veselé Vánoce
[vɛsɛlɛː vaːnot͡sɛ]
Merry Christmas in Czech is veselé Vánoce.
veselé Vánoce is used to express good wishes during the Christmas season. While the word Vánoce is typically capitalized when referring to the holiday, you may see it written in lowercase in informal contexts.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word veselé means merry or happy.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective veselé must agree in gender and number with the noun Vánoce, which is a non-masculine plural noun.
Did you know?
- In a traditional Czech home, the spirit of Vánoce is centered around the 'štedrý večer' or 'generous evening', which is the Christmas Eve feast.
- The term Vánoce is a partial calque of the German word 'Weihnachten'.
- While veselé Vánoce is the standard greeting, Czechs often use the phrase přeji krásné Vánoce to wish someone 'beautiful Christmas' for a more elegant tone.
Examples in context
- Veselé Vánoce, Tome!Merry Christmas, Tom!This example shows how to use veselé Vánoce when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #12226223 by Ergulis, translation #12226226 by Ergulis
- Veselé Vánoce, Tatoebo!Merry Christmas, Tatoeba!Tatoeba #9535888 by Ergulis, translation #6732233 by Eccles17
- Veselé vánoce!Merry Christmas!This example shows how to use the phrase as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #1802299 by moskbnea, translation #1723 by brauliobezerra
- Přeji Vám všem Veselé Vánoce.I wish you all a merry Christmas.
Example conversation
Kateřina and Lukáš are meeting at a Christmas market.
- KateřinaVeselé Vánoce, Lukáši!Merry Christmas, Lukáš!
- LukášDěkuji, Kateřino. Veselé Vánoce i tobě!Thank you, Kateřina. Merry Christmas to you too!
- KateřinaUžíváš si vánoční atmosféru?Are you enjoying the Christmas atmosphere?
- LukášAno, je to tu krásné.Yes, it is beautiful here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries veselé Vánoce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Vánoce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
