# Thank you for your Christmas card



## artimedoros49

Ahoj,

What is the correct way to say *Christmas card *in Czech?

Děkuji za tvůj *vánoční přání *or *vánoční pohlednice.*

Or are they pretty well much the same?

Thank you


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## Enquiring Mind

Hi artimedoros49, the short answer (in my non-native opinion) is *vánoční přání*, but there are problems with the rest of the sentence as it stands, and we can't give you the right version without more specific context. I guess that's why no-one has answered all day. 

How many people are doing the thanking? How many people are being thanked? How many Christmas cards were sent (the version you have suggests that more than one card was sent, because the object appears to be in the accusative plural)? If only one person is being thanked, what is your social relationship with the person being thanked (Czech has the same tutoyer/vouvoyer distinction as in French)? How formal do you want your sentence to sound (děkuj*i* = formal/polite - could even be construed as stand-offish, děkuj*u* = friendly/colloquial)?  Do you just want to know how to say the phrase correctly, or are you learning the language and interested in an explanation of the grammar in the phrase? 

Who'd have thought a simple sentence in Czech could be fraught with so many difficulties, eh? These are the kind of sociolinguistic considerations that a translation machine cannot even begin to address.  To sum up, the sentence doesn't work as it stands, but if you can provide the answers to the context questions, I'm sure people will be able to help. 

Šťastný nový rok! (That's a phrase the translation machine can't possibly get wrong .)


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## artimedoros49

Thanks for your response, Enquiring Mind, and for pointing out the inconsistencies in grammar.
My haste (and typo) has led to some confusion, for which I apologise. I'm writing to a cousin. Hence, informal. Actually the sentence I provided was just for context of some sort. I'd like to know the Czech for _Christmas card. _According to _Internetová jazyková příručka, _*přání *is (N.) Accusative Sing and Pl. So if that's the correct word to use, then *vánoční přání* should be OK. But another cousin has referred to her Christmas card as a *pohlednice, *which my dictionaries refer to as a _*picture postcard.*_
If this is the correct word, then I guess it should be *vánoční **pohlednici *(F. Acc. Sing). I am referring to only one card, not several cards.
Once again, thank you.


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## Enquiring Mind

Ok thanks for the context, I can see now that you're already aware of the grammar aspects.  

The one I hear all the time (well, around Christmas mostly ) is "vánoční *přání*". I don't recall hearing native speakers here in Cz say "děkuju za vánoční *pohlednici*". "Přání" literally, of course, refers to the good wishes or sentiments rather than the piece of cardboard - the Christmas card - on which they're printed, but at the same time what you're thanking them for is the good wishes or greetings, rather than the piece of cardboard.  So by extension (and in context), *přání *means the card too. 

So, to someone who you normally "tykat" (use the familiar forms of address) and in familiar style: "děkuju za vánoční přání". Czech doesn't need to use the possessive adjectives "my" "your" etc as much as we use them in English, and the possessive "za *Tvé* vánoční přání" sounds out of place to me in this style and context. 

But wait for the natives, hopefully they will chip in soon with their thoughts.


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## artimedoros49

Thanks for all your help, Enquiring Mind. Much appreciated.


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## bibax

We use the dative *ti* (= to you; like in German "ich danke *dir* für ..."):

Děkuji Ti za vánoční přání. 

Děkuji za Tvoje (or Tvé) vánoční přání.  although otherwise grammatically correct and comprehensible


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