Welcome to SoundCzech RPs Czech language course in which you can learn new phrases with the help of song lyrics.
Todayâs song is sung by Helena VondráÄková â it is called âThanks for being you" and the phrase, or rather the two phrases, to listen out for are: âJá v tom plavu, já v tom lÃtámâ â âIâm swimming in it, Iâm flying in itâ.
Although verbs denoting motion generally have a positive connotation such as in âten jedeâ which means âwatch him goâ, you can turn their meaning around completely by Czech soldier dies in Afghanistan ...
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CzechRep to decide on possible Russian radar controls - PM ... inserting the phrase âv tomâ meaning âin itâ. So for instance, âJá plavuâ means âI am swimmingâ âJá v tom plavuâ literally translates as âIâm swimming in itâ â but actually means âIâm out of my depthâ or âIâm not in controlâ. If a Czech teacher tells you that your son is swimming in math â he means he is very bad at math and needs help.
The same applies to the phrase referring to flight. âJá v tom lÃtámâ or âIâm flying in itâ means the person is in some sort of trouble, be it love or debt. âJá v tom zase lÃtamâ â means âI am out of control againâ and often refers to some form of addiction â alcohol, drugs or gambling.
As I already said âten jedeâ means âwatch him goâ and is entirely positive. On the other hand âon v tom jedeâ or âhe is in on itâ or âhe is in on that rideâ suggests that someone or other is involved in some activity, often illegal. âOn jede v drogáchâ â indicates that the person is in the drugs business. And before I go â a final word of warning â be careful of the phrase âto be in itâ If you say âI am in itâ â or âjsem v tomâ - in Czech you are actually saying you are pregnant. The phrase is presumably a short version of âJsem v jiném stavuâ â literally âI am in a different stateâ â the Czech word for pregnant. So the abbreviation is something akin to âI am in it â in you know whatâ. We will have more language intricacies for you same time next week in the meantime â nashledanou!
(radio-Prague)
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