Decoding legal/administrative Czech: tímto, níže uvedený, v souladu s, dle, je povinen and writing a formal letter
I can read contracts and official letters and produce a formally correct request.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Tímto žádám o prodloužení pobytu v souladu se zákonem o pobytu cizinců.
I hereby request an extension of stay in accordance with the Act on the Residence of Foreigners.
Nájemce je povinen hradit služby dle čl. III této smlouvy.
The tenant is obliged to pay for services pursuant to Art. III of this contract.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Czech officialese (úřední styl) is a register of its own. As a resident you meet it in a rental contract, a letter from the Ministry of the Interior about your residence permit, or a message in your datová schránka, the state's electronic mailbox. It is not harder grammar; it is a fixed set of formulas. Recognise them, and use them in your own letters: a chatty tone in a request to an office reads as careless, not friendly.
| Formula | Plain Czech | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tímto žádám / potvrzuji | Žádám, potvrzuji | I hereby request / confirm |
| níže uvedený, výše uvedený | následující, zmíněný | the following, the above-mentioned |
| v souladu s + instrumental | podle | in accordance with |
| dle, na základě + genitive | podle | pursuant to, on the basis of |
| za účelem + genitive | kvůli, aby | for the purpose of |
| je povinen / oprávněn + infinitive | musí / smí | shall / is entitled to |
| tvoří nedílnou součást | patří k | forms an integral part of |
Sender and addressee, then place and date (V Brně dne 3. 3. 2026), then Věc: (subject) above the greeting. Greet by title in the vocative: Vážená paní inženýrko, Vážený pane doktore, or Vážená paní, vážený pane, when you do not know the reader. After the comma the letter continues with a small letter, unlike English. State the request in one sentence: Tímto žádám o prodloužení doby platnosti povolení k dlouhodobému pobytu v souladu se zákonem č. 326/1999 Sb., o pobytu cizinců na území České republiky. Close with S pozdravem (or the more formal S úctou), your name and signature, and list attachments under Přílohy:.
The common slip is the greeting: *Vážený pan Novák is a nominative where Czech needs the vocative, Vážený pane Nováku.
Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesInformal phrasing in official writing
Use tímto, v souladu s, S pozdravem
Tímto žádám o prodloužení pobytu v souladu se zákonem o pobytu cizinců.
I hereby request an extension of stay in accordance with the Act on the Residence of Foreigners.
The sentence every expat eventually writes.
Nájemce je povinen hradit služby dle čl. III této smlouvy.
The tenant is obliged to pay for services pursuant to Art. III of this contract.
je povinen + dle: contract boilerplate.
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Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises