# I'm doing great



## lukaa18

Hi everyone!
I started learning czech a couple days ago and I already figured out that I should try to avoid words with the letter "ř", because I can't pronounce it right hahaha. One of the most common thing we say in the everyday life is Hey how are you? I'm good and you?
So, instead of saying "I'm good" (Mám se dobře), I'd like to have the habit of saying "I'm great".
So my question to you is how would you translate that? When I write "great" on google translate, it gives me about 10 different translations.

Thanks in advance


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## Enquiring Mind

Hi lukaa18, here's an interesting little culturo-linguistic perspective from Radio Prague.


> To ask your friend how are you in Czech you say - *jak se máš?* (...) There are two obvious responses: well - *dobře* or badly - *špatně*. Careful, there is an unspoken rule in Czech that you don't say you are well - *dobře* and certainly not super - *super*, excellent - *výborně* or great - *skvěle*. At best you'll probably say *jde to*, which means alright: literally 'it goes' like ça va in French. Czech is not a language for overstatement. (radio cz)


I'm not sure I can entirely agree because there's no reason why you can't say _mám se výborně_, _mám se skvěle_, or just _super_, but that's not a response that I hear much, unless the speakers know each other well.





> I should try to avoid words with the letter "ř"


 . There's no way anyone can speak Czech by avoiding words with the letter ř.


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## hwdnrtt

Hi Lukaa18,

(...)

On the "mám se dobře" issue. I have to side with Radio Prague. I very rarely hear someone say "mám se dobře", even less "skvěle/výborně". Its just not common for the Czechs to, I don't know, boast . If you're doing great, keep it to yourself! Others aren't so lucky.

But seriousy, you can certainly say "Mám se výborně" and no one will notice (probably). Its a cultural thing. Funnily enough - Italians forbid the response "badly" to that question. (Come stai? Sto male. Sto bene.)

So saying "Mám se výborně" in Czech is a little bit like saying "Sto male" in Italian. Its not wrong but you're likely to raise some eybrows.

Good luck!


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## atcheque

Dobrý den,

Téma tohoto vlákna je _I'm doing great_.

Další vlákna o ř:
/r/ sound, hláska
pronunciation of ď, ť, ř, ch
ř - sound
r and ř

atcheque, moderátor.


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