Titles and Names

Czechs, like the rest of former Habsburg Europe, are fanatical about their academic titles and make a point of telling people if they are magistr, inenr, or anything else. It can be rather confusing to know how to utilize the titles, and I still have trouble knowing how to address individuals. The most important thing is to be aware of the Czech preference for academic titles since knowledge is power. If you're unsure, ask a Czech to guide you in selecting the proper form of address.

The difficulty of utilizing formal address is related to this. Czech has a formal and informal form of address, similar to German Du and Sie and French Tu and Vous, as do many other European languages. It can be difficult to actually know when to use ty (you - informal) and vy (you - formal). For example, you might have known someone well for years of work yet still refer to them informally. To be on the safe side, though, always use vy until the other person approves of using the more casual phrase.