What is the language in the Czech Republic? Russian language in Prague What language is spoken in Prague

At the end of last year, the rector of Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, said that the status of Russian as a language of world communication is under threat. The number of its carriers will be halved. According to scientists, in 10 years more people in the world will speak Hindi, Arabic and French than Russian. In the near future, the number of people who speak Russian will approach the levels of the early 20th century.

It's no secret that the reason for this was the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the early 1990s, the former Soviet republics have taken up the task of updating their national languages, and in Central Europe, compulsory study of the Russian language in schools was abolished in 1989. An interesting fact, but even before this time half of the population in the Czech Republic spoke Russian. Nowadays, according to the Czech Statistical Bureau, only 19% of the inhabitants. Moreover, half of this number is passive.

Boris Ionov, director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Prague, continues:

“It must be said that on a historical scale, not so long ago - 15 years ago - the Czech Republic was the leader in the number of people who know and speak Russian. More than 50% of the population not only understood, but also spoke it. Until now, the Czech Republic has the most people who understand Russian. They don't speak, but they understand. In the 90s, for obvious reasons, there was a rejection of everything Russian and Soviet, including the study of the Russian language.”

Nowadays, Ondzej Soukup, who speaks excellent Russian, an analyst at the Czech Association for International Affairs, retorts that indicators of Russian language proficiency since Soviet times did not correspond to reality:

“Yes, all Czechs were required to learn Russian. But to be honest, I wouldn’t say that half of the people before 1990 were able to speak Russian. At best, one quarter. And even then under great doubt, because there was nowhere to apply this knowledge. The fact that they were forced to master this language played a role, and this did not have the best effect on prestige and the desire to learn it. You can meet people today who say: damn it, I was taught, but I remember absolutely nothing.”

Despite different opinions, before 1990, more people spoke Russian in the Czech Republic than today. Of course, even with not very scrupulous study of the language at school, some phrases and words remain in a person’s memory for years of life. Today, when Czechs find out that I speak Russian, each of them will remember a couple of phrases, and some are even able to answer a question asked in Russian. But only a few speak fluently. I asked Boris Ionov what exactly has changed in the Czech Republic in the field of studying the Russian language after the Velvet Revolution?

“Before the Velvet Revolution, the economic and social transformation, the Russian language was compulsory in all schools in the Czech Republic. As a foreign language it was the first language. There is such a concept: the first is foreign, the second, etc. Today, the Russian language is classified as a second foreign language, which includes Russian and Polish. The first compulsory languages ​​are English and German.”

Vladimir Svaton, a professor at the Institute of Slavic and East European Sciences at Charles University, believes that the decline in interest in the Russian language after the 90s was facilitated by its artificial imposition:

“People are interested in Russian culture. How interested are they in the Russian language? I don't think they know him very well. Russian is not currently the common language of communication. The difficulty already presents itself, of course, with the alphabet.”

Despite the fact that Russian is not a language of world communication, the Czechs, after 18 years, have ceased to have a negative attitude towards it. Nowadays, Russian is studied by those who need this language to work or implement business projects in the post-Soviet space.

“Now the situation is changing in a positive direction. There are real and practical reasons for this. I emphasize this so that no one accuses me of pan-Slavist enthusiasm. No, not at all. It is based on absolutely pragmatic goals and objectives. Russia today is the largest developing market. And more and more residents of the Czech Republic understand that their vital economic interests can be connected specifically with Russia. And if so, then it is quite obvious that the study of the Russian language comes to the fore - as the basis of any type of cultural and economic interaction,” says Boris Ionov, director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Prague.

In addition to purely practical applications, the Russian language is also interesting to highly educated people. For intellectuals interested in Russian traditions and culture. To get to know them, they learn Russian.

“It is necessary to realize that globalization is triumphing all over the world and the language of this global culture is English, or rather the Anglo-American language. But I have no skepticism about the future of other cultural languages. Against this dominance of the neutral Anglo-American dialect - this is not real English, not the real language of writers - it is the language of general primitive communication. There is a lot of opposition to this. For example, the countries of Latin America very expressively insist on their cultural independence. And they even resurrect the traditions of pre-Columbian cultures. When I was able to visit Cusca in Peru, all the streets in the city center were renamed according to the old Indian model. So that the European could not remember the name of the street on which he lived. The French share the same opinion. The same thing, I think, will one day happen to the Russian, to the German language. If the cultural level in society increases, then these cultural layers will be interested in different languages ​​in their authentic likeness. Russian language is the language of writers, culture, poets. I think that it will be revived within the framework of new world cultural trends of the 21st century.”

