Romance has its own set of words in every language. Here are the essential Czech ones, from “will you marry me?” to the flight home.
1. The proposal: požádat o ruku
požádat o ruku literally means “to ask for (someone’s) hand.” Notice the o + accusative — the very same pattern as zajímat se o or starat se o.
On ji požádal o ruku a ona řekla ano.
He proposed to her (asked for her hand) and she said yes.
2. The couple: snoubenec & snoubenka
- snoubenec — fiancé (the man)
- snoubenka — fiancée (the woman)
- snoubenci — the engaged couple (both together)
3. The engagement: zasnoubení
zasnoubení is the engagement itself; the verb is zasnoubit se — “to get engaged.”
Zasnoubili se na Vánoce.
They got engaged at Christmas.
4. The honeymoon: líbánky
líbánky (“honeymoon”) is a plural-only word — it comes from líbat, “to kiss.”
Jedeme na líbánky do Itálie.
We’re going to Italy for our honeymoon.
For Russian speakers: zasnoubení → обручение, líbánky → медовый месяц. Same milestones, Czech words.
So the sequence is: požádat o ruku → become snoubenci → celebrate the zasnoubení → and, after the wedding, off on líbánky.
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