Keeping Your Czech Alive: A Guide for Erasmus Students in Czechia
Ahoj! As an Erasmus+ student in the Czech Republic, you’ve probably worked hard to acquire your Czech language skills – teď je čas udržet je při životě! (now it’s time to keep them alive!). Whether you’re at an A2 level or pushing past B2, maintaining and improving your Czech while studying at a Czech university is both a rewarding challenge and a key to deeper cultural immersion. This friendly guide will show you how to balance academic Czech with everyday usage, so you continue growing in fluency. From chatting with locals over coffee to acing a seminar discussion, here are actionable tips, resources, and strategies to help you retain and develop your Czech. Pojďme na to! (Let’s get to it!)
Embrace Czech in Everyday Life
Living in the Czech Republic gives you a 24/7 language lab – take advantage of it every day. The more you use Czech in daily routines, the more natural it will become. For example:
- Start simple conversations: Greet your dorm receptionist or cafeteria staff in Czech, order your coffee in Czech, and chat with Czech classmates between classes. Don’t worry about mistakes – Czechs appreciate when foreigners try to speak their language and are usually happy to help. In fact, many learners find that real-life interaction is the fastest path to conversational skills – use our free resources here.
- Surround yourself with Czech: Change your phone or laptop interface to Czech, put Czech labels on items in your room (yes, even lednička for the fridge!), and follow Czech social media accounts. This constant exposure reinforces vocabulary and phrases. Remember the saying “Opakování je matka moudrosti” – repetition is the mother of wisdom. Seeing and hearing Czech consistently will cement what you’ve learned.
- Listen, listen, listen: Make Czech the background of your life. Play Czech radio or playlists while cooking or commuting. Podcasts are golden – they’re an excellent (and mostly free) way to keep your listening sharp – use our podcasts here. You can find news or any topic of interest in Czech – just hit play during a walk or workout. Even passive listening helps attune your ear to the rhythm and intonation of the language.
Strengthen Your Academic Czech Skills
While chatting at the pub is great, you also want to level up your formal and academic Czech – especially if you’re using Czech in a university setting. Academic language can be quite different (more formal vocabulary, complex sentences), so proactive practice is key:
- Read course materials in Czech: If your textbooks or articles are available in Czech, try reading a section in Czech before or after you tackle it in English. Or read Czech academic websites or journals in your field. This builds subject-specific terminology. Keep a notebook for new academic words and phrases, and review them regularly. You can read our blog posts and discussion forum topics here.
- Write a little every day: Don’t let your writing skills rust. Write short summaries of lectures in Czech, draft an email to a professor (even if you don’t end up sending it in Czech), or keep a daily journal about your studies. Writing even a few sentences or paragraphs helps reinforce grammar and vocab – over time you can try longer pieces like essays – see our blog posts here. Many educators suggest that journaling in your target language is a great way to maintain and improve proficiency.
- Participate in seminars and group work: If you have seminars or discussion groups and feel up to it, speak up in Czech. Phrasing an idea or question in Czech during class is fantastic real-time practice. In group projects with Czech classmates, volunteer to take on tasks that involve speaking or writing in Czech (e.g. presenting a part of the project or emailing the group a summary in Czech). This might be challenging, but your peers will likely support you – and you’ll learn academic lingo and teamwork vocabulary along the way.
- Use
Czech in office hours: Visiting professors or TAs during office
hours? Try initiating the conversation in Czech (if the instructor is
comfortable with it). Even if you switch back to English for complex
issues, asking a simple question or greeting in Czech shows effort and gives
you practice in a more formal, polite register. It’s also a safe space to
get feedback on your spoken Czech in an academic context.
We have many live session the nearest one is on 23 April 2025 for Czech learners, more info here.
Balancing Formal and Informal Czech
One tricky aspect of Czech (and many languages) is the gap between formal and informal speech. You might have noticed that what you learned in class (textbook Czech) isn’t exactly what you hear in the streets or even from fellow students. Striking a balance between the two will make you a more versatile speaker:
- Know when to be formal: In academic and professional settings – class presentations, emails to faculty, talking to officials – stick to spisovná čeština (standard Czech). Use proper grammar and vykání (formal “you”) when addressing professors or strangers unless they invite you to do otherwise. Formal language shows respect. As a foreigner, people might automatically use formal Czech with you, so it’s good to be comfortable with it – try our free online video teasers here.
- Learn colloquial Czech and slang: With friends, classmates your age, or at casual meetups, you’ll hear a lot of common Czech (colloquial expressions, slang, and tykání – informal “you”). Don’t be afraid of it! Watching Czech films or popular YouTubers is a fun way to pick up how real Czech people talk day-to-day. For example, you might learn that “Jak se máš?” (How are you?) often becomes a more casual “Jak je?” in everyday talk. The SlowCzech podcast often covers informal phrases and how they’re actually used slowczech.com. Embracing these colloquialisms will help you sound more natural with your Czech friends.
- Mix it up in practice: Try to practice both registers. Maybe read a formal article or write a polite email in Czech in the morning, then watch an episode of a Czech sitcom or chat with your roommate in the evening. This way you train your brain to switch gears. It’s similar to having two modes: one for your academic/professional life and one for your social life. Both are important! Just as děkuji and dík both mean “thanks” (formal vs. casual), you’ll want to be comfortable with both styles.
Balancing formal and informal Czech will prevent you from sounding like a textbook in casual settings, or too slangy in formal ones. It gives you the confidence to address the university rector in polished Czech and joke around with friends at a café – the best of both worlds.
Conclusion: Enjoy the Journey (Cesta) to Fluency
Maintaining and improving your Czech while studying in the Czech Republic is a journey – cesta za poznáním jazyka (a road to language discovery). It’s about consistency, immersion, and making the process enjoyable. Speak Czech whenever you can, in whatever situation – in class, at the store, with friends or strangers. Mix formal study with fun cultural experiences. Use technology and media to bring Czech into your leisure time. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Each mistake is actually an opportunity to learn (as the Czech proverb says, “Chybami se člověk učí,” or “One learns by mistakes”).
By following these tips – balancing academic and everyday Czech, leveraging resources, and engaging with the community – you’ll not only retain your current level, but likely push it to new heights. Imagine finishing your Erasmus semester able to hold a debate in Czech during a seminar and joke around with your Czech friends at a party. How cool would that be?
Keep practicing consistently (“opakování je matka moudrosti”, remember!), and celebrate the small victories along the way. Every new word you use correctly or every conversation you navigate is proof that your effort is paying off. Czech may not be the easiest language, but you’ve come this far – máte na to! (you’ve got this!).
So immerse yourself, stay curious, and enjoy every step of becoming more fluent in Czech. Hodně štěstí a hezké studium – good luck and happy studying!