Greetings
Dobrý den
DOH-bree den
Good day. Said on entering any shop, lift, waiting room or small restaurant. Not optional, and skipping it is read as rude.
Daily life
Šalina
SHA-li-na
The tram — Brno dialect, from the German elektrische Linie, and not used in Prague. Saying 'jedu šalinou' marks you as someone who lives here rather than visits.
Rodné číslo
ROD-neh CHEES-lo
Your birth number — the personal identifier that gates health insurance, banking and almost all official paperwork.
IDS JMK
ee-deh-es yot-em-KAH
The South Moravian integrated transport system. Brno city is zones 100 and 101; one ticket covers trams, trolleybuses, buses and regional trains within the zones you buy.
Cizinecká policie
TSI-zi-nets-kah po-LI-tsi-ye
The Foreign Police. Non-EU arrivals must report their address within three working days — a hard, short deadline that Friday arrivals routinely miss.
Social
Hantec
HAN-tets
Brno's own slang, a mix of Czech, German and Yiddish from the city's mixed industrial past. Mostly heard now in place names and jokes, but locals are proud of it.
Prosím
PRO-seem
Please, here you are, you're welcome, and 'sorry, what?'. Does an enormous amount of work in everyday Czech.
Work
Živnostenský list
ZHIV-nos-ten-skee list — 'živno'
The trade licence that lets you contract as a self-employed person. Flexible, and the route that leaves you personally liable for monthly insurance.
Food
Vinohrad / sklep
VEE-no-hrad / sklep
Vineyard and wine cellar. South Moravia produces most of Czechia's wine, and unlike Bohemia the default evening drink here is as often wine as beer.
Burčák
BOOR-chahk
Partly fermented young wine, sold only for a few weeks in early autumn. It tastes like grape juice, is not, and is a genuine South Moravian institution.
Emergency
112
—
The European emergency number, with English-speaking operators. 155 ambulance, 158 police, 150 fire also work directly.
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