How to stop speaking Czech like a child?

Start speaking Czech naturally without overthinking!

Ahoj, tady Eliška, do you sometimes feel awful when after years of learning Czech you still feel like a child? Speaking basic Czech with mistakes? Not being able to express your thoughts fully? Well, today’s story is for you. Dneska pro tebe mám já, Eliška, příběh o naší francouzské babičce.

Přijela francouzská babička

Our son Elias, 2 roky a kousek, speaks French with his dad and Czech with me. At daycare, he speaks Czech. With the Czech side of the family, he communicates in Czech. He understands French. But replies in Czech. And since his dad speaks Czech and understands his Czech, Elias doesn’t need to make effort to speak French.

Minulý týden přijela francouzská babička. Her highest Czech skills extend to “Děkuji. Dobrý den. Slon.” And she has no clue what Elias is talking about.

Their typical conversation (when Elias wants to cut his bread with a specific knife) goes like this:

Elias: “Krájet velkým zeleným nožem!” (I want to cut it with the big green knife!)

Babička: “Viens, on va se laver les mains.” (Let’s wash your hands.)

Elias: “Krájet velkým zeleným nožem!” (I want to cut it with the big green knife!)

Babička: “Tu feras tout seul? Elle est où la salle de bain?” (You will wash them on your own? Where is the bathroom?)

I am enjoying observing them so much! In Czech we call this kind of conversation “já o koze, on o voze” = I speak about a goat and he speak about a vehicle = talking past each other, with no real understanding or progress. And even if is very funny to witness,… I am not interferring.

Why?

Imagine, if I translate to you constantly what you hear in Czech, you will not need to make an effort on your own to immerse in the language. You will just wait for the English version.

No jasně, Eliško, to vím, but what should I take from this story?

I will tell you.

As an experienced language tutor and language lover, I want to share some key points with you:

1. If you want to communicate, you will always find a way.

Elias sees that his grandma doesn’t understand, but he wants to communicate with her and will always find a way –> either he shows the knife in the drawer, or he comes to me or his dad for help. The will is the key. When you’re in the Czech Republic, the effort to communicate falls 80% on you. Locals already have their friends and life here, so they might not feel the need to make that effort.

2. Giving up after the first attempt is… an adult behavior.

Elias doesn’t give up even if it takes 5 or 10 minutes; he repeats and encourages Babičku to change her way of communicating. She continues guessing or, by miracle, understands what he wants. Yes, miracles happen and are an important part of communication 🙂 But do you see what’s happening here? Elias is persevering! The sentence about the knife is repeated 10 times until Babička does something close to what Elias wants.

3. We need to open our minds and adapt.

Babička is guessing from Elias’s gestures and sounds. Yes, she is slowly learning Czech! She is adapting to him! Because unless at least one person is open enough to listen to the other and adapt, the communication will remain “já o koze, on o voze” with no progress or result.

Be like Elias. Be insisting. Be tireless.

Be like babička. Open your mind. Adapt.

“Ok, Eliško, I will,” I hear you saying. “Thanks for your tips! Now, what about the frustration of speaking like a child?”

Please know that Elias doesn’t always use correct cases or verb endings. I’m working on a new video about this, which will be super mega interesting and helpful for us adults, so stay tuned and join membership slowczech Lab for more insights and tips. We can learn a lot from Elias’s approach to Czech grammar.

I’ve designed a 5-week course focused on Czech cases

in a non-traditional,
more natural,
story-based,
immersive,
… and child-like way!

Would you like to start using Czech endings correctly and feel “less simple” and more confident when speaking?

Learn naturally in Eliška's course "Czech cases with stories"

And what about the result?

You will start using Czech grammar more intuitively! Just because it sounds right. Which is what native speakers reply to your answers:

“Why this or that grammar?”

“Because it sounds right.”

"I really like the slowczech and Eliska's method, using stories and related questions. It helped me to shift focus away from grammatical endings and speak more naturally. Díky za kurz!"

Lina

from Italy

Stop being adult for a bit and trust that stories work. You can learn Czech cases.

Just chose the right approach.

See you in the course!

Eliška & slowczech team