Do you speak Czech?

Hi,

I agree that to be successful in Czech Republic, we need to learn to speak Czech language. Most of the common people can not speak English and I face with many problems when I want to buy something or ask a address. Although, I have found a solution for this problem. I installed the google translate app on my phone and downloaded the offline translator from English to Czech and vice versa. It is very helpful for me.
I cannot speak Czech except some basic words. I really want to learn Czech language if possible.
Regards,
Amir Hossein

I think Czechs respect foreigners a lot more who are willing to speak Czech. Even in the beginning when I would only say "Dobry den," "Na shledanou," and "Dekuji," they were so shocked they thought I was already fluent.
I have been here for 2.5 years and I have a very good conversational level. I can shop, make doctor's appointments, describe things I don't know how to say. I learned by purposely putting myself in Czech-speaking environments, listening, and asking lots of questions. The best way to learn is by being surrounded. Take a yoga class - where no one judges you for being silent and listening - or a dance class...
There are many language schools in Brno if you prefer a more direct option.

I am in Prague now and I really want to learn Czech language. Do you have any suggestion for me?

I don't live near Prague so I can't recommend much. I know this place: facebook.com/czech.for.foreigners.prague/ Also, so many people speak English there and it may be hard to integrate for find opportunities to speak. You have to put yourself in Czech environments or make friends to go to the pub with if you like sports, find a club and play with Czech people!

Speaking Czech is essential for the fullest level of integration. If you want to get the jokes that your Czech friends tell that don't translate well or at all into another language, then you'll definitely need Czech. If you want to fully catch their idioms and other nuances of Czech conversation, you'll definitely need a command of the language.

If you live in a smaller town or more rural area, having a command of Czech will certainly be more important to you as Czech speakers of other languages will be fewer and further between.  If you live in a larger centre with a higher number of foreign workers and students, you'll find more Czechs who are proficient in at least one language outside of their own.

For example, I live in Brno while chloeskye12 lives in Tisnov. They are not far from each other, a direct train runs between them many times a day and lots of people commute from Tisnov to Brno for work, but Tisnov is far enough away from Brno and small enough that having a fuller command of Czech there would be much more critical to local integration than it would be in Brno.

In any case, a command of Czech is still very useful when you go to the doctor. While most doctors speak more than just Czech, their nurses and other assistant staff typically don't and you'll need to communicate with them before you see the doctor.

Czech is also still very important when you have to visit bureaucratic offices. Government offices at all levels have been very slow to require their workers to be multilingual. Some progress has been made, but much more still needs to happen.

It's not as difficult, in larger centres, as it once was to find shop staff that speak more than just Czech. This is partly because a younger generation of Czechs who have had more opportunities to learn languages in school have entered  the workforce in the time I've been here and partly because multilingual staff are much more attractive to employers in many cases.

I learned my Czech partly from just going out and muddling through in shops and other daily tasks and from taking some more formal Czech for Foreigners courses.

Most language agencies that offer English and other languages will also likely offer Czech courses for foreigners. The quality, however, depends much on the teacher and the standards of the agency so it's good to shop around a bit and try to find references.

I second BeyondPrague - do not expect to survive at the Foreign Police without a translator if you don't speak much Czech. It may be possible, but don't expect it. It will be a struggle.

@Priscilla

LEARNING CZECH (OPINIONS AND USEFUL LINKS)

Hi

As for making yourself understood in the CR without speaking Czech, it really depends where you are. If you live in Prague, you can easily get by speaking just English. 1/3 of workforce in Prague = foreigners. Elsewhere nationwide it is now  about 10 % of foreigners.

Other cities than Prague might be relatively easy to manage without (much) Czech, e.g. those with a big student population from abroad, such as Brno, Olomouc or Pilsen.

Small towns may not be that easy (esp. those not popular with tourists), esp. if you meet sb older. Young people often understand a lot from videos etc., but might not be that used to speaking, it depends.

As to how difficult Czech is to learn, it is considered to be one of the most difficult languages indeed. Very likely because of grammar and word endings (how often they change depending on the particular case, etc.). However, if you already speak a Slavic language, you will find some similarities. The closest is Slovak (very close!), of course, and also Polish, so you should be able to guess a lot if you speak a bit of those.

I think the main point is not to get discouraged when you want to learn it. Forget about some boring textbooks where they put too much emphasis on grammar and do not teach you enough everyday vocab and phrases in an enjoyable way. Do not worry that much about grammar; vocab and phrases are the most important in everyday life.

Do not worry that you will sound stupid, or whatever, or that people will laugh at you. It is still quire rare to hear a foreigner trying to speak Czech, so when we do, we find it utterly cute and appreciate every effort.

Well, most of us, that is. Just some civil servants might be a bit nasty (relics from the old era) and might start speaking louder instead of realizing they should try to listen more attentively and maybe try using English etc. with that poor foreigner. So for paperwork and dealing with civil services etc., it is good to find a nice Czech friend with very good English to take with you to interpret/translate.

So if you want to learn, do not be scared. Here are some useful links:

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If not, find a job and a flat to rent in Prague or near Prague, so that you can commute easily. Or another city with many foreigners studying there at uni.

All the best

Zina from Pilsen/Prague