Czech Food & Drink: Dám si kávu — Order Like a Local

One phrase carries you through every café, pub and bakery in the country: dám si — I'll have. Learn it with a handful of staples and you can feed yourself in Czech from today.

The Staples

Dám si — I'll Have

Dám si… — I'll have… Watch what happens to feminine -a words after it: káva → kávu, polévka → polévku. That little -u is your first case ending in the wild; it gets its name (the accusative) in Chapter 2.

Dám si kávu a polévku.

I'll have a coffee and a soup.

Note: -a words end in -u after dám si — a pattern to notice, not yet to analyse.

Liking Things: mám rád/ráda

"I like" agrees with you, the speaker: a man says mám rád kávu, a woman says mám ráda kávu. Same coffee, different rád.

Mám rád pivo. / Mám ráda čaj.

I like beer (m speaker). / I like tea (f speaker).

Note: The phrase agrees with the speaker's gender — one of Czech's charming quirks.

Table Manners

Before eating: Dobrou chuť! — enjoy your meal, said always, even over a sandwich. Toasting: Na zdraví! — and look each other in the eye, or endure the consequences (folklore is specific). The bill: Účet, prosím.

Common Mistakes

Dám si káva. After dám si, the -a becomes -u: dám si kávu.
A woman saying mám rád. The rád agrees with the speaker: mám ráda.
Skipping dobrou chuť. It isn't optional politeness — it's the meal's starting gun.

What You Can Do Now

You can order coffee, soup and the national drink, say what you like with the right rád/ráda, wish the table dobrou chuť and get the bill — a full café visit, in Czech.