NvB: Bored in Brno?: Excuse me, what are you driving?

Excuse me, what are you driving?

In case you were wondering what to call a tram driver in Brno, Radio Student just cleared it up. A tramvaj, the standard Czech word for tram, is often called a šalina in Brno dialect. Thus, the driver of a tram is officially a řidič tramvaje, or more colloquially, a tramvaják. Likewise, unless you want to get some very strange looks by asking about the řidič šaliny, refer to a Brno tram driver as a šalinář. Of course, there are many female tram drivers in Brno, and one of them should be referred to as a šalinářka.

And if you're a regular Brno tram and bus rider, don't forget your šalinkarta when you ride since "riding blackly" (načerno, that is, without a ticket) is illegal.

Isn't šalinkarta a cute little word? šalina plus karta (card) equals šalinkarta - your tram card! Czech can be charming despite its nineteenth-century fustiness after all!

Just to make sure there is enough vocabulary for today, elektrika may also refer to a tram. Or, technically, any sort of vehicle powered by electricity.

Tags: Brno, transportation, Czech

Posted 28 July 2006 at 10:07.

The Blog

What is "Bored in Brno"? a) the best Czech movie of 2003, b) a blog about Brno (the Czech Republic's second largest city) and my adventures in and observations of south and east Moravia. I usually post about music, arts, culture, and stuff in Brno; or, I talk about whatever; or, I may bore you.

There's a Czech saying about how you are a new person for every language you learn. Here's your chance to experience Czech vicariously and to become your new self, now conveniently available in English translation. (Or at least something reasonably close to English.)

If you have questions, suggestions, like what you see, or you're just plain bored, don't hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me.

The Blogger

A graduate student in music and anthropology writing a dissertation about music in Moravia, the eastern third of the Czech Republic. At some point, the Czech Republic's "second city" (that would be Brno) captured my attention, and I've since been blogging about events, arts, music, and other stuff—basically whatever interests me in and around the cityscape. I'm not living in Brno now, but I keep up with the cultural pulse from afar as best I can.

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