How to learn Czech:
a plan from zero to A2

Short answer. To learn Czech from zero to A2, speak out loud from week one: 15–20 minutes of conversation a day, ready-made phrases for everyday situations and flashcards with words you have used yourself. Bring in grammar once you have phrases to hang it on, and train long vowels, the ř sound and the past tense early. If you need A2 for permanent residence, register for the exam early because dates are given out from a waiting list, and spend the last 6–8 weeks on the free official model tests.

How long it takes depends on your hours, the languages you already know and how much Czech you hear around you. We do not promise a deadline. Instead, here is an order of steps that keeps you speaking the whole time, and a practical check of whether you are ready for the exam.

What makes Czech hard, and what doesn't

Czech reads almost the way it is written, and the stress is always on the first syllable, so you do not have to guess where it falls. The harder parts are elsewhere:

• Long vowels. The stroke over a letter (čárka) marks a long sound, not stress, and it changes meaning: byt is a flat, být is "to be".
• The ř sound. It exists in almost no other language, and pronunciation earns separate points in the exam.
• Seven cases. Endings change with the role of a word. Learn them inside phrases you actually say, not as a table.
• The past tense. In the first and second person Czech adds a helper verb: Byl jsem v práci. (I was at work.)
• Speaking Slavic languages helps understanding, not speaking. If you know Polish, Ukrainian or Russian, you will understand a lot early, but false friends such as čerstvý (fresh) still trip people up.

What to do every day

A 25–30 minute routine works better than three hours on a Sunday:

• 15–20 minutes of speaking out loud. One topic at a time: with an AI partner, a tutor or a colleague, but out loud, not in your head.
• 5–10 minutes of flashcards. Words and phrases from your own conversations, reviewed on a schedule: after a day, three days, a week. Ready-made lists: Czech words for beginners.
• 5 minutes of listening. A short everyday recording: a shop dialogue, a station announcement. Listen twice and repeat one or two sentences, paying attention to long vowels.

A plan in four stages

The weeks below are an example for someone who practises every day. Move on when you can do what the stage describes, not when the calendar says so.

Stage 1, weeks 1–2: sounds and first phrases

• Learn how Czech letters read: long vowels, ř, ě, ů, ch.
• Learn 10–12 sentences about yourself: Jmenuji se Anna. (My name is Anna.) Bydlím v Brně. (I live in Brno.) Pracuji ve skladu. (I work in a warehouse.)
• Start with Czech from zero: basic phrases: greetings, the polite "you", "I don't understand", "could you repeat that?".

Stage done when you can talk about yourself for a minute without notes.

Stage 2, weeks 3–8: everyday situations

• One situation for a few days: shop, café, doctor and pharmacy, transport, renting, work. Phrases by topic are in the Czech phrasebook.
• Numbers, prices, time and days of the week: Kolik to stojí? (How much is it?) Platím kartou. (I'll pay by card.)
• Present-tense verbs through phrases you really use: Můžete to zopakovat? (Could you repeat that?)

Stage done when you can get through a simple everyday conversation, slowly and with mistakes.

Stage 3, weeks 9–16: the past, questions and short texts

• Every day, say what you did yesterday: Včera jsem byla u doktora. (Yesterday I went to the doctor.) The exam has a story told from four pictures in the past tense.
• Practise asking, not only answering: Kdy máte otevřeno? (When are you open?) In the exam dialogues, you are the one who asks.
• Learn cases where they appear in speech: where you are (v Praze), where you are going (do práce), who with (s kamarádem).
• Read short notices and write 35–40 word messages: the exam has an e-mail based on pictures, and an e-mail under 35 words scores 0.

Stage done when you can talk for two or three minutes about family, work, home and plans, and say how your day went.

Stage 4, the last 6–8 weeks: the exam format

Permanent residence after five years requires a certificate from the Czech A2 exam unless you are exempt. Since 11 April 2026 the exam has a new format: reading, writing, listening and speaking, with at least 60 % needed in each part. Speaking takes up to 15 minutes with no preparation time: 8 questions on two topics, two dialogues where you ask, a picture story and agreeing on a choice with the examiner. Details are in the guide to the Czech A2 exam for permanent residence.

• Register early. Registration is online, then you wait in a queue and dates are assigned in order of registration. The exam costs 3,200 CZK.
• Take the official Test nanečisto. The interactive practice test on the exam website is free: reading and listening are marked automatically, and writing and speaking come with samples and videos. Do it at the start of this stage and again a week or two before the exam.
• Use the free official materials. The Příručka pro uchazeče handbook has exercises for every task type, an answer key and audio, and you can work through it on your own. The same site has learning videos about housing, the doctor, work and offices, with and without Czech subtitles.
• Speak against a timer. Answer straight away without pausing to think, and record yourself on your phone to hear your long vowels and ř.

Talkfirst has a mock speaking part of the A2 exam (beta); how it works is in the Czech A2 exam guide. Documents for permanent residence are covered in permanent residence in Czechia after 5 years.

Where to practise speaking

• An AI partner. Available at any hour and never in a hurry. Talkfirst is a voice trainer for spoken Czech: you speak out loud from A1, and after each conversation you see your pauses, mistakes and better ways to say it, explained in English. It also has word-by-word pronunciation practice, A1–A2 flashcards and everyday scenes. Free: 35 voice minutes a week; Pro: 140 minutes a week for 500 Telegram Stars per 30 days. Czech in Talkfirst is in beta, so the materials may still contain mistakes.
• A tutor. Someone who hears you and adapts the lesson. In October 2026 Preply listed more than a hundred Czech tutors.
• Courses at integration centres. The Centres for the Support of Integration of Foreigners (Centra na podporu integrace cizinců) run Czech courses from zero to B1 in 40-hour blocks, and textbooks are free. Courses take place in the cities where the centres have offices; check how to sign up with the centre in your region. A group course gives structure but little time to speak, so keep your daily practice.
• Everyday life. Say at least one phrase in Czech every time you buy something or greet a neighbour, even if English would work.

Which apps are good for what: best apps to learn Czech.

Mistakes that slow you down

• Waiting until you are "ready" to speak. You get ready by speaking.
• Only reading and tapping. Recognising a word on a screen is not the same as saying it when someone is waiting for an answer.
• Ignoring the strokes over letters. A short and a long vowel can be different words, and pronunciation earns points in the exam.
• Learning the whole case table at once. Learn the forms you need in phrases you say; the system will come together.
• Putting off exam registration. Dates come from a waiting list, so register before you feel ready.

Frequently asked questions

More Czech guides: all guides.