# děkuji or děkuju?



## Setwale_Charm

So far I have never actually found out to this day which is more correct. I have encountered both.


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## Jana337

Both are correct but "děkuju" sounds more casual. I always use "děkuji".

Jana


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## Setwale_Charm

Tedy, děkuji, Jana.


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## PocketWatch

I have noticed that too. If děkujovat is the verb for 'to thank' I thought that the proper conjugation for the já form would be -uji. Are there other acceptions to this rule other than děkuju/uji?


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## Orreaga

PocketWatch said:


> I have noticed that too. If děkujovat is the verb for 'to thank' I thought that the proper conjugation for the já form would be -uji. Are there other acceptions to this rule other than děkuju/uji?



For infinitives ending in *-ovat* (děkujovat, studovat, pracovat, etc.), the first person singular present tense has alternate endings in *-uju* and *-uji*.  The *-uju* ending is considered slightly more colloquial (according to my texts), but this probably varies regionally.


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## winpoj

May I draw your attention to the fact that the infinitive form is "děkovat" rather than "děkujovat"?


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## Orreaga

winpoj said:


> May I draw your attention to the fact that the infinitive form is "děkovat" rather than "děkujovat"?



Samozřejmě!  * *Je mi líto... děkuji!


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## PocketWatch

Thank you, some of my Czech verbs are rusty.


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## merquiades

Ahoj!  Knowing which form of "Thank you" to use is a mystery to me.  I just came to a conclusion both are very common and people don't care.  However, I wanted to comment on a third form I came across recently in a grocery store in Prague. There the shop keepers use "děkujem".  Is this an even more informal/formal variant? Na shledanou.


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## Garin

merquiades said:


> Ahoj!  Knowing which form of "Thank you" to use is a mystery to me.  I just came to a conclusion both are very common and people don't care.  However, I wanted to comment on a third form I came across recently in a grocery store in Prague. There the shop keepers use "děkujem".  Is this an even more informal/formal variant? Na shledanou.


I would not call it more formal, it is just that the shop assistant speaks as if in the name of the whole team - "we (i.e. all the shop assistants, proprietor, whoever is on their payroll) thank you".


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## Catenaria

As Jana said above, both are correct; the difference is that "děkuji" is more formal and "děkuju" is more informal. When you write, you're more likely to use "děkuji" (unless you're writing a casual email to your friend), and when you speak you can use both (though you will probably use/hear more "děkuju", especially on the street).

"Děkujem" is an informal/slang for the 1st person plural (the correct one is "děkujeme"). Remember that "děkovat" is a verb which is conjugated, and though logically the 1st person singular forms "děkuju/děkuji" are the most used ones, it can also be used in any other person (děkuju/děkuji, děkuješ, děkuje in singular, and děkujeme, děkujete, děkují in plural - here you can sometimes also see an informal děkujou).


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## winpoj

Just for the benefit of learners: The versions that are even more informal than "děkuju" are "díky" and "dík". Sometimes you can even hear just "dˇ". That is the most informal but not that frequent.


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## Tagarela

winpoj said:


> Just for the benefit of learners: The versions that are even more informal than "děkuju" are "díky" and "dík". Sometimes you can even hear just "dˇ". That is the most informal but not that frequent.



Karel Kryl would have a hard job trying to make a song only with Ď 

*Sorry mods, I could help doing this joke.

** Karel Kryl is a Czech singer and has a song called _Děkuji_


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## bibax

Quite common slang word for _děkuji_ is *děkan* (= _dean_).


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## Emys

Another slang word: *díkec*.


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## Ben Jamin

PocketWatch said:


> I have noticed that too. If děkujovat is the verb for 'to thank' I thought that the proper conjugation for the já form would be -uji. Are there other acceptions to this rule other than děkuju/uji?


 You meant exceptions?


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## vianie

Emys said:


> Another slang word: *díkec*.



I thought that _díke*s*_ is more common.


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## werrr

winpoj said:


> Just for the benefit of learners: The versions that are even more informal than "děkuju" are "díky" and "dík".



*Dík* is a perfectly crumulent word.

I wonder what makes people think that the noun *dík*, possibly the most lemmatic and standard cognate of *děkovat*, is somehow informal. Perhaps people start to think of it as of a parenthesis alike as of *prosím*. Or is it because of the missing attributes which usualy accompany the word *dík* in formal phrases (_vřelý dík; tisíceré díky_)?



