Do you remember the moment you fell in love with languages? Do you desire to learn or advance in Czech quickly and effectively? Then you need a Czech tutor. A common question that first-time language-learners ask is "Where do I begin?" The answer? Guidance. For native English-speakers who want to learn Asian languages, for example, timelines provided by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute can appear discouraging. However, defeating these odds is not unheard of. If you want to beat the odds yourself, one of the best learning options is a subscription to Premium PLUS from Innovative Language. As an active Premium PLUS member of JapanesePod101.com and KoreanClass101.com myself, I have an enjoyable experience learning at an accelerated... Show more

https://www.youtube.com/embed/QI-HGCs5zfg What do you think your daily life would look like without a working written language? I don’t know about you, but my life would be a lot more difficult! Well, the Czech Republic (and a number of other Slavic countries) have the Saints Cyril and Methodius to thank for their written language. In this article, you’ll learn about Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in the Czech Republic, and what these two brothers are most known for. Let’s get started! 1. Who Were St. Cyril and Methodius? Saint Methodius and Saint Cyril were missionaries from Greece who visited the Slavic people to učit ("teach") them the Christian gospel. The two brothers were sent in 863 by the Byzantine Emperor,... Show more

On the Czech Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day, the Czech Republic commemorates two of the most important events in its recent history, both of which helped to set in motion the end of communist rule. This is something that many Czechs, particularly students, fought for; some lost their lives, and many faced arrest, to help the country gain its freedom and democracy. Thus, this has become one of the most important holidays in the Czech Republic today. In this article, you’ll learn about the history surrounding this holiday, how Czechs observe it today, and what it means to them. At CzechClass101.com, we aim to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative! 1. What is Struggle for Freedom and... Show more

The Czech Republic celebrates its founding each year during a holiday called Czech Statehood Day (more commonly known as St. Wenceslas Day). It’s two holidays in one, but each holiday focuses on the same things: the creation of the Czech state and the patron saint behind it. In this article, you’ll learn a little bit about St. Wenceslas and his place in history, as well as the Czech Statehood in general and how it’s celebrated. At CzechClass101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your learning journey both fun and informative! So let’s get started, and delve into this most significant of Czech holidays and celebrations. 1. What is Statehood Day? On Statehood Day, better known as St. Wenceslas Day, the Czech Republic... Show more

What’s the most important thing you focus on in your language studies? Is it grammar? Are you drilling in dozens of rules until your head hurts? Or do you prefer a more relaxed, "organic" approach, and base your learning sessions on fun videos, smart apps, and podcasts? Both methods work, but the latter might yield better results...in a much shorter time. Many people think that in order to learn a foregin language (Czech in this case), you must master the grammar and memorize vocabulary, which is true in a way—but things like Czech gestures and body language are important too.  The essence of any language lies in details that many students and teachers (even the seasoned ones) tend to dismiss as unimportant. Yet, when you're... Show more

In recent years, we communicate through technology more than we do in person. While this modern way of human interaction certainly has many perks, it can sometimes cause a lot of confusion or misunderstandings. Why? It's very difficult to express emotions because not everyone is a Dickens, you know? Another thing: There’s not always enough time to explain everything in great detail. Did you know that you’re able to say 100 - 160 words, but you can only type around 40 words?  Luckily, us humans are smart—we figure things out.  Today, you’ll learn about Czech internet slang so you can keep up with this fast-paced technological world. Internet slang has been around since the early days of the internet, of course, but it has... Show more

You know that old saying that goes: “How many languages you can speak, that many times you're a human?” It's a great piece of wisdom, but it doesn't sound quite right, does it? And that brings us right to the topic of this article: untranslatable Czech phrases and Czech words with no English equivalent.  What is the most important advice you get when you decide to take up a new language (which, by the way, is a great decision, congratulations)? Forget everything you think you know about sentence structure and word order, and ditch literal (aka word-for-word) translation. Trying to switch English words for Czech words just doesn't work. However, it's THE most common mistake all students do, and also THE most common reason why you... Show more

Learning a foreign language is pretty easy and fun: you can use many different tools and apps, take online classes, hire a tutor…but what's the most effective thing that will make your "textbook" Czech sound natural and teach you slang/colloquialisms? Czech movies!  I honestly think that movies, shows, podcasts, and YouTube channels are THE best things to help someone learn another language more effectively. You catch a lot of phrases (pretty much effortlessly), improve your listening skills and pronunciation in a fun way...and let's not forget that you learn a lot about the Czech culture and lifestyle along the way. Czech and American cinematography are very different and if you've never seen a Czech movie, you'll probably be... Show more

It should come as no surprise that learning another language in a fun way is WAY more effective than relying on textbooks. Trust me, even though watching TV shows might feel like (or lead to) procrastinating, it's a great tool for broadening your vocab effortlessly and familiarizing yourself with idioms and the most common phrases. It's also the best listening exercise, especially if you're not ready to put yourself out there and talk to native speakers. Besides, you can pause and rewind a Czech TV show anytime, and write down new words. When I first started actually speaking English (instead of just writing and reading it), YouTube and American TV shows were my best friends. It was hard and intimidating at first, but if you're really... Show more

You have your bags (almost) packed, you’re working on your Czech vocabulary, you're excited, you got a new passport case, a shiny new suitcase, you've rented an apartment in a charming Czech city… What else do you need? A bottle of champagne to celebrate your courage and make a toast to your new adventures.  Also: Money. You're going to need money, and riches usually don't just appear out of thin air. Which brings me to today's topic––you're going to need a job. Finding jobs in the Czech Republic will be easy if you're fine tending the bar or making coffee, and (believe it or not), it won't be much more difficult if you really love huge offices, shiny coffee machines, and having hundreds of colleagues. If you’ve been dreaming... Show more