Convenience Store

1. Je tu někde večerka?

   ye tu NYE-kde VE-cher-ka

   Is there a late-night shop around here?

   Usage

   A "večerka" is a small shop that stays open late — sometimes around the clock — and is the closest Czech equivalent of a convenience store. Many are run by Czech-Vietnamese families and stock drinks, snacks, cigarettes and basic food. It contrasts with "potraviny", a daytime grocery shop

   Grammar Note

   "Večerka" is a colloquial feminine noun derived from "večer" (evening). Signs read either "Večerka" or "Potraviny". "Je tu…?" is the simplest way to ask whether something exists nearby

2. Do kolika máte otevřeno?

   do KO-li-ka MAH-te O-tev-rzhe-no

   Until what time are you open?

   Usage

   A večerka typically runs until 10pm or midnight, and genuine 24-hour shops are few. Ordinary "potraviny" close around 6–8pm and many keep shorter Sunday hours or shut entirely. The sign marked "Otevírací doba" gives the hours day by day

   Grammar Note

   Czech expresses being open as "mít otevřeno" — literally "to have open" — rather than with the verb "to be". The preposition "do" (until) governs the genitive, turning "kolik" into "kolika"

3. Budete platit kartou, nebo hotově?

   BU-de-te PLA-tyit KAR-tou, NE-bo HO-to-vye

   Will you pay by card or in cash?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Cards work almost everywhere in urban Czechia, though some small večerky still lean on cash. A one-word answer is enough: "Kartou" or "Hotově"

   Grammar Note

   The future of imperfective verbs is formed with the future of "být" plus the infinitive ("budete platit"). "Kartou" is instrumental, but "hotově" is an adverb and does not decline; the nominal alternative is "v hotovosti"

4. Je nějaká minimální částka na platbu kartou?

   ye NYE-ya-kah MI-ni-mahl-nyee CHAHST-ka na PLAT-bu KAR-tou

   Is there a minimum amount for card payment?

   Usage

   Owner-run večerky and small potraviny sometimes post a notice such as "Platba kartou od 100 Kč" to dodge processing fees. Worth checking before buying just a single beer

   Grammar Note

   The preposition "na" takes the accusative when expressing purpose, so "platba" becomes "platbu", while "kartou" remains instrumental as the means. One sentence, two cases with different jobs

5. Potřebujete tašku?

   PO-trzhe-bu-ye-te TASH-ku

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Bags in Czechia are charged for and never added automatically. Answer "Ano, prosím" or "Ne, děkuji". A thin plastic bag is a "sáček"; one with handles is a "taška"

   Grammar Note

   "Potřebovat" (to need) takes an accusative object, so "taška" becomes "tašku". The "-ete" ending is the second-person plural used for the formal "vy" — the form staff always use with customers

6. Kolik stojí taška?

   KO-lik STO-yee TASH-ka

   How much is a bag?

   Usage

   Bags run from a few crowns up to around a dozen, with sturdier reusable ones costing a bit more. They appear as a "Taška" or "Sáček" line on the receipt. If you brought your own, say "Mám vlastní tašku"

   Grammar Note

   Here "taška" is the subject and stays nominative, whereas in "Potřebujete tašku?" it was the object and took the accusative "tašku" — the same noun reshaped by its role

7. Terminál nefunguje, jenom hotově.

   TER-mi-nahl NE-fun-gu-ye, YE-nom HO-to-vye

   The card terminal is down — cash only

   Usage

   Said by staff. When the terminal drops out in a small shop, cash is the only option. An ATM is a "bankomat" — ask "Kde je nejbližší bankomat?". Avoid the independent machines in tourist areas, whose fees are steep; use a bank's own

   Grammar Note

   Czech negates a verb by prefixing "ne-" directly onto it as one word: funguje → nefunguje. Russian and Polish, by contrast, write "не" / "nie" separately

8. Nemáte drobné?

   NE-mah-te DROB-ne

   You wouldn't have any small change, would you?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Handing over a large note such as 2000 crowns can leave the till short, prompting this question; if you have none, say "Bohužel ne". ATMs tend to dispense big notes, so break them on small purchases when you can

   Grammar Note

   A negative question — "Nemáte…?" — is the standard polite way to ask in Czech and sounds softer than the affirmative "Máte…?". "Drobné" is the adjective "drobný" (fine, small) used as a noun, always plural

9. Můžu tady vrátit zálohované lahve?

   MOO-zhu TA-di VRAH-tyit ZAH-lo-ho-va-ne LAH-ve

   Can I return deposit bottles here?