They say that living in Russia today is unfashionable and expensive. Many brave and desperate people go to live and work abroad in distant countries, but many of us, possessing a certain sentimentality and fearing nostalgia, prefer to leave, but not far away. Where? That's right, to Europe! They choose a country closer to them, and preferably a Slavic one. One of these is the Czech Republic.

Do you need to know them?

Having arrived here, you need to say something, but how? Is it difficult to learn at least a minimum of Czech phrases? By the way, Czech is one of the richest Slavic languages ​​in the world. For comparison, the Russian language today has about 130 thousand words, and the Czech language has more than 250 thousand. Phrases in Czech are intuitively understandable to us Slavs, although many words have a certain insidiousness. For example, the Russian word “beautiful” sounds like “terrible” in Czech, the word “fresh” sounds like “stale” and the like.

But not only those who left their homeland will have to pore over a Czech textbook. Today, learning this language has simply become a fashionable trend among Russians. For those who know another Slavic language, it will be even easier to understand the Czechs and learn a few phrases in Czech.

Many go to the Czech Republic to get an education. This is one of the few countries in Europe where you can study for free, and the quality of the knowledge gained will be at the highest level on a global scale. Therefore, future students are required to know basic phrases like no one else.

Where will they come in handy?

The Czech language will be needed by everyone who deals with translations - guides, diplomats, translators working both in the country and abroad.

For tourists, learning a few phrases in Czech will not be difficult. Both the service staff at the hotel and the waiter at the restaurant will be pleased to hear a phrase in their native language. And if, God forbid, you get lost in the city, general phrases will help you understand how to get to the right address, because the language will take you to Kyiv. But the Czech language is not at all difficult, and learning it is not only easy, but also fun, especially in a friendly company!

For those going on vacation to the Czech capital, it will be very useful to read our detailed manual, available at the link, which details how to properly organize your trip to Prague so that it is interesting, safe and does not go beyond your budget. In the few minutes it takes to read this article, you will learn how to save a significant amount of money without straining yourself.

Will Czechs understand Russian?

The Czech Republic is one of the most popular destinations for Russians, and most Czechs living in tourist areas will understand us perfectly. And in other cities there should be no problems... The opening of borders after the collapse of the Soviet Union contributed to the influx of emigrants to the Czech Republic, and many Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians went to live in this country. So Russians will be understood in a restaurant, in a store, and on the street. The main thing when communicating is not to forget that goodwill and a smile on your face are a disarming tool for starting absolutely any communication.

I am often asked if it is possible to go to Prague without knowing any language other than Russian. There are also issues related to security in the Czech capital. Today we’ll talk about how to communicate in Prague and whether it’s worth walking along empty streets at night.

Safety

Tourists they are afraid to return late to the hotel or linger in a restaurant.

Don't miss your chance to try at least some of these delicious dishes, but if you find that you can only eat so many goulash and dumpling dishes, know that there are still many options available. Like any major city in the world, Prague offers a wide choice. Greek, Italian, French, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Balkan and even Afghan cuisine. They are good and inexpensive, and more often than not the restaurants tend to be crowded with young locals rather than tourists.

There's more to drink than just beer

When tipping, in most places you can simply round up the bill to 10 or 20 kroner. Just tell him or her how much you'd like to return, or tell him or her to save the change instead of leaving it on the table. Many great places have menus in Czech and English, but you'd still be wise to avoid places, especially around Old Town Square, that have menus in nearly dozens of languages. They are usually the most overpriced.

• Always check to see if a tip has been added to the final bill.
• It is considered polite to hand the tip to the waiter.

Don’t be too afraid, but be wary and afraid...

Of course, you shouldn’t specifically look for adventure, but you shouldn’t worry too much about being late in a restaurant or club; the streets of Prague are quite safe, especially in the city center. Although, of course, God protects those who are protected.

Beer has been brewed here since at least the 12th century, and the country has the world's highest per capita beer consumption. Almost all of the beer brewed here is lager, known for the clean water and high-quality hops used in production, and it comes in both light and dark varieties.

Many traditional pubs are licensed by a single brewery, so your choice will be limited to light or dark. In these pubs, simply place a coaster on your table and they will bring you beer until you say stop while the beer is counted on a piece of paper on your table.

Hello, don't be afraid of me, I'm kind!

But what you should be wary of is theft, in public places - transport, a crowd of tourists, train stations or even in a restaurant, watch your belongings, pockets and bags. While a crowd of tourists stares at Orloy, pockets may be emptied, but you shouldn’t become paranoid about this either. In fact, this is a problem not only in Prague, but in all cities and countries where a large number of tourists come: where tourists relax and spend money, there are always people who want to get their hands on this money.

Prague consists of 10 distinct districts

But light and dark beers aren't your only options. And when you don't think you can drink another beer, you can try Czech wines from Moravia and Bohemia. Take the 50-minute bus ride from town to Melnik Castle and you can even enjoy a wine tasting - just be aware that the whites are much nicer than the reds.

Walk through Prague 1 or most of Prague 2 and you might think you've seen Prague. But there is much more to the city to discover.

The thieves are right here!

As for car thefts, in this case I advise you to use guarded parking lots, this way you will reduce the risk of being robbed.

If something does happen to you, call the police at 158, ambulance at 155, and emergency phone number at 112.

Or explore Žižkov, a former working-class neighborhood now home to many students, artists and expats. Play roulette in Prague - choose a numbered block, jump on the tram and go. Public transport in Prague is excellent and you'll have a choice of tram, bus or underground to help you get around. Buy your ticket at the metro station and then validate it when you start.

Prague is still going through some growing pains

As with any city heavily visited by tourists, scams designed to separate individual tourists from their cash abound.

Language

The fact that all Czechs actually understand Russian is not entirely true, therefore, Coming to the Czech Republic without knowing English or Czech, you risk being misunderstood.

In the Czech Republic, the Russian language is sometimes perceived ambiguously.

In tourist places, hotels, restaurants in the center or museums you can be understood in both English and Russian; in such places they often work with foreigners and speak the language, but as soon as you go to a supermarket or move away from the center, the chance of remaining misunderstood increases.

Pikpers pose a threat in the most crowded areas - Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, Wenceslas Square and the Old Town. You don't need to be paranoid, just keep your thoughts on yourself in the tourist areas and don't set yourself a target. For ladies, carry a wallet that can go over your shoulder and don't throw it over the back of a restaurant chair. If someone claims to be an undercover police officer and asks for your passport, do not hand it over; instead, ask to go to the police station or the nearest hotel.

And if plainclothes "civil inspectors" ask to look at your ticket and then tell you that it is invalid and requires a fine, do not refuse; real inspectors should show you the badge. Obviously, most people involved in the tourism industry in Prague do not have bad intentions, but what some of them have not yet learned is that happy tourists will help the economy of both the city and themselves in the long run than making a scam out of a quick buck.

Once upon a time, Russian was compulsory in Czech schools, but that was quite a long time ago, and learning does not mean knowing.

Try to remember basic phrases, arm yourself with a small dictionary and remember that polite treatment, a sincere smile and body language will help you find mutual understanding with the local population.

You don't need to speak Czech

Avoid picking up taxis on the street, especially in more touristy areas, as you will almost always end up paying more than you should. If necessary, use a radio-receiving taxi and know that the driver does not have the right to refuse you a receipt. One scam that seems to be quite common involves shorting, usually around 100kg, but the amount may vary depending on your change for a large bill. Tourists naturally assume that the changes are correct or do not notice because they are not familiar with the currency, and the server receives a very big tip. When confronted, the server apologizes and gives the remaining money.

• Avoid changing money anywhere other than a bank.
• Exchange rates are very poor and hidden fees are common.

The most serious concern that arises when traveling abroad is associated with an understandable everyday reason - the language barrier. How to communicate with hotel staff, avoid getting into trouble in a restaurant, or find out about the location of an attraction?

When going to the Czech Republic, many Russians are sure that there will definitely not be problems with communication here, remembering the times when our countries had strong relations, and almost every Czech knew at least a little Russian. Alas, enough time has passed since then. The world has changed, and in today's Czech Republic Russian speech is no longer so common. Young people are increasingly learning German and English, and our speech is remembered, albeit not always well, by middle-aged and older Czechs.

Outside of Prague and among the older generation, you will find many people who don't speak English, but almost all young people in Prague, especially those who work in the tourism industry, will be able to help you, even if you can barely muster a 'ask'. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try to perform at least a few Czech pleasantries in memory: saying thank you, have a nice day, check in please, and of course a beer will help as you become familiar with the pronunciation of Czech words. And the more you plan to spend time outside of the tourist areas of Prague, the more useful a small Czech one will be.

