r/learnczech • u/_dinosaursarecool • 10d ago
how do i learn czech???
im half czech, my grandparents fled to canada during the soviet occupation in the 60s. ive been trying on and off since i was 13 to learn the language (im 17 now). my dedo died in 2019, and my Babi (my GOAT, i could speak about her life amd how much shes survived FOREVER) has suffered greatly and now has dementia, id love to ask her but shes at deaths doorstep and i dont want her to have to stress too much mentally. my mum was raised speaking Ceština, but she only speaks and understands it, if you asked her to write in czech she wouldnt be able to without google translate. i also want to surprise her and my tetas with it cuz none of their kids speak it. so any help??? i know this has mostly been just like my backstory but just any help from fluent speakers or people who also learned later in life???
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u/HighKingLemur moravák 10d ago edited 10d ago
That's quite similar lifestory to what the Czech-Canadian actor David Nykl has. He played the czech scientist in Stargate Atlantis, famous for quotes like "I'm trying, do prdele".
I saw an interview where he'd tell of how he only learnt czech from his mum in the kitchen and he never truly got the hang of the formal side of language and such.
Anyway, I recently checked a look at Duolingo because a friend from UK is trying to learn czech with it and honestly it's not that bad. Just gotta power through the early boring sections that just teach words - the late-game grammar is quite valid.
Other than a course for guidance and explanations, just practice a lot, ideally with natives - online live sessions are also a thing. Starting a Youtube channel (or Instagram or whatever really) to publish your progress can help with some valuable feedback and motivation.
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u/Aethyr42 10d ago
To piggyback onto this, if you try Duo, I can send you a family invite so you don't have to mess with the power system crap they're doing now. I have an extra slot, just sitting there.
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u/HistoricCookie 10d ago
OKAY so I’m in a similar situation with family who immigrated to Canada in 1968 but my fluent-in-Czech mom did not teach ME Czech, and I just had the opportunity to take this one-month long Czech intensive in Czechia that’s designed for compatriots/people with Czech heritage! obviously you can’t learn a ton in a month but it gave me a very good foundation, now I can actually say some sentences! The best part is that you can apply for a scholarship when apps open next January (I think the youngest you can be for the course is 18) and if you get it that’ll cover everything (dorm housing, textbooks/tuition, class trips, and vouchers for food) except flights to/from Czechia , which they do give you a couple hundred dollars for. It wouldn’t be a way to surprise your family with the language but connecting with other people with Czech heritage and similar experiences was really special for me and made me feel more Czech somehow!
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u/HistoricCookie 10d ago
oops course link here! https://ujop.cuni.cz/UJOPEN-74.html?ujopcmsid=61:summer-czech-course-for-czech-expatriates
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u/mAnadarin 10d ago
Wow! What level of Czech do you need to know to apply? Can you be a complete beginner or do you need some basics? Thanks!
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u/HistoricCookie 9d ago
You can be a complete beginner! They had two “basically no knowledge of Czech” classes, I took the one for native English speakers that had explanations in English but they also have one for native Spanish speakers (people from all over the world came to the course!)
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u/licitgirl 9d ago
And I don’t know if you guys know it, but university in the Czech Republic is tuition free for Czech speakers.
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u/InjuryLeast4471 9d ago
Try doulingo and also play some old czech songs to you babi so she can light up to some old memories from back home.
You can also learn a lot of Czech words from translating these songs and learn the correct way to pronounce them.
It's a difficult languange so be kind to yourself.
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u/licitgirl 9d ago
Duolingo can definitely help. Also a Czech book of you have the will to learn by yourself. There are many books for self study in English. I have been living here for 8 years now and I’m still basic level, but because I don’t use it on a regular basis and I have to work, but all the people I know that went to full immersion courses at Charles university managed to learn. And a very good friend of mine learned just using this book http://courseczech.com/en
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u/SundaySunproject 7d ago
Hi,that's very nice,im Czech and i try my english skills make a little bit better, but it's not so simply 😄...no,really its not as german doprdele✌️😄
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u/Clear-Bar-655 5d ago
Ahoj, I recommend https://realityczech.org/ by Christian Hilchey. Its far better than duolingo (cuz huonestly thats really shit and out of touch) and its free. I actually met students who learned czech pretty well with it :))
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u/TrittipoM1 10d ago edited 10d ago
Canada is a big place. I know there's a Czech school in Ottawa: https://skolaottawa.ca/our-team/ You might start by asking them about online classes or in-person ones closer to where you might be. Charles University in Prague also offers online classes -- but of course the time difference from there to somewhere in Canada might influence how well that might work for you or not. For what it's worth, I was already nearly 22 when I began learning Czech. Edit to add link to Charles UniversitY: Czech Language Courses - Charles University - ÚJOP UK - Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies And here's a Chicago school, which may or may not ease any time-zone issues for you: T. G. Masaryk Czech School