Learn to Speak Czech

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Learn Czech
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Origins of the Czech Language
Czech is a member of the West Slavic group of the Slavic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages and is closely related to Slovak, spoken in Slovakia. Fluency in both languages is common.

The history of Czech is intricately bound with that of Slovak under whose cultural influence it has developed through most of its history. Both are descended from "Middle Czech" which was spoken in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Written Czech uses a modified version of the Roman alphabet.

How many people speak the Czech language?
Around 11 million people speak the Czech language.

Czech-speaking Countries
Czech is the official language of the Czech Republic and is spoken by virtually all of its 10 million population. Close to 1 million Czech speakers also reside in Slovakia and North America combined.

Screenshots from Talk Now! Learn Czech CD-ROM

Talk Now Czech CD-ROM Details

This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun, easy and relaxing. There is no better way to teach an old dog new tricks and this fun element of the program means that your fears are forgotten as you absorb words and phrases without even realising you are learning them.

Talk Now! is the world's best selling language learning CD-ROM series for beginners, used by more than three million people to date. It's ideal for travellers, holidaymakers, business people, schoolchildren, students and families.

Anyone over 10 years of age will find the disc indispensable for improving listening, understanding and spoken language skills. There are nine topics: first words, food, colours, phrases, parts of the body, numbers, time, shopping and countries.

The games and quizzes included on the disc ensure that users have fun whilst using the disc, without realising that they're learning. The "intelligent" software feature remembers words you get wrong and targets your weak points.

NOW includes Apple iPod integration, which allows you to listen to Talk Now Czech wherever you are!

Czech Culture

There is a spectrum of cultural, religious and political influences that have shaped Czech culture. From German and Austrian to Polish and Hungarian, Czech culture has been touched by the liberal and the deeply traditional, as well as by global thinking and fierce nationalism.

Czech Music and Dance

Czech music is an eclectic mix that ranges from classical to jazz and punk. Czech jazz musicians were at the forefront of European jazz after WW II but this came to an end with the communist putsch. The jazz scene in Prague is especially lively. The industrial north, particularly Teplice, is the hub of the Czech Republic's punk movement.

Antonín Dvorák, once an apprentice butcher, is generally regarded as the most popular Czech composer, while keyboardist Jan Hamr, who escaped to the USA, became prominent in 1970s American jazz-rock under the name Jan Hammer.

Czech Food and Drink

Vegetarians will not find much to choose from, as meat is a main feature, usually served with big portions of dumplings, potatoes or rice topped with a thick sauce, and a heavily cooked vegetable or sauerkraut.

The standard quick meal is knedlo-zelo-vepro - dumplings, sauerkraut and roast pork. Caraway seed, bacon and lots of salt are the common flavourings.

Czech Attractions

Prague - A beautiful city, ever popular with tourists and famous for its art, architecture and bustling entertainment scene. Prague can be explored on foot, thanks to a compact network of lanes, passages and picturesque cul-de-sacs. There is a historical core to the city, as well as a New town with shops, cafes and restaurants. Culture vultures will savour its blend of music from classical through to modern jazz and rock, its opera and ballet, avant-garde theatre, excellent museums and many art galleries.

Kutna Hora - In the past, this was Bohemia's most important city after Prague. This was due to silver underneath the town. Although it is no longer as grand, its architectural monuments have placed it on UNESCO's World Heritage List. It is as a picturesque town, often compared to Prague due to its medieval alleys and various facades, but it is cheaper and thought to be more friendly.

Karlovy Vary - World famous for its regenerative waters, Karlovy Vary is the oldest of the Bohemian spas, and probably the second most popular tourist city in the Czech Republic, after Prague. It's also the most beautiful of the 'big three' spas in the republic and, despite the crowds, the most accessible.

Customer Testimonials

"This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! Uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun and relaxing." - PC Answers

"I bought your Learn Malay CD today - I've only just begun, but I wanted to say how much I am enjoying it. I studied Malay from a book all day yesterday, making some 25 pages of notes on grammar and vocab, but I remember more from your CD from just an hour!" - James Bryce

Full list of Talk Now Language CD-ROMs available to buy online in the UK.