In places where tourists gather, the situation is better. For example, in Prague, where there are probably more guests than residents, German, English and, of course, Russian are spoken along with Czech. Germans and Russians are the most frequent guests of the country. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid that tourists from Russia will be ignored. How quickly a guest can be understood depends on the location and circumstances.

Your Dollar still goes a long way in Prague

"Get a beer from your local store and you'll be looking at less than a beer." And those on a tight budget can stretch their dollars even further. Fill another hearty bowl of potato soup with about 50 kg or sausage or a slice of pizza from a street vendor. Grab a beer from your local store and you'll be looking at less than a dollar per beer.

Prague is not the only city in the Czech Republic

Prague is obviously just a part of the Czech Republic, but many people don't even consider visiting any other areas of the country. While you could easily spend weeks or months exploring Prague, it's also worth getting out of the city for at least a day or two.

At a hotel or inn

A tourist who has purchased a comprehensive tour that includes the services of a personal assistant has nothing to fear. But an independent tourist needs a common language with the staff when checking into a hotel and completing documents.

In large hotels, especially in the capital, as well as in travel companies, there are quite a lot of Russian-speaking employees, so you can count on support both in the receptionist service and at the reception desk. It is much more difficult to find mutual understanding with immigrants from Turkey, Poland or Slovakia, who sometimes make up hotel staff.

It's well connected by rail and bus, and there are several towns that are close enough to be viable day trips while still offering a look at another side of the country. "While you can easily spend weeks or months exploring Prague, it's also worth getting out of the city for at least a day or two."

Prague is no longer Europe's "hidden gem"

No, now Prague sparkles there in all its glory, recognized as one of the most beautiful, charming cities in Europe. During these months, the line to enter St. Vitus Cathedrals around the building and Charles Bridge appears to move as the pulsating mass of people makes their way across the Vltava River from sunrise to sunset.

In a restaurant or cafe

In restaurants frequently visited by tourists, there is a convenient menu in several languages, and the staff of high-status establishments consists of native speakers of the most popular languages ​​to communicate with guests.

Most of the guests in the Czech Republic are from Germany and our country. According to statistics, Russians are more willing to visit colorful and not the cheapest cafes and restaurants that serve national cuisine. The Czechs, noticing this feature, are targeting such establishments specifically at the Russian audience, which means there will be no problems with choosing dishes and communicating.

There is no escape from the crowds in these tourist areas, but if you go a few blocks from the epicenter, you will be amazed at how quickly and dramatically the crowds disappear. The Czech language in the past was sometimes also called Bohemian, a member of the West Slavic group of the Slavic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. The official language of the Czech Republic is spoken by about 11 million people, of which more than 10 million live there, and about 1 million of them are in Slovakia and North America combined.

What language is spoken in the Czech Republic?

Grammatically, Czech has seven cases for nouns, pronouns and adjectives. There is no need to use personal pronouns with verbs, since person and number are clearly indicated by the end of the verb; however, personal pronouns may be used for emphasis. In Czech pronunciation the stress always falls on the first syllable of a word, but this accentuation is not shown by diacritics such as accents. A clear distinction is made between long and short vowels, and acute accent is used to indicate where vowels are lengthened, that is, where their pronunciation is relatively drawn out.

Frugal Germans can often be found in inexpensive street cafes. But Americans and Asians do not risk switching to Czech national dishes and prefer traditional fast food.

If an inquisitive guest wants to go to a cozy tavern far from the tourist routes, he will have to deal with the predominance of the Czech language and will require maximum effort to be understood.

A hook or inverted envelope above a consonant is a sign that the consonant is palatalized, or pronounced with the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth. The earliest surviving account of the Czech language comes in the form of scraps in an 11th-century Latin manuscript. There were many dialects at that time. Czech literature began to take shape in the 13th century. Standardization of the spelling and pronunciation of the language occurred during the Central European period of 15 and 16 cents. Mainly due to the work of John Huss, the famous Czech religious reformer, who made the Prague dialect the basis of his long-term study of language reform.

To be understood on the street

There are more and more tourists from Russia on the streets of Prague and other cities of the Czech Republic, business connections between the two countries are also being established, so the Russian language is becoming more and more interesting to students and business people.

