The first thing your “comrades in misfortune” who are already learning it, and (especially) native speakers of this language, will do is say how difficult it is to learn it. Judge for yourself: Czech has seven cases, many combinations of unpronounceable consonants, irregular shapes plural, words whose meaning is impossible to guess based on knowledge of other languages, the difficult letter ř to pronounce, just a nightmare!
As a generally optimistic person, I try as much as possible to ignore such unhelpful comments from those who are panicked or desperate. None of these “important” messages motivated me to make new progress in my studies, so I decided to look at them from a different perspective.
Just a few hours after I started learning Czech from scratch, I have already found several reasons to say that this is not the most Difficult language. First of all, I was pleased to discover that Czech is a phonetic language (with the difference that it is not at all similar to, for example, French, and certainly fundamentally different from English: just try to pronounce though, through, plow, dough, cough the first time without mistakes and time to think). Moreover, verb conjugation in Czech is similar to Latin languages. Since then I have learned to think differently about the difficulties and quirks of language, and perhaps you will find this way of dealing with obstacles interesting. I’m not trying to prove that Czech is “easy”, I’m trying to make it clear that by “getting hung up” on the complexities of the language, we slow ourselves down and deprive ourselves of faith in our own abilities. Fear of failure, doubt and doom to failure are the main killers of motivation, therefore Learn to learn Czech easily!
An excellent book that has helped me a lot is Czech: An Essential Grammar (by James Naughton, Routledge Essential Grammars). It was recommended to me once, and now I highly recommend it to you (provided, of course, that you speak English). It provides detailed information about word formation (which I will talk about later in this article), and very clearly explains Czech grammar in a direct, without unnecessary “water” form. There is no need to waste time on childish pictures and inappropriate examples; the manual explains the very essence of the language with full translations of all examples used and extensive collections of useful new vocabulary in each chapter. I needed a guide that presents the Czech language in the form of facts that are easy to understand and analyzed in detail, so this book was the best for me, but in case you want material offered in the form of lessons, then this book is not for you.
As I always mention, I always carry a phrase book in my pocket. At any time, while waiting for something, I take it out and repeat some words from the dictionary at the end, it is small enough to be able to go through all the words for a certain letter of the alphabet in 10 minutes, and at the same time, large enough to the most necessary words fit in. Phrasebooks published by Lonely Planet helped me cope with several languages, so the Czech phrasebook was of great use to me.
If you prefer to study in front of the computer, there are a number of sites that can help too! Slovnik.cz has a very detailed dictionary, but sometimes it gives too many translation options for simple words without contextual support, so I personally prefer the good old Wordreference’s Czech dictionary. I also found some excellent blogs, including Czechmatediary, which is written in both Czech and English by native Czechs living in the US.
When you learn French, Spanish, etc., you encounter big amount unfamiliar words. Since Czech refers to Slavic group languages, be prepared to encounter many words similar to those in the Russian language.
Fortunately for us, Czech does not consist of hundreds of thousands of unique words, each of which will have to be memorized separately. In fact, there are a fairly limited number of basic roots, prefixes and suffixes, most of which are attached to each other according to consistent and logical rules that are easy to remember. Let me show you with an example what I mean.
Let's take 4 prefixes: v, vy, od And za(all except vy, are also prepositions) and add them to the root morpheme chod which comes from the verb chodit, go. The pretext itself v, like the prefix, means "in", so when you come across something that literally means "to go into", "to enter", you get vchod - entrance. Vý/vy means exactly the opposite, so východ - exit. Od, essentially means "from", so odchod - departure, departure, departure, departure.
You will quickly realize with relief that a huge number of Czech words are formed using small quantity prefixes added to the root, and many of them have completely logical meanings. Therefore, learning new words sometimes becomes the study of not new words at all, but ones that are already quite understandable.
Although some examples require a little imagination, they still do not lose their logic if you have developed this same imagination. Let's take the prefix za in combination with chod: za can mean “behind/behind”, that is, for example, going behind the scenes, going out of sight. So, imagine: if you apologize and want to disappear from view for a while, in other words, go away, you go... to the toilet! Although all the signs in Czech say toaleta, in everyday conversation this word sounds strange, since most people, when referring to the toilet, say záchod! Yes, I know I'm going a little overboard! But you have to agree that I’m not just pulling a logical connection by the ears, this is a really interesting and memorable image! This is one of the effective and simple mnemonics that allowed me to learn thousands of Czech words with almost no effort.
