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Basic Czech for French Speakers

Ahoj! Welcome, mes amis français, to your exciting adventure into the Czech language! I’m absolutely thrilled you’ve decided to embark on this journey. You might be thinking, “Czech? Isn’t that one of those super-hard Slavic languages with all those crazy letters?” And yes, Czech can look a bit intimidating at first glance, but I promise you, with this guide, it’s going to be much easier—and way more fun—than you think!

Think of me as your personal guide, ready to walk you through step by step. This guide is built specifically for you: a native French speaker, fluent in English, who’s eager to start speaking Czech. We’re not aiming for perfection right away, but for practical, real-life communication. You’ll learn the essential phrases, understand how the language works, and even get a peek into the wonderful Czech culture. We’ll start with the very basics, build intuition before diving into heavy grammar, and focus on both formal and informal ways of speaking so you’re ready for any situation.

So, are you ready to say “Ahoj” to Czechia? Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

Czech Pronunciation Guide

Unit 1: First Sounds & First Words

Unit 2: Building Blocks of Czech - Nouns & Verbs

Unit 3: Navigating & Describing - Your First Cases

Unit 4: Deeper Grammar & Broader Conversations

Unit 5: Real-World Communication & Cultural Nuances

Appendix

Czech Pronunciation Guide

The very first step to speaking any new language with confidence is getting a feel for its sounds. Czech is a beautiful, phonetic language, which means once you learn how each letter or combination of letters sounds, you can pretty much read anything! This is a huge advantage over languages like English or even French, where spelling can be a wild guessing game.

Let’s break down the Czech alphabet and its sounds. Don’t worry, many sounds are just like what you already know in French or English. We’ll focus on the ones that are a little different and make them your new best friends!

Vowels: The Heart of Czech Sounds

Czech vowels are generally short or long. The long vowels are marked with an acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) or a little circle (ů). Think of the accent like the duration mark you might see in music — it simply means hold the sound longer!

Czech Vowel Phonetic Transcription Similar to… (French/English) Notes
a /a/ French a in chat Short and open.
á /aa/ French a in pâte (longer) Hold it longer than ‘a’.
e /e/ French e in le or English e in bed Short and clear.
é /ee/ French é in thé or English ea in bear (but longer) Hold it longer than ‘e’.
i / y /i/ French i in fini or English i in kit These two letters sound exactly the same in Czech! The difference is grammatical, not phonetic.
í / ý /ii/ French i in vie or English ee in feel Hold it longer than ‘i’.
o /o/ French o in mot or English o in pot Short and clear.
ó /oo/ French eau in eau or English o in go (longer) Hold it longer than ‘o’.
u /u/ French ou in nous or English oo in look Short and clear.
ú /uu/ French ou in vous or English oo in moon Always at the beginning of a word.
ů /uu/ Same as ú, but only in the middle or at the end of a word. This is just a different way to write the long ‘u’ sound depending on its position.

Consonants: Familiar Friends and New Sounds!

Many Czech consonants are similar to French or English, especially at the beginning of words. But watch out for those little marks (called carons or háček in Czech — you’ll often see them above letters like s, c, z). They change the sound quite a bit!

Czech Consonant Phonetic Transcription Similar to… (French/English) Notes
b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, z (standard) Mostly like in French or English. H is a soft ‘h’ sound, like in English ‘hat’, not silent like in French heure.
c /ts/ English ts in cats or French tz in pizza (Italian style) Always a ‘ts’ sound, never a ‘k’ or ‘s’.
ch /x/ Scottish ch in loch or German ch in Bach A single sound, like you’re clearing your throat gently.
č /ch/ English ch in church or French tch in tchao Like the ‘ch’ in ‘cheese’.
d /dy/ English d in duty (but softer) or very soft French di in diamètre Similar to ‘dy’ or ‘dj’. Often written just ‘d’ when next to ‘i’ or ‘e’.
ě /nye/ French gn in gagner + e / English ny in canyon + e This one’s tricky! It’s ‘n’ followed by a soft ‘y’ sound. Often written ‘ne’ when next to ‘n’.
j /y/ English y in yes or French y in yoga Always a ‘y’ sound, never like French ‘j’.
ň /ny/ French gn in champagne or Spanish ñ in señor A soft ‘ny’ sound.
ř /rzh/ (or /r/ + /zh/) Imagine saying a trilled French ‘r’ and then simultaneously saying the ‘s’ in English measure (like ‘zh’). This is often the trickiest sound for learners! Don’t get discouraged if it takes time. Practice saying ‘r’ (like the trilled French ‘r’) and then adding the ‘zh’ sound (like the ‘j’ in jour or ‘s’ in measure) on top. It’s a rolled ‘r’ with a ‘zh’ buzz.
š /sh/ English sh in shoe or French ch in chaise Like the ‘sh’ in ‘she’.
ť /ty/ English t in tune (but softer) or very soft French ti in tiens Similar to ‘ty’ or ‘tj’. Often written just ‘t’ when next to ‘i’ or ‘e’.
z /z/ French z in zéro or English z in zoo Like the ‘z’ in ‘zebra’.
ž /zh/ French j in jour or English s in measure Like the ‘s’ in ‘pleasure’.