But when asking about the nearest metro station or the road to the museum, you should not hope that the first Czech will be able to understand the question in Russian. How can he not carry on a conversation in English? Residents of the Czech Republic are much less eager than their neighbors from Austria or Poland to master this language of international communication. According to official data, less than a third of the population speak English. But in tourist centers and hotels, in banks, at train stations and airports, an English-speaking tourist will not be lost.

You can always find help at major museums, memorial sites and other attractions. There will always be a Russian or English-speaking guide there.

What if they don’t understand?

When addressing a question or request to Czechs, it is still better to start the conversation in English. If the interlocutor is young, there is a chance of being understood the first time. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be shy and you can try to communicate in all available languages ​​and even with gestures.

You shouldn’t strive for correct pronunciation either. For local residents, oddly enough, a related Slavic dialect can help them understand foreign words. But in order to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation when going to the Czech Republic, it will still be useful to have a phrasebook with you. And having learned a few of the most necessary words from it, you can feel completely confident.

And, most importantly, there is no need to be afraid of being misunderstood. Whatever language a guest of the country speaks, Czechs are ready to hear and understand him in order to reveal the beauty of the Czech Republic and their heart.

When planning a tourist trip to, they think about the question of what language they speak in. In the republic, after the collapse of Czechoslovakia, the official language is only Czech and the majority of the population knows and understands only it.

Do they speak English in the Czech Republic? It is a mistake to believe that if the Czech Republic is now part of the European Union, then all people here should know English. Even those people who studied English at school cannot speak it and will not understand anything you tell them. Only people who deal with English-speaking foreigners on a daily basis, such as hotel and currency exchange workers in Prague, can speak English reasonably well, but only on a highly specialized topic.

The Russian language is not developed in the Czech Republic and is not currently taught at school. The older generation, which still remembers the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops and who were obliged to study Russian in schools, may remember individual words and, for example, numerals, but there can be no talk of a full-fledged dialogue. Again, if a person is engaged in the tourism sector and his main clients are Russian-speaking tourists, then such a person is simply obliged to know the Russian language.

What language is spoken in the Czech Republic in Prague? Unlike Czechs living on the border with Germany and Austria, Prague residents do not speak any other language other than Czech, and can only fully understand Slovaks, since before it was one country. People living in the border area with Austria and Germany understand a little German, and some who work or have worked in Germany and Austria even speak German very well.

Since both Czech and Russian are Slavic languages, you will pick up individual words and phrases. Very often, misunderstandings and sometimes even conflicts arise between Russians and Czechs due to the language barrier, since the same words in Czech and Russian can have opposite or completely different meanings. A quite decent word in Czech may seem like an insult to a Russian person, so without knowledge of the Czech language it is better not to start a dialogue with the local population.

When you arrive in the Czech Republic on a tour package, you will be assigned a Russian-speaking guide who will help you if you misunderstand certain things. If you are going to the Czech Republic for a long period of time, you will do the right thing if you learn at least the basics of the Czech language, as this will be 100% useful to you. If you have received a long-term visa, then you can find Czech language courses for foreigners on the spot and attend them for several months. If you start learning the language from scratch, then in six months you will already be able to speak, read and write Czech quite well.

What prompted me to think about this issue is that it is believed that the Czech language is very easy for students from the countries of the former CIS to learn. In this article I will try to talk about the arguments both for and against. By the way, I have been studying languages ​​for a long time - I studied at a school with in-depth study of English, I even won a couple of Olympiads, I took French and German courses for a couple of years (and I still remember a little of them), I studied Spanish at the institute - in general , you can trust me :)

First, I would like to talk about a couple of myths, where they come from and confirm/refute them.

Myth one. The Czech language is very easy, like Russian, only in Latin letters.

The Czech Republic is a fairly attractive country for tourists. Of course, the main flow of tourists goes to Prague. She is especially popular center. Entrepreneurs are not fools at all, so their services provide different languages. Russian, English - including. An unprepared person will draw his first conclusions here after hearing Russian speech and seeing many signs. In fact, this is, nevertheless, a purely tourist place, and drawing conclusions here is stupid.

Those who are lucky enough to get outside of Prague will also not experience huge problems. For example, what can be seen in Poděbrady - the words “museum”, “církev”, “ostrov” (see the sign on the right) - are quite clear, and if something is not clear, you can guess it from the pictogram. From this we can also conclude that Czech is a very understandable language, however, this is not the case. In fact, all signs are made in order to attract the maximum number of people, so they are written as simply as possible. In such cases, international variants of words are often used.