In fact, the prefix + root combination is at the heart of language and actually gives you words exponentially. So, if you understand the meaning associated with the basic prefixes do, na, nad(e), ne, o(b), od(e), pa, po, popo, pod, pro, pře, před, při, roz, s(e), spolu, u, v( e), vy, vz, z, za, you can combine at least half of them with, say, ten basics. Thus, by learning just 10 new words, you get 10x10=100 words thanks to all the possible combinations!
When you add knowledge of suffixes to roots or prefix + root combinations, it is incredibly helpful in understanding a huge number of words without the headaches of trying to remember each word individually. For example, the suffix ař, meaning a person associated with the meaning of the root, and the word lek - medicine combined give lekař- doctor. "Film" in Czech will sound the same as in English, but filmař means the person making the film, ryba- it's a fish, but rybář- this is already a fisherman, and so on. A vast number of words can be broken down into logical components, so learning prefixes and suffixes provides a wealth of insight into language.
When I was told that every word has 7 cases with different options for singular and plural, I was concerned that I would have to learn 14 “words” for each individual word. But this is not the case. All we have to do is change the ending of the word (in most cases we just need to change one vowel to another, and all other changes follow stable rules, such as "h" changing to "z"). It takes a little getting used to and remembering when you need to change “o” to “a”, and which case to use in which construction. But if you do enough exercises, communicate directly with Czechs, and make mistakes in declension from time to time, they will correct you, and - believe me - you will remember it. You can definitely get used to this!
In fact, after a while it will become very natural! This may be annoying at first, but try to look at it from the language side. I'm so used to using Czech cases that now it even annoys me when people use Czech words Prague in English instead of English Prague without its declension! You can't tell in Praha(in Prague) or to Praha(to Prague); it's obvious that it will be in Praze And to Prahy!
You can object to me that it is not easy to “fit” all this in your head, but let’s compare it with other languages: Czech did not manage to surprise me with its difficulty regarding many nuances, the inflection of nouns in particular. Irish, for example, has a genitive and a vocative, and when we change a word, we change both its ending and its beginning. In Czech, only the ending changes, but the rules are quite stable.
In French, you simply cannot use a noun without adding an article, which also requires knowledge of the gender of the word. There are no definite or indefinite articles in Czech. Moreover, in Czech there is a grammatical gender, but the gender of a word is easy to determine: almost always a noun ending in a consonant will be masculine, the ending “a” is inherent in the feminine gender, and “o” is the ending of the neuter gender.
There are exceptions, but they are fairly obvious and understandable. There are three genders, but remembering which gender of a noun is quite easy, especially compared to languages like French, and, as I recall, German, which has much more complex gender endings, association rules that seem much more disordered.
There are no difficulties in Czech that you cannot overcome. Consonant clusters cause quite a lot of difficulties, but in Czech some consonants can behave like vowels. When you are focused and dedicated enough to the language, these “strange sounds” will very soon turn into words. Children learn this language all the time, so there are no excuses for a smart adult like you!
Of course, this post can be countered with a whole list of reasons why Czech is difficult, but why bother yourself with doubts once again? Besides these useful tips When studying, it is very important to work with and constantly access new sources of information.
Literary Czech can seem expressive, imaginative and difficult to learn at the same time. But if your goal is precisely, then there is nothing that would prevent you from achieving it. I challenge you to find more evidence for yourself that it is simple than to tell me I'm wrong. Give this language a chance and prove to yourself that you can actually speak Czech quite easily and quickly.
Děkuju (Thank you) Czech, it was a real pleasure to teach you!
In the Czech Republic? Are you going to study or work? Or maybe you are simply attracted by the sound of Czech speech? In any case, you are faced with the question “How to learn Czech?”.
In order to understand the variety of language teaching options, you first need to have an idea of what the Czech language is, what group of languages it belongs to, and what related roots it has with the Russian language.
For a tourist trip to the Czech Republic, learning the language using a phrasebook is the best option. In the phrasebook you will find the basic necessary phrases, signs, making purchases in a store, calling an ambulance, paying in a restaurant, and also performing other necessary operations. You will learn basic phrases and necessary words. In the phrasebook, all words and phrases are divided into thematic groups, so it is quite convenient to learn phrases by comparing them with the situation. 