   Usage

   Czechia has long charged a deposit on half-litre glass beer bottles, refunded when you bring the empties back; the crate ("přepravka") carries its own deposit too. You usually need not return them to the shop you bought them from, as long as the shop handles the same standard bottle

   Grammar Note

   "Můžu" is the colloquial form of the more formal "Mohu". "Zálohovaný" is a passive adjective from "záloha" (deposit), agreeing in the plural with "lahve". The alternative term is "vratné lahve" (returnable bottles)

10. Kolik je záloha za lahev?

    KO-lik ye ZAH-lo-ha za LA-hev

    How much is the deposit on a bottle?

    Usage

    The deposit is added as a separate "Záloha" line on the receipt, so a beer that looks cheap on the shelf can total a little more. Cans carry no deposit, so if you are just taking a drink back to your room, cans avoid the return trip

    Grammar Note

    The preposition "za" takes the accusative when it means "per" or "in exchange for". "Lahev" is a consonant-final feminine noun whose accusative looks identical to the nominative

11. Můžete mi to ohřát v mikrovlnce?

    MOO-zhe-te mi to O-hrzhaht v MI-kro-vln-tse

    Could you heat this up in the microwave?

    Usage

    Some večerky and petrol-station shops sell hot snacks, but reheating anything on request is not the norm as it is in Japan, and you may hear "Nemáme mikrovlnku". For hot food it is usually quicker to find a bakery or a "rychlé občerstvení" snack stand

    Grammar Note

    "Mi" is the short dative of "já" (I), adding the sense of "for me". "Mikrovlnka" is the colloquial form of "mikrovlnná trouba"; the locative preposition "v" changes the ending to "-ce"

12. Dám si kávu s sebou.

    dahm si KAH-vu s SE-bou

    I'll have a coffee to go

    Usage

    "Káva s sebou" (coffee to go) is a common sign in Czechia — večerky, petrol stations and bakeries all have machines. If asked the size, answer "malá" or "velká"; add "s mlékem" for milk

    Grammar Note

    "Dám si" literally means "I'll give myself" and is the standard way to order food or drink; the reflexive "si" is a dative meaning "for myself". "S sebou" (with oneself) is the set phrase for takeaway

13. Do kolika se tady smí prodávat alkohol?

    do KO-li-ka se TA-di smee PRO-dah-vat AL-ko-hol

    Until what time may alcohol be sold here?

    Usage

    Czechia has no nationwide night-time ban, but municipalities may restrict hours and places by ordinance, and parts of Prague limit late sales and street drinking. Večerky are the go-to for a late beer, though in some districts you will be turned down

    Grammar Note

    "Se smí + infinitive" is an impersonal construction meaning "one is allowed to", the standard way to talk about rules and laws. The imperfective "prodávat" is used because selling is a repeated, ongoing activity

14. Můžu vidět váš doklad totožnosti?

    MOO-zhu VI-dyet vahsh DO-klad TO-tozh-nos-tyi

    May I see your ID?

    Usage

    Said by staff. The legal age for alcohol and tobacco in Czechia is 18, and staff will ask anyone who looks young; as a visitor, show your passport. The check is a legal obligation, so refusing means no sale

    Grammar Note

    "Doklad totožnosti" is a genitive chain — "document of identity". The possessive "váš" corresponds to the formal "vy"; with someone you know well it would be "tvůj"

15. Máte naši zákaznickou kartu?

    MAH-te NA-shi ZAH-kaz-nyits-kou KAR-tu

    Do you have our customer card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Czech supermarket chains push member pricing hard, and shelf tags often show both the member and the regular price. If you have no card, "Nemám" is fine. Owner-run večerky do not ask this

    Grammar Note

    Because the phrase is an accusative object, the possessive, the adjective and the noun all shift together: naše zákaznická karta → naši zákaznickou kartu. In Slavic languages the whole noun phrase declines as a unit

16. Jakou to má trvanlivost?

    YA-kou to mah TR-van-li-vost

    What is the shelf life on this?

    Usage

    Near-date items are shelved with a discount sticker. Packaging distinguishes the use-by date, "Spotřebujte do" (consume by), from the best-before date, "Minimální trvanlivost do" — the former should not be eaten past its date

    Grammar Note

    "Trvanlivost" derives from "trvat" (to last) and refers to how long something keeps rather than to a specific date. The interrogative "jaký" appears as the feminine accusative "jakou", agreeing with the noun in case, gender and number

17. Prodáváte párek v rohlíku?

    PRO-dah-vah-te PAH-rek v ROH-lee-ku

    Do you sell párek v rohlíku?

    Usage

    "Párek v rohlíku" is the Czech hot dog: a sausage pushed into a hole bored through a bread roll rather than laid in a split bun. It is a staple of večerky, petrol stations and station kiosks, served with your choice of ketchup ("kečup") or mustard ("hořčice")

    Grammar Note

    "Rohlík" is the crescent-shaped Czech bread roll, appearing here in the locative as "v rohlíku" — a dish name that has frozen a prepositional phrase into its title. "Párek" comes from "pár" (a pair), reflecting that the sausages were once sold two at a time

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