In fact, the vocabulary hidden from tourist eyes is not as easy as it might seem. For those who want to try their hand at understanding Czech texts right away, you can try reading the news on http://ihned.cz/ - it’s unlikely to be very easy.

Speaking of what language Czech is similar to - it is similar only in Slovak. With the others there is only similarity, which does not always help, and more often it only hinders.

Myth two. You can learn Czech quickly.

This myth is born mainly among those who have already tried to start learning this language. And it’s hard to argue here - the first period of study is quite easy for Russian-speaking students - in the first month of our study, almost everyone had excellent grades.

Then, very often, everything falls into place - the grammar becomes complex. The main problem (for me personally) is the frequent illogicality. If a rule applies in one case, it is not a fact that it can be applied in another. However, this feature is inherent in many Slavic languages, including Russian.

The test results at the end of the year are proof of my words. Rare student more than 90%. As for admission to top universities in Prague, I’m just silent.

Myth four. I am a techie (doctor/lawyer/athlete/idiot), I won’t need Czech in my profession.

(If you want to find out whether a Czech student can work -!).

Everything here is also quite controversial. Firstly, working in the Czech Republic without knowing the Czech language is strange, to say the least. Secondly, you need to be very lucky to immediately get to a foreign country like this. Thirdly, you need to study, and here you can’t go without a language - foreign students have the same rights as Czech students (and, therefore, the same responsibilities), which means their studies will take place in Czech. And in the end, sooner or later you will also want to talk to someone.

One of the subtypes of this myth is the myth that knowing English is enough here. I admit, I thought so too. It seemed to me that if I knew the language, then everyone knew it too. And this is Europe, civilization. Oh, how wrong I was. English is mostly spoken by educated people, which means they are unlikely to help you in everyday tasks - in shops, banks, at the post office - everything is in Czech. And if suddenly a person knows English, this is also unlikely to help you. Usually, it was taught at school and forgotten without practice, so you won’t be able to show off your knowledge.

It just so happens that I am now (yes, which is the antivirus). The working language is English; you can also speak Czech with colleagues. Do you think there are many techies here who boast that language is just a tool? In a nutshell: if you don’t know the language, well done, go work where you don’t need to communicate.

Well, I guess I talked about myths. Now, I think it’s worth talking about the Czech language and looking at it with my Russian-speaking eyes :)

The Czech language belongs to the Indo-European family (like Hindi, Farsi, Spanish - do you think they are all similar?). This is a very large group of languages, and they are quite different. Czech belongs to the Slavic group of languages ​​(that is, it still has something in common with Russian), or more precisely, to the West Slavic group (together with Slovak and Polish, which actually already have a lot in common with Czech).

Czechs write in Latin letters with diacritics. There are 3 diacritics: charka (á), gachek (č) and krouzek (ů). There are 42 letters in the Czech alphabet, it is very easy to begin to understand the Czech letter.

Now - about the difficulties that any Russian-speaking student will most likely encounter.

1) False friends of the translator

This phenomenon has been known for a long time. For example, the word “město” (read as mnesto) is translated as city. Everyone will definitely come across the word “pozor” (read as disgrace) - this is a call to be more attentive. In fact, it happens very often, so it’s a shame!

As you can see in the picture, there are a lot of them. There is no need to learn everything; it comes naturally with the experience of living in a particular place. In Russia, the situation is different; in the Far East, most likely, you will be understood just as well as in Moscow (if they still speak Russian in Moscow 🙂).

On the other side, single standard, nevertheless, exists - it is what is studied in schools, universities, and used in official documents.

5) Ignorance of Czech realities and history

From my own experience, knowing these things is very important for learning a language. Sometimes only history helps to understand why a word is called one way and not another. And knowledge of the realities of recent years is generally necessary in order to understand peers.

So, let's summarize. Czech is a difficult language. Only Slovaks understand it relatively easily; the rest need to work on themselves. Knowledge of the Russian language does not always help, and even more often it confuses. Knowing English helps very little. On the other hand, if you use this knowledge correctly, success in learning Czech is much easier to achieve. It is worth learning a language (any language) in the country in which it is spoken. However, if you need it not for practical use, but as a hobby, you can do it at home. It’s also worth saying that you shouldn’t judge the Czech Republic and the Czech language by the center of Prague - there are a lot of interesting things around, take it at least.