Czech · S sebou / bufet
You get lunch at a canteen or buffet: what to say in Czech
You have lunch at a canteen or buffet.
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How it's done. In a canteen (jídelna) or buffet you choose the dish at the counter and pay at the till; the polední menu usually has numbers (číslo jedna, číslo dvě).Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
YOU START
Dobrý den, jak to tady funguje?
DOH-brih dayn, yahk toh TAH-dih FOON-goo-eh?
Good day, how does this work here?
Or say:Dobrý den, mám si vybrat jídlo tady?
DOH-brih dayn, mahm see VIH-bruht YEE-dloh TAH-dih?
THEY SAY
Vyberete si číslo jedna nebo dvě a zaplatíte u pokladny.VIH-beh-reh-teh see CHEE-sloh YEHD-nuh NEH-boh dvyeh uh ZAH-pluh-tee-teh oo POH-kluhd-nih.
You choose number one or two and pay at the till.
They might also say:
Ano, vyberte si z nabídky a zaplaťte u pokladny.
AH-noh, VIH-behr-teh see z NAH-beet-kih uh ZAH-pluhty-teh oo POH-kluhd-nih.
Yes, choose from the offer and pay at the till.
2
YOU FINISH
Poprosím číslo dvě.
POH-proh-seem CHEE-sloh dvyeh.
Number two, please.
THEY SAY
Dobře, to je sto dvacet korun.DOBR-zheh, toh yeh stoh DVAH-tset KOH-roon.
All right, that's one hundred and twenty crowns.
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “Czech for life in Czechia”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Dobrý
DOH-brih
adjective
good
den
dayn
noun
day
jak
yahk
adverb
how
tady
TAH-dih
adverb
here
funguje
FOON-goo-eh
verb
works
Vyberete
VIH-beh-reh-teh
verb
you will choose
16 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Můžete to zopakovat, prosím?
MOO-zheh-teh toh ZOH-puh-koh-vuht, PROH-seem?
Can you repeat that, please?
Můžete mluvit pomaleji, prosím?
MOO-zheh-teh MLOO-veet POH-muh-lay-ee, PROH-seem?
Can you speak more slowly, please?
Co to znamená?
Tsoh toh ZNAH-meh-nuh?
What does this mean?
Similar situations
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