Languages · Čeština
Video Chat with Czech Speakers
Czech rewards early speaking practice: the grammar and the sounds make far more sense once you hear them in real sentences. The simplest way to practice Czech with native speakers is to talk with them often, and on Omlet you can video chat one-on-one with people from the Czech Republic for free, without an account.
Omlet doesn't match people by language, so choose the Czech Republic with the country filter, or ask anyone you meet, "Mluvíte česky?" (Do you speak Czech?). People from Slovakia are worth meeting too: Slovak is a separate language, but Czechs and Slovaks usually understand each other, so Slovak speakers make great listening practice. The language exchange video chat page explains how practice works on Omlet.
Where people speak Czech
Czech (Čeština) is an official language in 1 country or territory. To meet people from one of them, pick it with the country filter.
Useful Czech phrases for video chat
Short, natural phrases you can use in your first minute on camera. The pronunciation is a simple English-style guide; stressed syllables are in capitals.
| English | Czech | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hi / Bye (casual) | Ahoj! | AH-hoy |
| Hello (polite) | Dobrý den. | DOB-ree den |
| How are you? (casual) | Jak se máš? | YAHK seh mahsh? |
| Fine, thanks. And you? | Dobře, díky. A ty? | DOB-rzheh, DEE-kee. AH tih? |
| What's your name? (casual) | Jak se jmenuješ? | YAHK seh MEH-noo-yesh? |
| My name is … | Jmenuju se … | MEH-noo-yoo seh … |
| Where are you from? | Odkud jsi? | OT-kood see? |
| I'm learning Czech. | Učím se česky. | OO-cheem seh CHES-kee |
| Nice to meet you. | Těší mě. | TYEH-shee myeh |
| Can you speak more slowly? | Můžeš mluvit pomaleji? | MOO-zhesh MLOO-vit PO-mah-leh-yee? |
| How do you say … in Czech? | Jak se řekne … česky? | YAHK seh RZHEK-neh … CHES-kee? |
| What do you do for a living? | Čím se živíš? | CHEEM seh ZHI-veesh? |
| I don't understand. | Nerozumím. | NEH-roh-zoo-meem |
| Thank you, goodbye. (polite) | Děkuju, na shledanou. | DYEH-koo-yoo, NAHS-khleh-dah-noh |
Tips for practicing Czech on video chat
- Match Dobrý den with vy and Ahoj with ty. Saying ahoj signals that you're on informal terms, so use dobrý den with anyone clearly older until they suggest otherwise.
- If a chat feels relaxed, ask "Můžeme si tykat?" (Can we use ty?). It's a normal question, and the older person traditionally offers it.
- Don't wait for the grammar. Czech has seven cases, but you'll be understood with imperfect endings; focus on sounds and set phrases first and let the endings catch up.
- Listen for no: in casual Czech it usually means yes, as a short form of "ano". "No jo" is roughly "well, yeah".
- Good topics include hiking and weekends at the family cottage (chata or chalupa), ice hockey, food like svíčková and knedlíky (dumplings), and what makes someone's hometown worth a visit.
Stress, vowel length and the famous ř
- Stress always falls on the first syllable. "DĚ-ku-ju", "NE-ro-zu-mím". Short words like se and mě lean on the word before them.
- Accent marks mean length, not stress. The čárka in á, é, í, ó, ú and the little ring in ů make a vowel longer. In "rozumím" the í is long, but the stress still sits at the start of the word.
- Háček letters. Č is ch, š is sh, ž is the s in "measure", and ě after d, t or n softens it: "dě" sounds like "dye".
- C and ch. C is always ts ("co", what, is "tso"), while ch is a throaty sound like the ch in "loch".
- Ř. A rolled r and a zh buzz at the same time. Start with a quick rolled r, then let it buzz into the s of "measure". Practice with "řeka" (river) and "tři" (three); Czechs will understand you while you work on it.
Try the classic tongue twister "Strč prst skrz krk" (Stick a finger through your throat). It has no vowels at all, because r and l can act as vowels in Czech.
Ty or vy? Getting formality right
Czech draws a clearer line than English between formal and informal address. Vy (formal, and also plural) is the default with adults you've just met, especially older ones; ty is for friends, family and anyone who has agreed to it.
| Phrase | Formal (vy) | Informal (ty) |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Dobrý den | Ahoj / Čau |
| How are you? | Jak se máte? | Jak se máš? |
| What's your name? | Jak se jmenujete? | Jak se jmenuješ? |
| Can you speak more slowly? | Můžete mluvit pomaleji? | Můžeš mluvit pomaleji? |
Many people in their twenties and thirties use ty with each other online straight away. Follow your partner: if they say ahoj and use ty forms, you can too.
One-topic chats: a Czech practice routine
Czech vocabulary sticks better when it's grouped, so give each chat one theme and stay with it:
- Pick a theme before pressing Start: food, your city, weekends or work.
- Open with "Dobrý den" or "Ahoj", say "Učím se česky", and name the theme: "Můžeme mluvit o jídle?" (Can we talk about food?).
- Ask two or three questions on that theme and write down every new word.
- Before you say goodbye, try one sentence using a word you just learned.
- Keep the same theme with the next person so the words come up again.
The Czech Republic is on Central European Time (UTC+1, or UTC+2 in summer), so a Czech evening lines up with the afternoon on the US East Coast. For more ways to structure sessions, read our language exchange tips.
Practice Czech with the country filter
Omlet's interface is in English only, and it doesn't match people by language or translate anything. There are two easy ways to find Czech speakers:
- Use the country filter. Press Country, pick a country where Czech is spoken (for example Czechia), then press Start.
- Ask whoever you meet. On Worldwide matching, a quick "Do you speak Czech?" costs nothing to try.
The country filter's first day is free (you add a card to start, and can cancel in Settings before the charge). After that it's $3 one time for that device and browser, with no subscription. It can make matching slower when fewer people from that country are online; if a match takes a while, try another country or switch back to Worldwide.
Say you're practicing Czech in your first sentence and ask your partner to slow down or correct you. It's a normal request.