In the modern age, all this has become accessible. To immerse yourself in the Czech language, you can tune in to the frequencies of the Czech radio and listen not only to Czech news and music, but also on the Internet pages of the Czech radio Rozglas you can also find audio books. Czech films can be downloaded in a VKontakte group specially created for this purpose, on torrent resources and in other places. From the films offered, you can also choose Czech films with Russian translation or Russian subtitles. Watching national films is very useful, because... Almost all Czech films have a unique, characteristic flavor only for them. Specific humor, Czech realities, peculiarities of mentality - you can experience all this when watching Czech films. 
If you go to study and think that in a language environment the language will learn on its own, then you are deeply mistaken. Without systematic, high-quality studies, the only thing that awaits you is that you will learn to perfectly understand others, but will develop linguistic muteness in yourself. Or will you talk to gross mistakes so that it will be very difficult for a foreigner to listen to you. And also remember that if you have chosen Prague for immersion in the language environment, then communication in Czech can be kept to a minimum. Many people believe that Czech is so similar to Russian that it is very easy to learn. In fact, this language is really quite easy to understand by ear, but if you want to speak it correctly and fluently, you will have to make an effort. Some resort to the help of tutors, others enroll in a language school or even go to the Czech Republic to plunge into the environment. All this requires a lot of money, but we will tell you in more detail about how to learn Czech on your own.
Before you start learning Czech on your own, you should familiarize yourself with the standard recommendations. So, what should you pay attention to if you want to study the language in comfortable conditions Houses:
To start learning any language on your own, you need to choose good textbook. It is important that it has an audio application, because without it it will not be possible to understand how certain words are pronounced correctly. At the moment, the two best options are:
By the way, if you have any doubts regarding pronunciation, it is recommended to use the site forvo.com. There you can listen to how to correctly say any word or phrase. Moreover, they are all voiced by native speakers. You can also enter into the search not any specific word, but simply look at the sections in which everyday phrases, names of body parts, flowers, food, and other things and objects are grouped.
To achieve success in mastering the Czech language, you need to pay attention to the development of all basic skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Of course, it is recommended to focus on whichever one is most needed. So, if a person is primarily interested in communication, then speaking and listening should be developed. In cases where you want to be able to read books in Czech, the main focus is on reading. Let's talk briefly about methods for developing each skill.
Good material for improving listening comprehension are radio broadcasts, as well as videos on Youtube. You can select videos and podcasts on topics that interest a person so that it is not only educational, but also exciting. Children's songs can also be useful in the early stages: they are easy to learn and then sing along with.
It is important to know that it is strictly not recommended to start developing this skill with fairy tales. They contain old vocabulary, as well as less commonly used phrases. It is best to choose a collection of adapted stories as your first book. Preferably those that have an audio version, this will help train listening comprehension at the same time. You can also pay attention to children's books.
Even at the very beginning, you can practice conversation skills. To do this, it is advisable to prepare a text about yourself, as well as basic questions (“What is your name?”, “Where are you from?”, “How old are you?”), memorize them so that you can easily recognize them in speech. After this, you can find a conversation partner on language exchange sites. In addition, it is useful to record yourself and your speech on video for later self-monitoring.
The best way to practice this skill is by answering questions in the textbook in writing. This should be done in detail, trying to use the studied phrases, words and grammatical structures. Written texts can be posted on sites where native speakers check them for free (for example, in a notebook on italki.com). You can also write a blog in the language you are learning, talking daily about events that have happened.
Some people believe that those who speak Russian find it easy to learn Czech. However, this is not quite true. Let's look at the difficulties that beginners will definitely encounter:
Moreover, if you put in some effort, Czech is definitely easier than other European languages.
There are many ways to learn Czech: studying with a tutor, attending language schools, but it is faster and cheaper to do it yourself. The main thing is to have motivation and a conscious goal. For example, if a person wants to move to the Czech Republic, then only by knowing the national language will he really be able to integrate into the environment. Therefore, it is important to set a goal, outline a plan to achieve it, select educational materials and begin to act.
Name: Czech language - Self-teaching textbook for beginners.
