate diary under-title “Small Bohemian Steps to world domination”??? You are a great example of that!!! 😉
To Gabi: I can’t believe that you have lived in Australia for so long (almost your whole life) and even your WRITTEN Czech is so good!
Hi Tanja. I actualy had hard time learning english when I was a teen and you won’t believe me when I tell you that I still have a slight accent. I definitely don’t sound like an aussie :-). But I owe my written czech to the six years I attended saturday-czech-school throughout my high school years. And the fact that australia is where my home is, but Czech R. is where my heart belongs.
I have two-
Smokalot -what I want to do when i go in the bars in prague
Pivolat- My increased desire to drink beer when I go to the bars in prague.
“dedlák” = tichý prd (z anglického výrazu “silent but deadly” nebo “SBD”, který označuje tento způsob “dodání plynu) “Pozor! Pustila jsem dedlák!”