As if it were nothing

Welcome to SoundCzech, our language series in which we look at Czech phrases through song lyrics. In today’s edition, the expression to listen for is “jakoby nic” featured in a song by the pop group Chinaski.

Translated into English, jakoby nic means as if it were nothing. Teenagers caught skipping class to have a cigarette in the school yard may try to act jakoby nic– to act casual, to pretend nothing was going on - to avoid getting into trouble. The same goes for cheating during a test, or getting caught by a co-worker “scratching” your nose at work. Not picking, like in that famous Seinfeld episode The Pick, scratching. You might want to pretend it was nothing.

Photo: Kristýna Maková

Chinaski, by contrast, complain in their song about everyone acting as if nothing were going on – všichni se tváří jakoby nic– hiding what they are thinking behind fake smiles, the source of no uncertain frustration. Something big may be at stake, but people decide to keep their feelings under wraps, to act jakoby nic or jakoby se nic nedělo, to avoid further ramping up tension. Everyone knows a colleague is about to be fired (only the person in question is in the dark) and all remain tight lipped, uncomfortable about the situation and not wanting to be involved. A more positive example might be the parents who purposely act jakoby nic, as if nothing were at stake, ahead of their child’s big day: his or her premiere as a young performer in front of the whole school, for example. They’ll purposely tone down their actions ahead of the event to avoid their child getting even more nervous.

Others who might want to act jakoby nic are buddies out on the town to try and pick up girls at a popular club or bar, they too might be advised to act jakoby nic– to act cool or casual – in the hopes of beginning a promising conversation and not blowing it. Jakoby nic. Nic se neděje, everything’s cool, your friends may assure you, just relax. So what if you accidentally spilt beer all over your shirt: it’s so dark in here, she’ll never notice.

Sometimes, of course, it’s hard to keep from showing your emotions, especially when something unexpected happens, a bolt out of the blue – blesk s čistého nebe: just try to act jakoby nic if you find a forgotten lottery ticket in your pocket has won you a million dollars, or if you learn you were accepted for a prestigious job or placed first among applicants for an excellent school. Sure, for a few moments you may just smile and act jakoby nic but just wait until you get out the front door and round that first corner and are finally alone. At last! There, you’ll pump your fist in the air, or simply yell or jump for joy. As if it were nothing. Jakoby nic.