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
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| chleba | bread |
| sýr | cheese |
| polévka | soup |
| jablko | apple |
| voda | water |
| mléko | milk |
| káva / čaj / pivo | coffee / tea / beer |
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.
Dobrý den, co si dáte?
Hello, what will you have?
Dám si kávu a chleba se sýrem.
I'll have a coffee and bread with cheese.
Prosím. Dobrou chuť!
Here you are. Enjoy!
Děkuju!
Thanks!
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.