'Threshold Czech' Online Course (B1 level, CEFR)
This online Threshold Czech Language Course is intended for anyone who has achieved A2 level (according to the CEFR) in their language skills and wants to advance to B1 level (CEFR) or who needs to review their knowledge and skills at this level. The course offers instruction in English, Russian, Spanish, French and German (i.e. exercise instructions, dictionaries and explanatory texts).
The course consists of 15 lessons divided into 5 modules:
Module 1
Lesson 1: Basic information and introductions
Topic
- Basic information, introductions
- FIlling out forms
- Dealing with border and customs officers
Grammar
- Nominative singular and plural
Life in the Czech Republic
- Emergencies
Lesson 2: Family life and cooking
Topic
- Family and family members
- Buying groceries
- At a restaurant
- Cooking
Grammar
- Genitive singular and plural
Life in the Czech Republic
- Social conventions and rituals
Lesson 3: Life in the city and making phone calls
Topic
- Places around us
- House and home
- Travelling on public transport
- Signs and symbols around us
- Booking a hotel online
Grammar
- Locative singular
- Subject-predicate agreement
Life in the Czech Republic
- Tourism
- Unesco monuments
Progress Test 1
Grammar
- grammar: Lessons 1–3
Vocabulary
- vocabulary: Lessons 1–3
Module 2
Lesson 4: Sport and culture
Topic
- Free time and sport
- Expressing happiness or sadness, satisfaction or dissatisfaction
- Degrees of surprise
Grammar
- Vocative
- Perfect and imperfect
- Relative pronoun “který”
Life in the Czech Republic
- Travel
- Sport
Lesson 5: Work and study
Topic
- Work and study
- Replying to an advertisement
Grammar
- Dative singular
- Perfect and imperfect
- Conjunctions “jestli“ and “zda“
Life in the Czech Republic
- C.V. and job interviews
- Film clip – “Obecná škola”
Lesson 6: Nature and travel
Topic
- Nature and our surroundings
- Travel
- Weather forecasts
Grammar
- Instrumental singular
- Verbs of movement
- Conjunctions “protože“ and “proto“
Life in the Czech Republic
- Signs around us – outside and on the street, inside and in buildings
Progress Test 2
Grammar
- grammar: Lessons 4–6
Vocabulary
- vocabulary: Lessons 4–6
Module 3
Lesson 7: Transport and methods of transport
Topic
- Road traffic
- Forms of transport
- Informal letters
Grammar
- Locative plural
- Adverbials of places
- Verbs of movement and prefixes
Life in the Czech Republic
- Informal letters
- Song – Barbora píše z tábora
Lesson 8: Our options and wishes
Topic
- Determining certainty and uncertainty, possibilities and impossibilities, appropriateness and inappropriateness
- Possibility, ability, competence, necessity, permission
- Wishes, intentions, interests, preferences
- Invitations, congratulations, toasts
Grammar
- Dative plural
- Modal verbs
- Conditional
Life in the Czech Republic
- National and other holidays
- Family holidays and celebrations
- Visits
- Song – Narozeninová (Birthday song)
Lesson 9: The body and health
Topic
- Physical condition and health care
- Physical features and characteristics
Grammar
- Instrumental plural
- Singularia and pluralia tantum
- Verbs of movement and prefixes
- Parts of the body - declensions
- Imperative
Life in the Czech Republic
- Temperament
- Song– Život je jen náhoda
Progress Test 4
Grammar
- grammar: Lessons 10–12
Vocabulary
- vocabulary: Lessons 10–12
Module 4
Lesson 10: Home and fashion
Topic
- House and home
- Fashion
- Mathematical symbols
- Complaints
Grammar
- Numerals: cardinal, ordinal, multiples, collective, generic
- Numerals and countable objects
- Predicate-subject agreement following numbers and words of quantity
Life in the Czech Republic
- Fashion designers
- Song – Šaty dělaj člověka
Lesson 11: Things and their properties
Topic
- Things and their properties
- Collecting
- Leisure time at the cottage or cabin
- Town or countryside
Grammar
- Comparison of adjectives and adverbs
- Forming adverbs from adjectives
- Forming nouns from adjectives
- Characteristics
Life in the Czech Republic
- Czech specifics
- Country song – Rád se brouzdám rosou
Lesson 12: Society and values
Topic
- Social problems (crime, living standards, environment etc)
- Public administration (authorities, police, fire services)
Grammar
- Conjunctions - review
- Conjunctions “kdyby“ and “aby“
- Reflexive passive
- Pronouns “všechen“ a “sám“
Life in the Czech Republic
- Ranking values
- The values of Czech society
- Song – Otázky
Progress Test 4
Grammar
- Testing knowledge from lessons 10-12.
