h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I went to Prague a few years ago.

Great Place.

Loverly People

And All that.

Spot of advice though. Never order Four of anything.

Having taken a czech-english dictionary and learnt (farily quickly) the czech for 'one', 'two' and 'three', i was horrified to learn that the translation for 'four' was a word of about twelve syllables, and thus comletely un-pronouncable.

Thus...if you want, say four bottles of beer. Order three and then say, 'oh, and can i have another.'

thank you.

Ctyri

As in Shhhtyyrzrzrzrzreeeeee


Easy Peasy.

i rest my case.

Perhaps this is why they make their drink soooo strong! I refer to Absynth, of course, the 75% alchohol killer of a drink. Luckily only three are required to get you arse-drunk! To have four is both hard to order, and hard to do anything afterwards - including the simple act of breathing! Therefore I propose that the word was introduced by the country's medical officer to prevent unconditioned tourists from drinking themselves to death on their best kept secret!

Simple really!

Sooooo....you speak from experiance then!!!

Mmmm! Fond experience!

Mmmmm! Drunken stupor!

Mmmmmm! Doughnuts!

If it's any consolation, even some Czechs have trouble with saying ctyri. It is acceptable to say 'Styri' (Shteeree) instead. Now you can order all the Pivo you want.

I have heard that the Czech president, Dr. Havel, can't even pronounce the consonant properly.

Czechs get great fun out of what the Guiness Book of Records calls the most unpronouncable consonant in the world (the "r" in ctyri).

It is fortunate that the consonant does not appear in the phrase "Pivo Prosim"!

CR