Stress and Intonation: A Czech Superpower!

Here’s a fantastic rule that makes Czech pronunciation much simpler than French or English:

Czech word stress is almost always on the FIRST syllable.

This is a huge relief! You don’t have to guess where to put the emphasis. Just hit that first syllable a little harder, and you’re good to go.

Mini-Practice: First Words & Phrases!

Let’s try out what you’ve learned with a few super useful Czech words. Remember: stress the first syllable!

Czech Word / Phrase Phonetic Transcription English Meaning Notes
Ahoj! /a-HOY/ Hi! / Hello! This is the informal greeting, like “Salut!” in French or “Hi!” in English. Use it with friends, family, or people your age.
Dobrý den! /DO-bree DEN/ Good day! / Hello! This is the formal greeting, like “Bonjour!” in French or “Good day!” in English. Use it with strangers, in shops, with older people, or in professional settings.
Děkuji! /DYE-ku-yi/ Thank you! A very important word! Notice the tricky ‘ď’ sound at the beginning.
Prosím! /PRO-seem/ Please! / You’re welcome! / Pardon? This word is a Swiss Army knife! It can mean “please,” “you’re welcome,” or even “pardon?” if you didn’t hear something.

Exercises & Practice

Time to put your new pronunciation skills to the test!

Exercise 1: Listen and Identify Which Czech sound do you hear? Match the Czech letter/combination to its corresponding sound description.

  1. š a) Like ‘ch’ in ‘church’
  2. j b) Like ‘sh’ in ‘shoe’
  3. c c) Like ‘ts’ in ‘cats’
  4. č d) Like ‘y’ in ‘yes’

Exercise 2: Stress Test! Underline the syllable that would be stressed in these Czech words.

  1. Ahoj
  2. Dobrý den
  3. Čeština
  4. Děkuji

Exercise 3: Formal or Informal? Which greeting would you use in these situations? Write ‘Formal’ or ‘Informal’.

  1. Greeting a shopkeeper in Prague: ____
  2. Greeting your new Czech friend, Pavel: ____
  3. Greeting an elderly couple on the street: ____
  4. Greeting your host family’s teenage daughter: ____

Answer Key

Exercise 1: Listen and Identify

  1. š - b) Like ‘sh’ in ‘shoe’
  2. j - d) Like ‘y’ in ‘yes’
  3. c - c) Like ‘ts’ in ‘cats’
  4. č - a) Like ‘ch’ in ‘church’

Exercise 2: Stress Test!

  1. Ahoj
  2. Dobrý den
  3. Čeština
  4. Děkuji (Yes, the stress is on the first syllable of the word, even though ‘dě’ itself is a soft sound)

Exercise 3: Formal or Informal?

  1. Greeting a shopkeeper in Prague: Formal (Dobrý den!)
  2. Greeting your new Czech friend, Pavel: Informal (Ahoj!)
  3. Greeting an elderly couple on the street: Formal (Dobrý den!)
  4. Greeting your host family’s teenage daughter: Informal (Ahoj!)

What You Learned

Congratulations! You’ve just taken your first confident steps into Czech pronunciation and communication!

Here’s what you’ve unlocked in this introductory lesson:

Keep practicing those sounds, especially ‘ř’! It’s a marathon, not a sprint. In our next unit, we’ll dive into more greetings and learn how to introduce ourselves. You’re doing great! Děkuji and see you soon!