Co si přejete?

The verb here is přát si, not just přát.

• přát si = to wish / to want
• přát without si often means to wish something to someone, as in Přeji vám hezký den = I wish you a nice day

So in Co si přejete?, the si is part of the verb expression. It does not usually get translated as a separate English word, but it is necessary in this meaning.

That is why Co si přejete? is the normal polite way to ask what someone wants.

This is because si is a clitic, meaning a short unstressed word that normally goes in the second position of the sentence.

So:

• Co = first position
• si = second position
• přejete = after that

That gives Co si přejete?

Even though English learners may expect the verb and si to stay together, Czech clitics often move to second position. So Co přejete si? sounds wrong in standard Czech.

Yes. Přejete is the 2nd person plural form, and Czech uses that form for:

• you all
• one person addressed formally

So Co si přejete? can mean:

• speaking politely to one person
• speaking to several people

This is part of the Czech formal vs. informal distinction:

• tykání = informal you
• vykání = formal you

In a shop, restaurant, office, or other polite situation, Co si přejete? is very natural.

The informal singular version is:

Co si přeješ?

Compare:

• Co si přeješ? = informal, to one person you know well
• Co si přejete? = formal to one person, or plural

If you are talking to several friends informally, you also use přejete because it is the plural form:

• Co si přejete? = what do you all want?

So the same form přejete can be either:

• formal singular
• plural

Both verbs can relate to wanting, but they do not sound the same.

• chtít = to want
• přát si = to wish / would like, often more polite

In service situations, Co si přejete? sounds more polite and customer-friendly than Co chcete?

Compare the tone:

• Co chcete? = What do you want?
  This can sound blunt.
• Co si přejete? = What would you like?
  This sounds polite and professional.

So this sentence is common in restaurants, cafés, shops, and reception desks.

Here co is the object of the verb, so it functions like an accusative object: what do you want?

With co, the nominative and accusative look the same, so the form does not change.

So even though the form is just co, its role in this sentence is basically:

• co = what
• object of přejete si

A rough pronunciation of the whole sentence is:

tso si przheh-yeh-teh

A more careful IPA-style version is approximately:

/tso sɪ ˈpr̝ɛjɛtɛ/

The hardest part for English speakers is ř. It is a special Czech sound, something like a mix of:

• r
• and the zh sound from measure

You do not need to master it immediately to be understood. A soft rzh-like approximation is often good enough for beginners.

Also note:

• Co is pronounced tso
• si is short, like si
• přejete has three syllables: pře-je-te

Word-for-word, it may look a bit like that:

• Co = what
• si = to oneself / for oneself
• přejete = you wish

But it is better to learn přát si as one unit. In real Czech, Co si přejete? is just the normal polite expression for asking what someone would like.

So the literal breakdown can help you understand the grammar, but it is not how Czech speakers consciously interpret it in everyday use.

It is especially common in polite service or official situations, for example:

• in a restaurant
• in a café
• in a bakery
• at a hotel reception
• in a shop
• at an office or service desk

Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• What would you like?
• What can I get you?
• How may I help you?

So the exact English translation depends on the situation, even though the Czech sentence stays the same.

A few natural answers are:

• Přeji si kávu. = I would like a coffee.
• Dám si kávu. = I’ll have a coffee.
• Prosím kávu. = Coffee, please.
• Chtěl bych kávu. = I would like a coffee.
  said by a man
• Chtěla bych kávu. = I would like a coffee.
  said by a woman

In everyday speech, many people answer with Dám si... or simply Prosím..., which often sounds more natural than repeating přeji si.