# to check / ověřit



## MasterPolish

Hi,

I have problem how to translate the English word _to check_ (and its Polish equivalent: _sprawdzić_) in the meaning of 'to get to know the qualities of something' into Czech.

My dictionary first suggested _ověřit – ověřovat_, but I consulted _Slovník spisovného jázyka českého_, and it said: _ověřit _'potvrdit správnost, pravost něčeho'. It suggests that this word is not about getting to know qualities, but veryfing whether or not somebody was wrong. Similarly, _ověřit (si)_ defined as 'přesvědčit o správnosti, pravosti' suggests verifying stuff, and it seems to usually go with _zda_, but I found counterexamples, too, for instance: _ověřit zdroj informací_, and this, in turn, suggests multiple options, not just yes/no or other binary selection.

So now, can you clear for me how that works?
Can you say in Czech: _Check what's going on_ using _ověřit_? Or just: _Podivej co se děje_?
Is it acceptable to say: _Ověř si, jaký on je? ...jak pochutná ta polévka? ... jak zní ta hudba?_Or you would rather say  _podivej, ochutnej, poslouchej?_

And there is also _prověřit_ and _zkontrolovat_, which seem to function as synonymes (except "důvěřuj ale prověřuj") – what's the difference between them and _ověřit_?

Thanks in advance for any comments on that.


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## bibax

*zjistit (si)* - *zjišťovat (si)*:

Zjisti, co se děje! Podívej se (koukni se), co se děje. Jdi (běž) se podívat (kouknout), co se děje.

Zjisti, jaký je. Zjisti si, jaký je.
Zjisti, jak chutná (pochutná bude chutnat) ta polévka. Ochutnej ... Běž ochutnat tu polévku!
Zjisti, jak zní ta hudba.

*kontrolovat *-* zkontrolovat (si)*:

Než vyjedeš, zkontroluj (si) brzdy.


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## MasterPolish

Thanks for the extensive reply 

Isn't *zjistit *more like "to determine" or "to state", though? And does it render my translation to ověřit/prověřit incorrect?


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## bibax

to determine is rather *určiti/určovati* (to decide, to define).

*zjistiti/zjišťovati* is rather to ascertain, to find out, to discover, something like *poznati* = to get to know, to learn.
*ověřiti/ověřovati* = to verify, to certify, to authenticate;

Your translation is not correct.

Zjisti, jak chutná ta polévka.
Normally we say: Ochutnej tu polévku.

The verbs ověřiti and prověřiti sound too formal.

Ověř, zda polévka splňuje normy EU. _(_zjisti, zda _means something else)_
Prověř původ polévky. _(_zjisti původ polévky _is something else)_


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## MasterPolish

Oh, okay, thank you a bunch – this clarifies a lot


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