Do you wish to order food or speak to locals without the help of Google Translator? Has your car broken down and you don’t know how to describe the problem to the mechanic? Are all these problems due to your inability to communicate in Czech? No worries, we‘ve got you covered. All you must do is to make time for a period of six weeks.
Still unconvinced? Just read what Anna Počterenková has sent us, after participating in a Six-Week Czech Course in Voršilská street in the centre of Prague. “After only a month of the course I was able to arrange a doctor’s appointment for my mother, explaining her condition to the doctor in the process. I was also able to arrange the servicing of my car. It was a miracle!
Our recipe for success in learning Czech effectively relies on the textbook Česky krok za krokem (Czech step by step) by Lída Holá which we use in our course. It helps to develop communication skills necessary to handle everyday situations. It gives practical tips to the students and a wide flexibility to the tutor. For example, the students can learn how to invite their friends over for dinner.
However, to learn Czech truly, you always have to look for new ways of expressing yourself and getting to know different phrases. To help you with this, our teachers employ a variety of games and exercises in the lessons, using interactive whiteboards or table games. As one of our students, Anna, described it: “We discussed a lot of interesting topics, we played games, sang songs.” Lessons also take place outside of the classroom, for example in various coffee shops, where the students order in Czech. This helps to build the students’ confidence in their own abilities.
One of our teachers, Kateřina Švehlová, recommends a variety of Czech movies for the students to watch, such as Pelíšky or Miloš Forman’s works.
“Even though six weeks doesn’t sound very long,” explains Kateřina, “we can clearly see the progress in all our students. It makes me happy when Ukrainian mothers tell me that they have written letters in Czech to the schools their children attend. The goal to speak Czech brings all our students together and they often meet in the study rooms to study together. The teachers test the students and give them feedback, so they can see their improvement over time.
“I would like to thank Olga Kirchen, the language programme coordinator, for her excellent organization and clear communication. Everything worked like clockwork. At the age of 46, I felt the joy of studying once again. I thank ILPS for the lessons and inspiration”, said Anna Počtarenková to our team.
Text: Petra Köppl
Anna Počtarenková
I was lucky to have taken the intensive course at ILPS.
In order to be admitted to this course, I had to prove elementary Czech language skills (maybe A1, I'm not sure). There was an online grammar test and a spoken interview. At the interview I realized that ILPS are real professionals.
The courses continued for almost two months. There were about 15 students from Ukraine in the group - of different ages, from different cities and with different educational backgrounds. We studied for 5 academic hours every weekday, and this allowed us to immerse into the language environment.
We not only practiced grammar and read about the life of Eva, Peter and Mrs. Hanušová in Lída Holá's "Czech step by step" textbook (the book is also good). We had a lot of discussions about interesting topics, played many interactive games, sang songs and watched videos.
It was very important for me to overcome my fear of speaking. After only a month of the course, I was able to arrange a doctor's appointment for my mother over the phone (!), explain everything to the doctor during the appointment and also arrange for the servicing of my car. It was a miracle!
We had two teachers who complemented each other perfectly. Mrs. Ivana Chochrunová is an experienced methodologist. Mrs. Kateřina Švehlová is able to give such examples from the living language that even difficult grammar becomes "a piece of cake".
Both teachers are professional, responsible, talented and have a great sense of humor. Thanks to them, it was not only Czech classes, but also a cultural adaptation programme and, in fact, psychological support. And when there is a war in your own country, you do need support. I would like to thank the teachers for their patience, because being a Ukrainian philologist, I tortured them with linguistic questions during the breaks.
I would like to thank Olga Kirchen, the language programme coordinator, for her excellent organisation and clear communication. Everything worked like clockwork.
At the age of 46, I felt the joy of studying once again. Maybe one day I will go to Charles University. Why not? I thank ILPS for the lessons and inspiration! (And I apologize for the mistakes, I'm a beginner in Czech)
Sincerely,
Anička Kočičí (Anna Počtarenková)
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The Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University (ILPS CU)
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Czech Republic
