Good Job, Good Effort!
Some Czechs understand a kind of rule, a famous Czech cook Zdeňek Pohlreich said like…
– “Vy vole” se špatně říká.. – You can’t use a specific swearword in a formal way. It’s just grammatically impossible.
Do you share your private experience with your co-workers?
I introduced one phrase in Czech as a thumbnail of my post yesterday.
It sounds: “Women are sneaky, but men are vain. Don’t forget, Namiko.”
One of my best Czech co-workers gave me this witty advice – oh, he was joking, but seriously 😉
He worked as a facility manager of a factory and gave a lot of practical advice.
We were fully different.
I lived in Prague, he in the countryside.
I spoke some foreign languages, he didn’t.
No common hobby neither interest.
Age?
I’m younger than his daughter and older than his ground daughter.
He showed me a different world with different values.
Not from the view of Human resources – managing or working with employees, Finance – budgeting and saving costs, checking cash flow and reserves for future investments.
Building and Facility.
No surprise – Planning and mapping statutory and voluntary inspections. Cooperating with other departments, authorized service centers or produces.
OMG, incredible work! – Accidents, happening, defects, whatever …. every equipment can surprise you exactly at the moment when you don’t want to hear it!
O U T OF O R D E R
Elevators, ventilation system, hot water supply, heating system, effluent treatment, alarm, FPS, FDR…
He took me everywhere that I could observe and remember defects, accidents or issues.
On the roof, on the wall – 4 m high from the floor, in the boiler room, charging room and … more!
🏭
He has already retired. Long time ago…
He always wore white shirt and long trousers. – In the factory, it was (it is) not so common in Czechia.
If you speak Czech, you choose or you make an agreement with the other speaker that you both speak FORMALLY or INFORMALLY.
We always talked formally although we talked a lot about private matters, about money, family, friends, other experiences.
It’s pretty interesting that having a good relationship doesn’t mean “speaking informally” in Czech.
Informal or friendly speaking looks like a signal that we are close. But not always.
Some Czechs understand a kind of rule, a famous Czech cook Zdeňek Pohlreich said like…
– “Vy vole” se špatně říká.. – You can’t use a specific swearword in a formal way. It’s just grammatically impossible.
Anyway, we didn’t have to show others that we “looked like” good friends. It was a good strategy that we talked, wrote email with others together formally.
We intensively worked together for 3 years, I think.. It was almost no day we didn’t communicate.
One day, he came with bad news that he need my help.
Sure, no problem!
But…. it was not difficult for me as a Japanese to forecast that “my help” ends in vain…
– To be continued –
Grammatical difference in Czech language
Formal way – always the second-person plural
Informal way – always the second-person singular
Some similar usages are in other European languages, but not in English.
WebWavelife with Namiko Sakamoto
Život na webu s vlnkou Namiko Sakamoto