Start Here: The A1–A2 Path
At beginner level, focus on clarity over complexity. Learn the sounds first: long vs short vowels, ř, and stress (always on the first syllable). Then build a small, high-frequency core—greetings, numbers, food, directions, time, and polite phrases. This gets you speaking quickly and makes Reddit practice less scary.
Czech grammar looks big because of cases, but you can grow into it. Begin with nominative and accusative for simple sentences, then add locative for places and instrumental for with tools or people. Keep verbs in present tense first, add past later, and leave conditionals until upper A2.
Track progress by tasks, not rules. Can you order coffee, ask a price, introduce yourself, and describe your day? If yes, you’re moving from A1 toward A2.
- Week 1: Sounds, greetings, numbers 1–20
- Week 2: Food words, please-thank you, ordering
- Week 3: Directions, transport, asking where
- Week 4: Daily routine verbs, present tense, times
Reddit Essentials for Learners
Reddit is great for real people, real Czech. Start with r/czech for questions, memes, and help from natives; r/languagelearning for strategy; and r/Anki for spaced repetition tips. Search before posting to find beginner threads, grammar explainers, and pronunciation posts.
Use filters: search terms like beginner, A1, A2, pronunciation, cases. Save helpful comments and build a personal cheat sheet. In weekly help or Q&A threads, post one focused question with a short attempt—people respond more when you try first.
Be kind to mods and rules. Avoid requesting copyrighted textbooks; instead ask for legally free samples, official word lists, or public-course PDFs. Share what worked for you to give back to the community.
- Follow r/czech, r/languagelearning, r/Anki
- Search: beginner phrase list, A1 cases, pronunciation ř
- Ask focused questions with your attempt
- Save answers to build a mini reference
Daily Practice Plan (20–30 Minutes)
Consistency beats intensity. A short daily loop makes Czech stick and keeps you motivated enough to visit Reddit without overwhelm. Mix listening, reading, speaking, and a tiny bit of grammar so progress feels balanced.
Use Reddit for quick prompts: translate a simple meme, copy a phrase from a native, or record yourself saying it. Post your attempt once a week for feedback. That cycle gives you quick wins and keeps your learning social and fun.
- 5 min - Pronunciation: shadow Dobrý den, Prosím, Děkuji, Mluvím trochu česky
- 8 min - Vocabulary: 10 Anki cards or a Memrise set
- 5 min - Micro-grammar: present tense or basic cases
- 7 min - Input: short YouTube or Czech Radio clip with transcript
- 5 min (optional) - Reddit prompt: write 2–3 Czech sentences
Free Online Tools and Legal PDFs
Combine a few solid tools and ignore the rest. For listening and pronunciation, try Forvo for native audio, YouGlish for Czech clips, and ČRo (Czech Radio) for slow news. For vocab, use Anki decks curated on r/Anki or create your own from Reddit threads.
For grammar and reference, look for official, free PDFs: university-hosted A1–A2 word lists, case tables, and verb charts. Use targeted searches like site:muni.cz A1 čeština pdf or site:cuni.cz A2 čeština pdf to find legal downloads. Many cultural institutes also share beginner worksheets.
Keep a single folder named Czech PDFs, with filenames like A1-phrases.pdf or Cases-basic.pdf. When Reddit shares a helpful chart or post, mirror it into your folder as a quick note so all your need-to-know items live together.
- Pronunciation: Forvo, YouGlish (Czech)
- Dictionaries: Seznam Slovník, Wiktionary (Czech entries)
- Spaced repetition: Anki (free), community decks
- Legal PDFs: university A1–A2 word lists and case charts
- Media: ČRo, ČT24 with captions, Easy Czech channels
Beginner Phrase Pack for Real Life
Memorize a small set you can actually use. Speak them out loud, then post a recording to get friendly corrections from natives on Reddit. Swap in new nouns and verbs to expand the pattern without learning a brand-new sentence.
- Dobrý den / Ahoj - Good day / Hi
- Prosím, Děkuji, Promiňte - Please, Thank you, Excuse me
- Mluvím trochu česky. Nerozumím. - I speak a little Czech. I don’t understand.
- Mluvíte anglicky? - Do you speak English?
- Kolik to stojí? - How much is it?
- Kde je…? - Where is…?
- Dám si kávu, prosím. - I’ll have a coffee, please.
- Jmenuji se… - My name is…
FAQ
- Is Czech hard for beginners?
- It looks hard because of cases, but at A1 you only need a few patterns to talk about yourself, order things, and ask for directions. Learn sounds first, then present tense and the most common case uses.
- Can I learn Czech free and online?
- Yes. Use Reddit for community help, Anki for spaced repetition, Forvo for audio, and legal PDF word lists and grammar summaries from universities or cultural institutes. That covers nearly all you need at A1–A2.
- How do I use Reddit without feeling overwhelmed?
- Follow 2–3 subreddits, search before posting, and save answers to a personal note. Participate in weekly help threads, share short attempts, and mute off-topic content. Keep your feed focused and friendly.
- How long to reach A2 in Czech?
- Roughly 120–180 focused hours. With a 25-minute daily plan plus a longer weekly session, many learners reach strong A1 in 8–10 weeks and A2 in 5–7 months.
- What beginner mistakes should I avoid?
- Skipping pronunciation, ignoring diacritics (č, š, ě, ů), learning too many verbs without patterns, and asking for copyrighted PDFs. Aim for clear sounds, small patterns, and legal, free resources.