This week’s Czenglish mistake is quite a common one – especially among Czech learners trying to describe a short rest during the day. The confusion lies in the use of sleep versus nap.
That’s because sleep usually refers to your main rest at night – the long, restorative kind. It’s not normally used to describe a short daytime rest.
If you close your eyes for twenty or thirty minutes after lunch, what you’ve had is not a little sleep but a nap. This is the natural, idiomatic way to express the idea of a short sleep during the day.
Here’s an example from everyday life:
After a big lunch, I felt tired, so I had a nap on the sofa. I only slept for twenty minutes, but it helped a lot!
And if you didn’t quite fall asleep? You could say: “I just rested for a bit.” or “I closed my eyes for a few minutes.”
So remember – if it’s short and sweet and during the day, it’s a nap.
W: I had a little sleep after lunch.
R: I had a nap after lunch.
