Do you love to shop? Or do you need to buy a new T-shirt, yeans or swimsuit? Whether you have said “yes” to the first or the second question, we have something for you! In the intermediate 5-minute Czech, we are going to speak about shopping clothes today!
5-minute Czech - Intermediate
It is very likely that you will be asked this question: „Můžu vám s něčím pomoci?“ Can I help you?
What can you say?
„Ne, děkuji.“ / „Ne, děkuji, jen se dívám.“ No, thank you. / No, thank you, I am just looking.
„Ano, hledám …“ + accusative Yes, I am looking for…
„Ano, chtěl/chtěla bych ...“ + accusative/infinitive Yes, I would like to...
„Ano, můžete mi prosím ukázat …“ + accusative Yes, can you please show me …?
If you have found something you want to try on, use this phrase:
„Můžu si to vyzkoušet?“ Can I try it on?
„Kde jsou převlékací kabinky?“ Where are the changing rooms?
Do you have the wrong size („velikost“ [F])?
„Máte tohle ve velikosti …?“Do you have this in a size …?
„Máte větší/menší velikost?“Do you have bigger/smaller size?
„Mám (špatnou) velikost …“ I have (wrong) size…
Maybe the first choice of yours was not so lucky, then you can say:
„Nesedí mi to.“ It doesn’t fit.
„Nesluší mi to.“ It doesn’t suit me.
„Je to moc velké/malé.“It’s too big/small.
If you have friends with you, you can ask them about their opinion with the same verbs („Sluší mi to?“ – Does it suit me well?; „Sedí mi to dobře?“ – Does it fit me well?).
Alright, you have found the perfect T-shirt or swimsuit. Let’s buy it!
„Vezmu si to.“ I will take it.
„Kolik to stojí?“ How much is it?
„Můžu platit kartou?“ Can I pay by card?
There is a law since 2018 which has banned the free distribution of lightweight plastic carrier bag („taška“ – bag, „igelitka“ – plastic bag, „sáček“ – small bag), therefore you will probably hear this question a lot: „Chcete tašku/sáček/igelitku?“ Do you want a (carrier) bag?If you say „Ano!“ (Yes!), you will be charged for the bag (usually between 1–5 Kč for a simple plastic bag).
If you got hungry, you want to grab a snack and you are already heading straight to the supermarket from the clothes store, we have a good news for you: bakery products, fruit and vegetable have an exception and these bags are for free!