Czech · Autoservis
A red warning light is on on the dashboard: what to say in Czech
A red warning light is on on the dashboard.
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How it's done. A yellow kontrolka (warning light) is a warning, red means stop; describe the symbol or show a photo; olej (oil), brzdy (brakes), motor (engine).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, v autě svítí červená kontrolka. Můžete se podívat?
DOH-brih dayn, v OW-tyeh SVEE-tee CHEHR-veh-nuh KOHN-trol-kuh. MOO-zheh-teh seh POH-dee-vuht?
Good day, a red warning light is on in the car. Can you take a look?
Or say:Dobrý den, na palubní desce se rozsvítila červená kontrolka. Co to znamená?
DOH-brih dayn, nuh PAH-loob-nee DES-tseh seh ROS-svee-tee-luh CHEHR-veh-nuh KOHN-trol-kuh. Tsoh toh ZNAH-meh-nuh?
THEY SAY
Dobrý den. Jaký má symbol? Můžete mi ho ukázat?DOH-brih dayn. YAH-kih mah SIM-bol? MOO-zheh-teh mee goh OO-kuh-zuht?
Good day. What symbol does it have? Can you show me?
They might also say:
Jakou kontrolku vidíte? Ukažte mi fotku, jestli ji máte.
YAH-koh-oo KOHN-trol-koo VEE-dee-teh? OO-kuhsh-teh mee FOT-koo, YEHS-tlee yee MAH-teh.
Which light do you see? Show me a photo if you have one.
2
YOU REPLY
Je to olejnička, svítí od rána.
Yeh toh OH-lay-neech-kuh, SVEE-tee od RAH-nuh.
It is the oil light, it has been on since morning.
THEY SAY
To je důležité. Nepokračujte v jízdě, hrozí poškození motoru. Zkontrolujeme hladinu oleje.Toh yeh DOO-leh-zhee-teh. NEH-poh-kruh-chooy-teh v YEEZ-dyeh, GROH-zee POSH-koh-zeh-nee MOH-toh-roo. SKOHN-troh-loo-eh-meh GLAH-dee-noo OH-leh-eh.
That is important. Do not drive on, the engine could be damaged. We'll check the oil level.
3
YOU REPLY
Jak dlouho to potrvá?
Yahk DLOH-oo-goh toh POTR-vuh?
How long will it take?
THEY SAY
Asi dvacet minut. Zavolám vám, co jsme zjistili.AH-see DVAH-tset MEE-noot. ZAH-voh-luhm vahm, tsoh ysmeh ZYEES-tee-lee.
About twenty minutes. I'll phone you what we found out.
4
YOU FINISH
Děkuji za rychlou pomoc.
DYEH-kooy-ee zah RIKH-loh-oo POH-mots.
Thank you for the quick help.
THEY SAY
Rádo se stalo.RAH-doh seh STAH-loh.
My pleasure.
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
autě
OW-tyeh
noun
car (locative)
svítí
SVEE-tee
verb
is lit
červená
CHEHR-veh-nuh
adjective
red (feminine)
kontrolka
KOHN-trol-kuh
noun
warning light
41 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?
Můžete mi to ukázat?
MOO-zheh-teh mee toh OO-kuh-zuht?
Can you show me?
Similar situations
You book a garage for an oil changeAutoservis · A2 in the app
→You ask to have summer tyres swapped for winter onesAutoservis · A2 in the app
→You ask for an estimate of the repair costAutoservis · A2 in the app
→After a minor accident you fill in an accident report with the other driverPorucha / odtah · B1 in the app
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