Vocabulary
- Testing knowledge from lessons 10-12.
Module 5
Lesson 13: The Czech Republic in a nutshell
Topic
- Religion
- Politics
- Membership in various organisations
- Informace about the Czech Republic
Grammar
- Noun declension - exceptions
- Description/formation of the passive
- Possessive adjectives
Life in the Czech Republic
- The political situation in the Czech Republic
- Religion in the Czech Republic
- Czech national anthem
- Film clip – Pelíšky
Lesson 14: A little poetry never hurt anyone
Topic
- Formal speech
- Expressions of time
- Excerpts from Czech prose and poetry
Grammar
- Declension of foreign nouns
- Frequentative verbs
- Verbal nouns
- Adjectives of the type “šťasten“
Life in the Czech Republic
- Standard and colloquial Czech
- Film clip – Samotáři
Lesson 15: Revision test
Grammar
- Testing knowledge from all lessons, from the whole course.
Vocabulary
- Testing knowledge from all lessons, from the whole course.
Modules can be randomly combined – choose suitable modules according to the content described under specifications.
Tips
- order one module and try the features and quality of the course or purchase the entire course (5 modules) and save up to 360 EUR!
- start with the advanced modules if you already know the essentials of the Czech language
- choose modules according to the grammar, topic and vocabulary in each lesson
Savings
The more modules you order at one time, the lower the price for each module in the set.
Lessons
Each lesson contains:
Vocabulary – visual presentation with pictures and audio recordings
Grammar – coloured grammar charts
Listening – listening comprehension practice
Reading – reading comprehension practice
Writing – writing task sent to a tutor
Life in the Czech Republic
Dictionary – vocabulary listed in all forms plus phrases, audio recordings, and translations in English
Progress Test – must be passed successfully in order to continue with the following module
Lesson 15 – grammar summary of all lessons; preparation for the final exam, which must be taken in person and is compulsory for those students who require a certificate
Additional study materials are available in the Downloads section.
Placement Test
You can apply for the course if you have reached at least A2 level standard.
If you have studied Czech before and you are not sure whether this course is suitable for you, we advise taking the placement test; on the homepage please complete all fields and answer all questions; upon clicking "Evaluate" the most suitable course for your current level will be recommended.
System requirements and demo lesson
To enter the learning management system, you must have
- A modern web browser:
Windows – Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge (new Chromium based version)
macOS (OS X), iOS, Android – Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge (new Chromium based version)
Linux (Ubuntu, openSUSE) – Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera
Unsupported web browsers: Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge (old version), Safari. - JavaScript and cookies enabled on the web browser.
All web browsers usually enable these settings or ask users to enable these settings. - The minimum screen resolution must be 1024x768 px.
- Consistent Internet connection at a minimum speed of 1 mbps. You can check the connection speed here.
We recommend that you do not use a metered connection (Internet connection that has a data limit associated with it) as the volume of video and audio recordings included in the course is high.
We advise you to try the course first
Click here to visit sample lessons of Czech language for foreigners and English in our learning management system http://ujop.itutor.cz/student. Login and password: democj
Manuals are available in the Downloads section.
Certification
All our courses are certified by the Czech Association for Distance University Education.