How to Learn Czech, Step by Step

To learn Czech, start with the marks over its letters, because they change how a letter sounds. About 9.8 million people spoke Czech as their first language in 2021, and its alphabet has 42 letters. Czech spelling follows the sound closely, so once you know the marks you can read most words aloud.

How to Learn Czech, Step by Step

Work through steps 1 to 4 in your first few weeks. Steps 5 and 6 are what you keep doing after that.

• 🔤Learn the MarksA háček makes a new sound, as in č and š. A short slanted line (čárka) or a small ring makes a vowel long, as in é and ů.
• 👅Practice ř EarlyMost learners find ř hard to say, so start on it in your first week with a word like řeka (river).
• 🎯Stress the First SyllableCzech puts the stress on a word's first syllable. A one-syllable preposition like do (to) or na (on) is said together with the next word, and the stress moves onto it.
• 🧩Meet the Cases in SentencesCzech nouns have seven cases, so one word takes several forms, like matka, matky and matku (mother). Notice each form in a sentence before you learn the table.
• 📖Read and Listen at Your LevelRead and listen to Czech you can mostly follow, like the 60 Duostories, and notice which case endings keep coming back.
• 🗣️Talk With a PersonBook a tutor once you can say a few sentences, and ask them to correct one ending at a time.

For steps 1 and 2, Wiktionary has audio for many words, like řeka. For step 4, the Czech Language Institute's online handbook shows every form of a word. For step 5, Duostories has Czech stories with audio, and the guide to Czech you can follow suggests more for each level.

Find Where You Are

Bubblegum is a language app with Czech lessons about topics you pick, and every lesson has audio. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at six levels. Each level below starts with a sentence about you, so find yours and begin with that row.

1. Level 1

   I'm just starting out or know only a few words.

   Read short dialogues with the audio on, and say each line out loud, ř included.

   A Level 1 lesson about a tram ticket in Brno →
2. Level 2

   I can handle simple exchanges.

   Read short stories with audio, and learn the case endings for “in” and “to” as they come up.

3. Level 3

   I follow conversations on familiar topics.

   Watch street interviews from Easy Czech, and start talking with a tutor or partner.

4. Level 4

   I understand most content but miss some nuance.

   Listen to a podcast for B1 to C1 learners, like Čeština s Michalem, and write three sentences about each episode for your tutor to correct.

5. Level 5

   I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.

   Watch Czech news and long interviews, and use the online handbook when a form keeps tripping you up.

6. Level 6

   I can read almost anything.

   Read Czech plays or novels with a lot of dialogue, and notice how characters talk differently from the narrator.

Frequently Asked Questions