gratuluji
In Czech, congratulations is expressed as gratuluji.
The verb gratuluji is used to express approbation or to say 'I congratulate'. You can use specific phrases to congratulate someone on specific achievements, such as Blahopřeji k získání titulu for obtaining a title or Blahopřeji ke svatbě for getting married. Additionally, the noun gratulace can be used as a standalone exclamation, Gratulace!, to mean 'Congratulations!' in many contexts.
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Which one should you use?
While gratuluji is the verb form meaning 'I congratulate', gratulace is the noun used to refer to the act of congratulating or used as the exclamation 'Congratulations!'
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form gratuluji is the first-person singular present tense, which translates to 'I congratulate'. Because it is a verb, you often add a pronoun to specify the recipient: use gratuluji vám to say 'I congratulate you' in a formal or plural sense and gratuluji ti to say 'I congratulate you' to a single friend or family member.
Did you know?
- For a name day, which is often as important as a birthday in Czechia, people use blahopřeji to congratulate the person on their patron saint's day.
- While gratuluji is common, the more traditional word blahopřeji literally means 'I wish you bliss'. It is often preferred for major life milestones like weddings or births.
- When someone receives a gratulace for a professional achievement, they often respond with Děkuji and a humble deflection, as overly confident acceptance can be seen as boasting.
Examples in context
- Jé, jsi šikovná! Blahopřeji k vítězství ve sportovním závodě!Wow, you're talented! Congratulations on winning the sports competition!
- Gratuluji k tvému novému úspěchu.Congratulations on your new success.
- Gratuluji k úspěšné zkoušce!Congratulations on passing the exam!
Example conversation
Kateřina tells Jakub that he passed his driving test.
- KateřinaJakube, slyšela jsem o řidičáku. Gratuluji!Jakub, I heard about the driver's license. Congratulations!
- JakubDěkuji moc, Kateřino!Thank you very much, Kateřina!
- KateřinaByla to těžká zkouška, viď?It was a hard test, wasn't it?
- JakubAno, ale zvládla jsem to.Yes, but I managed it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
