All things hot

Welcome to SoundCzech, our Czech language series in which you can learn Czech phrases and idioms through song lyrics. Today, we will learn some expressions that might come in handy for those of us who would like to complain about the current heat wave. The song we will be listening to is called “Vedro” by the group Tichá Dohoda. The title of the song means heat. The word to listen for is vedro.

Photo: CTK

Vedro in Czech means heat. You can also say horko. Je vedro or Je horko translate to It is hot. Other words include teplo, which is Czech for warm, teplé počasí means warm weather. From teplo comes the Czech word for temperature – teplota. Vysoký teploty are high temperatures. If someone has a high fever, in Czech you would say Má vysokou teplotu. You can also say horečka for fever, as in Mám horečku– I have a fever.

And if you want to say it’s really bloody hot, you can say Je vedro jako v pekle– It is hot as hell. Have another listen.

Of course, few can stand to be out in the summer heat without working up a sweat. The Czech word for sweating is potit se. Já se hrozně potím means I am sweating terribly. Another way to say you are sweating profusely, though a lot more colloquial, is to say Potím se jako prase, or I am sweating like a pig.

And if you just want to complain about the heat, you can say To je vedro! With that I leave you to find a place to cool down. Thanks for listening and na shledanou.