Czech · Krejčí / švec
The trousers are too long and you ask to have them shortened: what to say in Czech
The trousers are too long and you ask to have them shortened.
💡
How it's done. Zkrátit is to shorten, zúžit to take in, ušít to sew, zašít to sew up; the workshop is called krejčovství or opravy oděvů.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, tyhle kalhoty jsou mi dlouhé. Můžete je zkrátit?
DOH-brih dayn, TIG-leh KAHL-goh-tih ysoh-oo mee DLOH-oo-geh. MOO-zheh-teh yeh SKRAH-teet?
Good day, these trousers are too long for me. Can you shorten them?
Or say:Dobrý den, chtěl{|a} bych si nechat zkrátit tyhle kalhoty.
DOH-brih dayn, khtyehl bikh see NEH-khuht SKRAH-teet TIG-leh KAHL-goh-tih.
THEY SAY
Ano, vyzkoušejte si je, označím špendlíky.AH-noh, VIS-koh-oo-shay-teh see yeh, OZ-nuh-cheem SHPAYN-dlee-kih.
Yes, try them on, I'll mark with pins.
They might also say:
Samozřejmě. Postavte se na podstavec.
SAH-mozr-zhaym-nyeh. POS-tuhf-teh seh nuh POTS-tuh-vets.
Of course. Stand on the platform.
2
YOU FINISH
Kolik to bude stát?
KOH-leek toh BOO-deh staht?
How much will it cost?
THEY SAY
Dvě stě padesát korun. Bude to hotové v pátek.Dvyeh styeh PAH-deh-suht KOH-roon. BOO-deh toh GOH-toh-veh f PAH-tek.
Two hundred and fifty crowns. It will be ready on Friday.
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
kalhoty
KAHL-goh-tih
noun
trousers
jsou
ysoh-oo
verb
are
dlouhé
DLOH-oo-geh
adjective
long
Můžete
MOO-zheh-teh
verb
you can
20 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?
Co to znamená?
Tsoh toh ZNAH-meh-nuh?
What does this mean?
Similar situations
The zip on your jacket has broken and you go to a seamstressKrejčí / švec · A2 in the app
→You leave your shoes with the cobbler to have the heels replacedKrejčí / švec · A2 in the app
→You take a coat to the dry cleaner'sČistírna · A2 in the app
→You ask where you can scan a documentKopírování / tisk · A1 in the app
→Found a mistake? Write to us and we will fix it. This is language help, not medical or legal advice.Report