> Sometimes you can even hear just "dˇ".


This is unknown and obscure to me.



vianie said:


> I thought that _díke*s*_ is more common.


Phonetical differences of this form are at the very limit of resolving ability of colloquial Czech.


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## francisgranada

Tagarela said:


> Karel Kryl would have a hard job trying to make a song only with Ď
> 
> ... that's why some people do not say anything ...


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## tlumic

merquiades said:


> Ahoj! Knowing which form of "Thank you" to use is a mystery to me. I just came to a conclusion both are very common and people don't care. However, I wanted to comment on a third form I came across recently in a grocery store in Prague. There the shop keepers use "děkujem". Is this an even more informal/formal variant? Na shledanou.


 
Otherwise what is well possible is that the shop assistant was a Slovak. The Slovaks say (1st person singular): "ďakujem". It sounds obviously nearly the same as "děkujem(e)".


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## vianie

tlumic said:


> Otherwise what is well possible is that the shop assistant was a Slovak.



That's of course quite possible but note that most sellers say "thank you" (for obvious reasons) in the plural even if they are alone.



> The Slovaks say (1st person singular): "ďakujem". It sounds obviously nearly the same as "děkujem(e)".



For foreigners it _may_ sound exactly the same.


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## lordfrikk

werrr said:


> This is unknown and obscure to me.



No wonder it is, since it's one of those cool words that someone invents and then it goes viral. I wouldn't use it if you're not a native speaker, since it will come off quite weird (or you will all have a good laugh if you say it jovially, I suppose). 

To summarize:

děkuji - formal, if in doubt use it
děkuju - slightly less formal, do not use in job applications and such, otherwise perfectly okay
slang words - this is how i would sort them obscurity-wise (least obscure at the top):
dík/y
díkec/s
děkan (if fact i don't think i ever heard this one but it makes sense i suppose, would't use it because it sounds to me like person saying it tries too hard to be cool and different, same with ď)
ď


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## bibax

*Ď* is mostly used in the phrase *"tak ti ď "* or *"tak ti teda ď "*, often meant ironically.

BTW
Do you know Dalibor Janda's cover version  of Kryl's song _Děkuji_?



> *Tak ti ď.*
> 
> _...
> Už ti nechci víc žádnej dopis psát
> Víc ani muk
> Ať tě nechce žádnej kluk
> 
> Hej, tak ti ď, nestojí to ani ň
> Nestojí to ani ň, tak ti dík
> ....
> _


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## lordfrikk

bibax said:


> *Ď* is mostly used in the phrase *"tak ti ď "* or *"tak ti teda ď "*, often meant ironically.



I only ever heard it in a spoken conversation as "ď ď", meaning simply "thanks". But as I said before, it's just people trying to be edgy, I don't consider it something suitable for regular use.


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## francisgranada

Predpokladám, že to *ď* sa vyslovuje približne _ďö  ..._


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## lordfrikk

It's pronounced only as ď, no other letter after it. It sounds bit of awkward, but I guess that's what it's about.


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## francisgranada

lordfrikk said:


> It's pronounced only as ď, no other letter after it. It sounds bit of awkward, but I guess that's what it's about.


 
A consonant, per definition, cannot be pronounced "alone" ... But it's absolutely not important from the point of view of the original question itself  ...


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## vianie

Maximally *ď* plus *schwa*. Right now, Francis? 

And, I do not think it always tries to be cool in a strained way. One can use it handily eg. in informal emails instead of its complete form, as *sp.* instead of *S pozdravem*.


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## lordfrikk

francisgranada said:


> A consonant, per definition, cannot be pronounced "alone" ... But it's absolutely not important from the point of view of the original question itself  ...



I didn't realize you wanted that level of precision, in that case:

[ďə] or [ɟə] (basically what *vianie* said)


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## francisgranada

lordfrikk said:


> I didn't realize you wanted that level of precision, in that case:
> 
> [ďə] or [ɟə] (basically what *vianie* said)


 
Ok, now I think we understand each other perfectly  ...


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## Sherpot

Děkuji is older form than děkuju, i after j was the only right ending of verbs in present form, u after j is also correct today.
Děkuji-děkuju, miluji-miluju, kupuji-kupuju, etc.


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## bibax

Děkuju is older than děkuji (see "Prague umlaut").


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