The new edition of the classic textbook, which has been reprinted many times, contains corrections and additions, mainly relating to the changed socio-political realities.
The manual consists of 20 lessons, including texts, exercises for them and grammar. A reference apparatus is provided at the end of the book.
The main volume of phonetic material, grammatical and lexical topics and a system of exercises are aimed at developing everyday communication skills, mastering the mechanism of reading, understanding simple texts, and writing skills. Grammar is reinforced based on vocabulary learned in previous lessons.
Designed for everyone who wants to master the basics of the Czech language. Can also be used as a tutorial.
The first edition of the proposed textbook was published in 1960 in Prague. Its authors were prominent Czech Bohemians and Russian scholars, and the reviewer was the largest Soviet Slavist A. G. Shirokova, Doctor of Philology, Honorary Professor of Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov, Honorary Doctor of Charles University in Prague.
Despite its compactness, the manual fully complies with the requirements of the genre - its goal is to teach how to communicate on everyday topics, read and understand simple Czech texts, and write a simple letter, congratulations, etc. An important advantage that distinguishes it from many publications of this kind is a consistent comparative approach, taking into account data from the Russian language (most of the quite conscientious Czech language textbooks for foreigners now published in the Czech Republic are aimed at English-speaking students, for whom common Slavic vocabulary is as incomprehensible as common German vocabulary for Russian, and the developed case system is a nightmare).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
CONTENT
From the editor
Czech alphabet
1 Letters AEOUBDJKLMNST
Accent
Bundle
2 Letters I Y P R V Z
Long vowel sounds
Present tense of the verb byt "to be"
Past tense of byt
3 Letters II C SI F G X R
Negation
4 Letters C S Z D f N Е
Verb mil "to have"
5 Dialogue
Future tense of byt
Future tense of imperfective verbs
Czech-Russian homonyms
6 Topic of conversation: “Family”
Cardinal numbers
Diphthongs
Verbs tina nest “to carry”
7 Topic of conversation: “Breakfast, lunch, dinner”
Gender of nouns
Adjectives
8 Topic of conversation: “Hotel”
Hard and soft consonants
Numerals
9 Text: “Prague”
Syllables I and g
Verbs ending in -fin, -is
10 Topic of conversation: “Station”
Verb chu"t “to want”
The semantic role of long
and short vowels
11 Topic of conversation: “Mail”
Verbs like kupovat “to buy”
Letters Q q and W w
12 Text: “Karlovy Vary Resort”
Verb like dclal "to do"
Aspiration
Vocalization of prepositions
13 Topic of conversation: “Vacation”
Matching full vowel combinations
in Russian and Czech languages
Declension of nouns
Declension of feminine nouns
14 Topic of conversation: “Cinema. Theater. Concert"
Declension of neuter nouns into -o
and masculine to a hard consonant
15 Text “Prague Astronomical Clock”
Plural of nouns
masculine and neuter
16 Text: “Calendar. Time"
Syntactic connection of quantitative
numerals with nouns Demonstrative pronoun
ten, la, to “this, this, this”
17 Text: “Shopping”
Conditional mood
Vowel alternation
18 Text: “Czech Republic”
Declension of adjectives starting with -у, -а, -е
19 Text: “Charles Bridge”
Declension of adjectives starting with i
Passive voice
20 Text: “Dogheads”
Personal pronouns
Subject dictionaries
Brief Russian-Czech phrasebook
Tables
The Key to Exercise
Czech-Russian dictionary
Russian-Czech dictionary
Download the e-book for free in a convenient format, watch and read:
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Czech language is one of 24 official languages European Union. Distributed both in the Czech Republic itself and in the USA, Canada, Slovakia, Serbia, Austria, etc. The total number of native speakers of this language is 10.6 million people. Learning Czech is not difficult, since it is related to other Slavic languages. Closest to Slovak.
There are many reasons why people learn this language:
It is worth noting that the Czech Republic provides the opportunity to get a job high paying job. Alternatively, you can study at the University of Karlovo, which was founded in 1348 and is one of the oldest universities in Central Europe.
Whatever the reason, you can be sure that knowing a foreign language opens up new boundaries for a person.
Photo of an evening Czech city.
One of distinctive features Czech is phonetics:
From a grammatical point of view, Czech is distinguished by the presence of archaic (old) forms. For example, unlike Russian, there is still a vocative case.
Pronunciation has specific features. The Czech language uses Latin letters, most of which are read as they are written.
However, some sounds require explanation. For example, h is pronounced like Ukrainian, and y is medium sound between and and s. It’s interesting that the Czechs themselves cannot pronounce our Russian ы.
It is difficult for both foreigners and Czechs to learn to write correctly - you can hear and understand the meaning of words incorrectly.
Czech is unusual and at the same time interesting language especially for Russian speakers. For example, the inscription in the store POZOR:SLEVA does not at all mean that there is something shameful on the left. It actually translates to "Attention: Discount". Or the word “čerstvý” (stale) does not mean, as in Russian, something spoiled (stale bread), but on the contrary, something new, fresh. Therefore, in order to correctly understand all the intricacies of this language, it is necessary to choose the right methodology and method of teaching.
Exist various ways for training. You can try to master the language yourself. To do this, it is important to purchase a tutorial that is suitable for you. Dictionaries and phrase books are also needed, it is advisable to find films and books in order to get used to speech that is foreign to you from the very beginning. On the other hand, you can find a tutor who will conduct classes with you once a week, and if desired, twice. It is worth noting that if you have a teacher, learning goes faster, as there is an incentive to learn in the form of homework and direct practice with a native speaker. In addition, do not forget that only an experienced teacher can deliver correct pronunciation. In this case The best way for training - these are courses.
If you decide to attend language courses, it is important to find out about the details: what exactly they are ready to offer, what program the training is based on. Is there an original method, how many times a week are classes, the amount of homework and workload in class? Plus, it is important to find out whether you can study individually, at home or via Skype, in the evening or during the day.
Courses foreign languages"Master Class" offers several training programs. The duration of each level of training is 48 academic hours (3 months). Upon completion of the program, a certificate is issued indicating the course and number of hours.
The training is intended both for beginners from scratch and for those who have already studied the Czech language. They will help you update your old knowledge or gain new knowledge, correct your pronunciation and teach you how to speak and write correctly. During individual training, the methodology is built taking into account your wishes. The courses are taught by experienced certified teachers, both Russian-speaking and those for whom Czech is native.
You can choose any of the branches for learning the Czech language in Moscow, which are located next to the metro stations: Belorusskaya, Oktyabrskoye Pole and Kashirskaya.
The price is per group.
The price is per group.
Based on rich experience in this field and the best educational materials Effective programs have been created that will allow you to develop a strong grammatical base and communication experience. You can learn Czech language basic course which includes training both in small groups and individually. Czech language courses in basic level are aimed at students mastering the necessary aspects of grammar, phonetics, and vocabulary.
The basic Czech language course lasts 4 months. At the end of the course, the student will be able to communicate in Czech on everyday topics, read adapted texts, and conduct simple correspondence.
The full course lasts for a year. Training is based on an individual program, based on the student’s goals (Czech for doing business, studying in higher education educational institution, communication with native speakers, learning the vocabulary of a particular professional field, etc.).
Native Czech-speaking teacher Teresa
We start the first lesson with the Czech alphabet and phonetics. Unlike the Russian language, the Czech language uses the Latin alphabet. Many letters have the same pronunciation as the Russian language, for example:
Some letters are either pronounced slightly differently or do not exist in Russian at all, for example:
Having studied the alphabet and phonetics, and explained the rules of stress and vowel reduction, we begin to practice reading and learning new words, for example:
Čeština, kavárna, daň, trojúhelník, skříň, praxe, šlehačka, štěstí, žádný, řeka, moucha...
At the end of the first lesson, we will get acquainted with the basic phrases and slowly begin to form simple dialogues.
At the beginning of each subsequent lesson we repeat the grammar and lexicon. Then we try to speak more and use phrases that we have already learned and acquire new ones (colloquial and literary).
We are considering a new grammar that concerns verbs (present, future, past tenses), nouns, adjectives, their endings in different cases, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions...
To better remember the new grammar, we put it into practice.
Despite the fact that I am a native speaker, sometimes I need to listen to another Czech voice, because of this we first listen to simple texts, then to Czech radio. You can’t learn all the words from a textbook, so we read different articles from newspapers and magazines on any topic so that everyone can find it interesting.
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