Job Discussion Forums

Sigma · Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Posts: 123

Czech is a difficult language. I have been learning it off and on for a few years. At this point, I find it easier to read. My vocabulary is decent, but I am struggling with some of the grammar. Embarassed

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I've been told it 's one of the most difficult, with the nomative, denomative, etc.

What about you TEFL Prague? 12 years there, you must speak pretty well

Arab Strap · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 246 Location: under your bed

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

My Czech's functional, but I am based most of the time in a small town where I'm the only English speaker. You learn much faster when you really need to!

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Frizzie Lizzie · Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 3:53 pm Post subject:

I had an interesting experience recently, when I travelled to Germany on the train, and the border police (both on the way there and back) seemed rather surprised that I couldn't speak Czech. They read the stamp date in my passport which said I'd arrived in Prague a couple of years back, and couldn't understand why I hadn't learnt any of their language. Embarassed

It was a bit pointless to try to explain that my job didn't require me to speak Czech, but it also gave me a bit of motivation to start taking lessons again. I can get by at the shop/in a restaurant and I can usually work out what I hear without having to understand every single word, but it IS a difficult language, as many on this forum have said.

johnchina · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 816

I'd have to agree that the Czech Rep. isn't a place for making money. However, it is a good place for a new teacher. I'm in China now, making much more money but it's nowhere near as enjoyable. I was out in a village for my first year in CR and that got my Czech rolling as well as being a great place. I've been out of CR for a while now, but still keep up with my old mates. My Czech is very good. I put that down to my love of popping into the village pub every evening determined to get to know the locals. Ah, good times! Czech grammar is tough though!

merlin · Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 6:38 am Post subject:

Learning the Czech language:

The best thing you can do is just forget all that nominative locative dative rubbish at the beginning - it'll just discourage the heck out of you unless you've learned Russian or another slavic language before.

What I do now is I just use the masculine form for all cases - and people will smile but they're so happy that an American bothered to learn their language, even if I say it wrong they're happy and in no way offended at all.

So the steps for the Merlin Method of learning Czech:
1) Learn as many words as possible and forget about masculine and feminine neuter: just learn one. This will allow you to speak like a neanderthal the Englsih equivalent would be "I bad Englsih speak."
2) Learn to conjugate all the major verbs but if you can't remember jit/jet, just let it be.
3) Learn the masculine (or feminine if you're a woman) forms of the differen cases, starting with the accusative. This will allow you to say more complex sentences, but with some humorous unintentional connotations regarding gender.
4) After practicing for a few years, take a course and learn it "properly"

I learned Czech from my wife speaking to my daughter mostly, and my mother in law's constant bytching.

BTW: Yes, officials, police and so on are getting less tolerant of foreigners who have lived in Czech for 15 years and can't say a word and don't even try, particularly if they never bothered to learn any language except Russian.