As I said in my previous post, Essential 20 – Czech, I was taken with the notion, in a twist on the Pareto Principle, that when acquiring a new language or moving to / visiting a new country the greatest value comes from having 20 key survival phrases.

Here again is my list, this time with translations to Mandarin Chinese (characters and pinyin).

Hello.
你好。
Nǐ hǎo.

Good bye.
再见。
Zài jiàn.

Yes.
是。
Shì.
Consider 对 duì ‘correct’ for agreement.

No.
不是。
Bùshì.
Consider 不对 bùduì ‘not correct’ for disagreement.

I want this…
我要这个…
Wǒ yāo zhè ge…

One glass of (beer / tea / water) please.
请给我一杯 （啤酒 ／ 茶 ／ 水）。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi píjiǔ / chá / shuǐ.

The bill, please.
请买单。
Qǐng mǎidān.

How much?
多小钱？
Duōxiǎo qián?

Where is … ? (person / place)
… 在哪里？
… zài nǎ lǐ?

Where is the bathroom?
洗手间在哪里？
Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎ lǐ?

I don’t speak Mandarin.
我不会说普通话。
Wǒ bù huì shuō pǔtōnghuà.

Do you speak English?
你会说英语吗？
Nǐ huí shuō Yīngyǔ ma?

I don’t understand.
我不懂。
Wǒ bù dǒng.

Can you repeat that please?
再说一边。
Zài shuō yī biān.

Can you help me?
你能帮我吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?

I’m sorry.
对不起。
Duìbuqǐ.

No problem / It’s ok.
没关系。
Méiguānxi.
Used following an apology.

Please.
请。
Qǐng.
Place at the beginning of a request.

Thank you.
谢谢。
Xiè xie.

You’re welcome.
不用谢。
Bù yòng xiè.

Excuse me.
请问。
Qǐng wèn.
Used to intrude, lit. may I ask.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
一， 二，三， 四，五，六，七， 八， 九， 十。
Yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ, liù, qī, bā, jiǔ, shí.

I have recently been taken with the notion, in a twist on the Pareto Principle, that when acquiring a new language or moving to / visiting a new country the greatest value comes from having 20 key survival phrases.

Thus, what follows is my Essential 20 phrases with their translations into Czech.

Corrections welcome.

Hello.
Ahoj.
Ahoj is quite informal, if you don’t know the person well use Dobrý den ‘good day’ or Dobrý večer ‘good evening’.

Good bye.
Na shledanou.

Yes.
Ano.

No.
Ne.

I’ll have … . (in a restaurant)
Dám si … .

One beer / one tea / one water, please.
Jedno pivo / jeden čaj / jednu vodu, prosím.

The bill, please.
Učet prosím.

How much does it cost?
Kolik to stoji?

Where is … ? (person / place)
Kde je … ?

Where is the bathroom?
Kde je W.C. / toaleta?

I don’t speak Czech.
Nemluvím česky.

Do you speak English?
Mluvíte anglicky?

I don’t understand.
Nerozumím.

Can you repeat that please?
Prosím, můžete to zopakovat?

Can you help me?
Můžete mi pomoct?

I’m sorry.
Omlouvám se.

No problem / It’s ok.
Nic se nestalo.

Please.
Prosím.

Thank you.
Děkuji.

Sure / you’re welcome / my pleasure.
Neni zač / prosím / rádo se stalo.

Excuse me.
Promiňte.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Jeden (m) / jedna (f) / jedno (n), dva (m) / dvě (f/n), tři, čtyři, pět, šest, sedum, osm, devět, deset.

A recent trip to my first ever yoga lesson (loved it, btw) inspired a brief language lesson in the names of body parts and facial features.

Click through to Flickr for more sizes or to download.

All credit goes to E, all mistakes are my own. Corrections welcome.

Vocabulary list is available here as Google Doc.

Body graphic by dubrovskaya on istockphoto.com.

I’m still not sure whether sharing Czech language learning resources on this blog is the right way to go, your opinion is welcomed.

Headlines

• Lots of effort in looking for work, as you would expect.
• Ran with the Prague Hash for the first time.

Wealth / Career

• Job Hunting - Good progress on looking for work, meeting with an agency and a few concrete applications made.
• Xing – Created a profile on Xing (a bit like LinkedIn) following a recommendation from a friend that it was more prevalent in Europe. Unconvinced about the platform so far.

Skills / Personal Growth

• Toastmasters - attended and spoke.
• Czech – started labelling everything the apartment, need those nouns.
• Personal Effectiveness Blog Posts - Finished posting this series.
• Started reading and am really enjoying The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss (a PMBA book).

Health / Fitness

• Running – Followed the marathon training plan, though the run with Even If It Rains was cancelled, the name of the club being Even If It Rains, not Even If I’m In Danger Of Being Struck By Lightening.

Enjoyment

• Ran with the Prague Hash House Harriers for the first time. Jolly good fun and a nice run to boot.
• Reading Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami.