5 comments about Czech-English/English-Czech Concise Dictionary.

1. Annoying font, confusing layout, highly abridged. This book is supposed to be a reference tool, but it seems like the publishers decided to try to make it look "hip" by giving it a stylized old-fasioned typewriter font and putting the entries in all lower-case. You will find about as much content in a phrasebook (though in a different layout.) For in-depth translations, definately go with one of the larger (pricier) hardcovers.



2. This is a small dictionary that I have used extensively in my long struggle with the Czech language. It's small enough and cheap enough to be carried around easily and gives you a ton of words to learn whenever you get the chance. I use my huge Czech printed dictionaries for more intensive home study and take this book around wherever I go. I recommend it along with other works by this author. (By the way, other reviewers really need to loosen up, what do you really expect out of a small abridged dictionary that can be had in a used English language book store for kc50?)



3. This book is a cheaply made piece of junk. The font for the script looks like someone's typewriter, and the "book" literally fell apart within the first day, the pages pulling away from the cheap glue used in the binding. This is a DO NOT BUY.



4. This is a VERY basic dictionary. It is set with a single simple font and doesn't have much help if any for common phrases or usage. Just basic word with a list of translated words. It is nothing close to what I have for Spanish. It is better than nothing and cheap.



5. In my quest to learn Czech, I have now purchased four pocket English/Czech dictionaries, this being the last of the four. I have now cast the other three away. This book is obviously directed to native English speakers trying to learn Czech. The pronunciation guide is very easy to use. My only complaint about the book is the "typewriter" script it uses. I would prefer seeing more of a standard type style, such as is used in the other Hippocrene books I own. As a side note, I am impressed with all my Hippocrene language books.

5 comments about Czech: Learn to Speak and Understand Czech with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Shuster's Pimsleur).

1. Since this is without doubt the best introductory Czech course available, let me focus on its strengths rather than its shortcomings. When you finish the 30 lessons on 15 CDs, you'll be able to speak quite a lot of fairly complex Czech like a native-born Czech, rather than haltingly repeating a long list of tourist phrases. Some of the complaints about this course have to do with our adult resistance to learning the Pimsleur method, which parallels the way we learn our own language as kids--by hearing it over and over, making lots of mistakes, and finally picking it up. As adults we are used to succeeding by working hard at using our rational minds rather than trusting this almost subliminal way of learning. Yes, we definitely need a Pimsleur Czech 2 and 3, but we won't get it, I think, because the language isn't popular enough to return a profit on further courses, given the number of people who will give up on this first series without completing it. I have two suggestions for further study. First, get "New Czech Step by Step" by Lida Hola, a wonderfully illustrated Czech course with a workbook and CD, which again introduces you to Czech as it is spoken by Czechs, at the speed they speak it. Note that "New Czech Step by Step" is NOT the version currently offered by Amazon, which is an older inferior version. I picked up the new books at the Kosmas publisher's warehouse in Prague, two blocks from the I.P. Pavlova metro station, but you can order it from their website, [...] When you're through with that, I recommend "Survival Czech" by Sona Vachalova, a 700-page text with a workbook and tapes. This is another text in English but published by Czechs, who think it takes 700 pages before you know even SURVIVAL Czech. I got it at the Charles University bookstore near Old Town Square in Prague. As you've probably guessed, I'm a Czech-o-phile, or rather totally and forever addicted to Prague. "That old crone has claws," as Kafka said. Happy learning.



2. This course is alright for acquiring a very tiny amount of Czech, but it shouldn't be assumed that one will be able to function well in the language once one has finished the course. It works very well, however, as supplementary speaking practice with a good Czech text such as New Czech Step by Step.
   
   If you plan to use the tracks on these CDs in your MP3 player, be aware that the electronic labeling of the tracks and the CDs is very sloppily. At least one CD comes up in the computer as part of an Italian course, and one as Greek. Some aren't labeled at all.
   
   A downloadable version of this course is also available, but unfortunately it works only in Windows and on devices that work with Windows Media Player, which shuts out most of the MP3 players on the market.



3. I know it is the basis ofthe Pimsleur method to have everything delivered into the ear. But this has at least a couple of downsides, one inevitable, one aggravated by how this particular recording seems to have been done. The inevitable problem is the inability to consult some accompanying study guide either to look up a word or phrase or for a fuller explanation about how or when, say, word order or endings are used in the manner presented on the tapes. I gather the whole method is premised on NOT studying but just following the spoken examples, as we do when children. But most of us do not have two or three years of all day interaction to pick up the language as we did so long ago. To help the process along some supplementary material (even if in phonetic approximations rather than in actual Czech) would be extremely hepful. If you can't recall the Czech word for beer, it would be nice to have a resource in which to look it up. But all of that is a built in downside to the entirely aural Pimsleur method.
   Not inevitable are the shortcomings of this particular set. I agree with a previous review that not enough time is given to respond. Also there is the problem of modeling your own mastery on speakers as indistinct and inconsistent as these. Another reviewer mentions that he sometimes hears another syllable we were not led to expect on some words. I hear it too. Another problem is the speed and lack of clear articulation. It is no answer to say that this is how Czech is actually spoken in the hurly-burly of native conversation. This is designed to be a teaching model for someone to clearly understand and to follow (without, under the Pimsleur method, recourse to anything else). There are Mississippi field hands, Liverpool dock workers, and Bronx waitresses who speak a kind of standard English. Their use of the language may be regionally colored but otherwise quite correct. But I would never offer their way of treating the language as the pattern for someone learning English. If the speakers more slowly and distinctly articulated the Czech responses ( the male speaker is much worse than the female) it would be clearer how the words are making the sentance and how the endings are to be distinguished. The rapid fire mush mouth is tough to make sense of. And it would seem to be BECAUSE Czech has sounds that English speakers do not make, that the Czech articulation should be slower and more distinct, even at the risk of some artificiality.
   It would also be helpful if the our prompter would offer more explanations of things we need to keep in mind. More "did you hear how. . . " and "note how the . . ." and "be careful to distinguish the X, which means Y, from the Z which is used to. . ." would clarify matters. There is some of that, but it is mostly "listen to this." Sometimes word order and sentance structure are never explained or even mentioned. Just following, then, an example is much harder, especially when the exemplar put it into one great slurred blurt.
   Much more care should have been taken with articulation, explanation, and consistency. I also agree with the technical criticisms made by others about how the discs have been tracked. But that is a minor inconvenience compared with constantly backing up the disc while yelling "WHAT did he say???"



4. I agree with most of what the other reviewers have said. The repetition is very helpful, even when it is driving you crazy. What I didn't like, was that the speakers go over and over certain words, but not others. With words that difficult for English speakers, they tend to not go over as much. (chtel bych) Other than that, it is great. I followed it up with Czech Step By Step (the new one) and a tutor and now I understand where the words are coming from and listening to Pimsleur is better.



5. On the plus side, the voice actors used in this course are very good. Most words are spoken clearly and are easy to understand.
   
   The biggest downside with this product is the very limited vocabulary introduced here. If you are buying this course as a basic introduction to the Czech language, it will fill your needs very well. Although, is an "Introduction" worth the nearly $250 price tag? If you are buying this course in the hopes of carrying on a conversation in Czech, think again. There is just not enough vocabulary presented. This is solely due to Pimsleurs decision to waste vast amount of CD time, repeating past lessons. While repetition may be a very effective teaching tool in a classroom setting, it's a gross waste of time with recorded media. With recorded media, if I haven't mastered, or have forgotten, the vocabulary from a previous lesson, I can always go back and replay it as many times as is necessary. While reusing words learned in previous lessons, in new context, would be a good thing, don't waste time in following lessons repeating instructions and pronunciation that have already been covered. Instead, if Pimsleur had used that time to introduce new vocabulary, the course would have been excellent.
   
   Another major short coming with this course, is the lack of any kind of written support material. For the $240 price tag, they could have included a small dictionary, or at the very least, a written list of the new words introduced in each lesson. Such a list would also be very helpful for review. Unfortunately, you get nothing. So if you want to review what a particular word means, good luck trying to find it among the 30 lessons. Perhaps Pimsleur intentionally omitted a word list so as not to draw attention to the very small number of words covered in the course.
   
   The final major objection I have with this product is the packaging. Packaging may sound trivial, but if you want to use this course on your daily commute, or on a trip, plan on having to buy a separate carrying case. The course comes in a huge, gaudy, cheap plastic box measuring 11x13x1.5 inches. Making it totally impossible to pop in your briefcase. And what's even worse is that the case doesn't hold the CD's securely. Whenever I close the box, the CDs would come loose and bang around against the inside of the box and the other CDs. Obviously this would cause irreparable damage to the disks. Why in the world would they not package these disks in a small CD wallet with separate sleeves for each CD? Yet another very bad decision by Pimsleur.
   
   Bottom line; think hard before spending your money on this course. Sadly, right now there are not a lot of Czech courses to choose from. I've taken two language courses by Rosetta Stone, and they are fantastic! Unfortunately, Rosetta Stone does not yet offer Czech. I also purchased the Czech course from the Foreign Service Institute, and it's nicely done, includes a larger vocabulary, and is cheaper than Pimsleur. (Plus it also comes in a nice Prologic Case.) However the vocabulary is definitely slanted to the requirements of the statesman/politician, rather than colloquial "on the street" Czech.

No comments about The Garden Party: and Other Plays (Havel, Vaclav).

5 comments about Teach Yourself Czech Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself . . . Complete Courses).

1. I bought this book shortly before moving to the Czech Republic with hopes of learning a bit of this (notoriously difficult) language. I was confident after going through the first section, which covered basic introductions and common phrases. Then the whole endeavor headed west. In the section where you learn to talk about where you're from, the dialogues go something like this- "Hi, I'm ________, from ________. Where are you from?" "Oh, I'm ________, and I'm originally from ________, but right now I'm living in ___________ so I'm not really a __________, I'm a ____________." Then you learn such "useful" phrases as "My, they're in a hurry!" and "I'm late for the conference." I got as far as chapter 4, and then I threw the book across the room and haven't touched it since.
   
   The book claims to be aimed at beginners- tourists and business travellers who need to learn a lot in a limited amount of time. The problem is, this is NOT beginner material. As a short-term traveller, you will find everything you need in a phrasebook. As an expatriate, this book will frustrate you and make you cry. Wait till you get to the Czech Republic, most bookstores in Prague and the other larger cities carry a decent selection of Czech language books for foreigners. My reccommendations- "Czech Step By Step" and "Do You Want to Speak Czech?"



2. I was surprised at how much material this book covered, especially with some of the colloquial forms of speech that wouldnt be taught in other, more "formal" courses...
   
   But it is very confusing sometimes and you will seriously have to put a LOT of work into memorizing the information presented in the dialogs. Yes, it's true that sometimes the book doesnt match the audio, but only with one or two words. The charts are extremely confusing and unhelpful...
   
   This book is not for the casual tourist, it is for a language learner who is intent on packing in as much information as possible with limited practice material.... so be warned i guess...



3. While I believe the lessons would eventually teach Czech well, they seemed to be designed for someone sitting down at a desk and repeatedly replaying the CD's while following along the written text. Having said that, I did found the book material excellent for a vocabulary reference. The verbal CD conversations were difficult to follow as a learning device, however, listening and reading at the same time did give a good opportunity to learn how to speak the Czech written words with some accuracy. I did use the text in the Czech Republic while we were there and it was helpful as a reference. I never made it through the CD's to the end. This to me was not a program that I could learn in only a couple of weeks, but it is a good foundation for someone who really needs to learn Czech over a period of time. The two stars are for the intensity needed to learn from the program, not the quality of what is provided.



4. I've been studying Czech out of this book since July 2006. It's the only comprehensive overview of the Czech language out there, and it's great. The book is very well written and edited. It's very concise and explains everything you need to know about the language in a logical and sequential way. If you are truly devoted to learning the language in depth, this is the book for you. Be aware however, you will need to make flashcards, listen to Czech internet radio and rent Czech movies, take notes from the book, and perhaps purchase Josef Fronek's Czech-English dictionary. If you really want to put the time in - this is the book for you. But it's VERY difficult, and is like doing a Sudoku puzzle every time you sit down to read it.
   
   If you just want to learn a couple of useful phrases, check out the in-flight Czech CD or Berlitz's tape on Czech expressions. Stay away from the Pimsleur 5CD set, because it's extremely boring.



5. We will be spending one week in Prague this fall, so thought it would be helpful to know some basics of the language. This product is way over-kill for our purposes, although it might be good for someone who will be there for an extended period of time.
   
   We ended up ordering a phrase book instead--seems to be more fitting for what we need.

1 comments about Czech: An Essential Grammar (Essential Grammars).

1. Really! First, use this work. I know it means seemingly meaningless memorization, but then the Short Teach Yourself Czech will make a lot more sense, and you can concentrate on the colloquial expressions and phrases. Then you can polish off your knowledge with Radio Praha (which has the printed Czech of their articles and sound in RealAudio or Windows Media) and the Fronek dictionary. The Fronek IS hideously expensive, but since you're not gonna find "2,000+ Essential Czech Verbs," you'll find all you need on the irregualr conjugations and declensions there.

5 comments about Conversational Czech: Learn to Speak and Understand Czech with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur).

1. Prior to my trip to Prague I bought both the Pimsleur CDs and the Colloquial Czech CDs by James Naughton. I was a true beginner, and the Naughton series completely overwhelmed me - they talk way too fast! This series was fantastic, though. They speak slowly and clearly, start with the basics, and repeat words often as you go through the lessons so you don't forget what you have learned in previous chapters. The conversations focus on topics such as hotels, money, asking where things are, etc. so it is definitely most useful for tourists.



2. the lessons are straight forward repeating words until they start to sink in.it is not an easy language to learn especially at my age over 50!but it is well worth the effort and is apreciated by the locals.



3. The CD's provided give good basic words for greetings, asking simple questions, and teaching numbers. We went to the Czech Rep in Nov, 30 days after receiving the lessons and were able to do basic communication. In Prague most people have a basic or good understanding of English, but out in the countryside, the little Czech we learned was useful when ordering meals, buying something. The number system and pronunciation were very helpful.
   
   The CD's at times tended to be overly redundant, but they were convenient to use since there were no written lesson plans to follow. I managed to listen to all the CD's at least twice. I recommend this program.



4. Pimsleur products are always great, and this one is particularly well-done. The lessons are repetitive, which might be bad for you.
   
   But the upside to all the repetition is how well you retain it and actually learn it! For example, I was watching a TV show (Crossing Jordan, my favorite :-) ), and there was a scene where a character spoke Czech to another. Suprisingly, I understood bit and pieces of what the character was saying, even though she was speaking quite quickly! I caught "Ne vim" and "Mluvim anglitsky." Sorry about the spelling. Pimsleur Coversationals are entirely audio, so I have no clue how to spell it :-) *note that the Pimsleur Basic ones come with reading lessons and a booklet.
   
   One thing to keep in mind is that you really do have to focus to get anything out of these CDs. If you just kinda have them playing in th ebackground, it won't work. You need to take a half hour to sit and listen and repeat.
   
   All in all, worth the money. An excellent choice!!!!



5. A few years ago I ordered a Berlitz German set. It had the transcript so I could read along or just listen to the tapes. I got a lot more out of it and it didn't need to be so repetative as this clearly is.
   
   Having written material would add visual input so you could not only learn to speak better by involving another sensory channel but also READ and spell.

5 comments about Colloquial Slovak: The Complete Course for Beginners (The Colloquial Series).

1. After lots of study, I was able to speak with strangers when visiting Slovakia for the first time and also to email and chat with my Slovak friends.
   
   Yes, the book contains irritating shortcomings e.g. the glossary is minimal, so please buy a dictionary; the index omits page numbers!; and more. Even so, Slovak is a relatively difficult language and just requires a lot of work to learn.
   
   If you want to learn Slovak but like me, live far from a University program or native speakers, then this book is a great investment.



2. PROS:
   - Useful and sometimes humourous dialogues
   - Concise appendices showing nominal and adjectival declension and conjugational patterns of verbs
   - Succint notes on grammar
   - Recordings of dialogues and oral exercises are clear
   - Widely-available and reasonably affordable.
   - Answer key in the back of the book.
   
   CONS:
   - Not enough exercises (There are 16 chapters with each having between 4 to 7 sets of exercises. Each set has between 3 and 8 questions)
   - Grammar notes are presented somewhat haphazardly in each chapter since their raison-d'etre are the dialogues (ex. You get an introduction to the dative and locative in chapter 4 or 5 just because the dialogue has a few sentences in the feminine dative/locative singular. However, you don't see it again in the notes until several chapters later. I would have preferred if the grammatical focus had been more complete. For example for the sake of completeness, I would have liked to have seen locative or dative in all of its forms (singular, plural, masculine, feminine and neuter) introduced in the same chapter)
   
   As a first step for someone learning Slovak, this course does the job but the scarcity of exercises means that you won't get a lot of practice. One way to alleviate this problem is to also work on another beginners' course in Slovak such as "Slovencina pre cudzincov" by Dratva et al. or "Slovencina pre Vas" by Bohmerova. At the least you'll get more structured exposure to basic Slovak by virtue of using more courses.
   
   Depending on your learning style, you may not be able to gain and retain enough knowledge from this course alone to communicate at more than a tourist's level in Slovakia. "Beginning Slovak" by Oscar Swan is more demanding but completing Swan's course will take you much further than Naughton's course. Indeed, completing Swan's course will get you to a level of someone who has completed a first-year course and part of a second-year course in Slovak. At best, completing Colloquial Slovak will get you at roughly the level of someone who has completed 75% of a first-year course in Slovak.



3. Generally a good book but some of the dialogue is clunky and not real world. Better than most other books for this topic.



4. As a self-learning beginner, Colloquial Slovak has proven to be my best source for learning the Slovak language.
   
   It's strongest feature is the way it builds understanding of the grammer. Grammatical concepts are added naturally into the dialogues and readings so that you can read progressively more complex sentences. I've read it several times now and started to make the fastest progress when I committed to doing the exercises, which really help in fixing things into my brain.
   
   You really need the CD to get better at understanding the spoken language, I"d highly recommend getting both.



5. I started using this book to learn Slovak with NO prior knowledge of neither Slovak nor a Slavic language, and I found it excellent. I've read other critical reviews, and I simply don't agree. Midway through the book, I went to Slovakia and people were amazed at how I spoke Slovak with almost perfect grammar and little accent, I learned everything from that book.
   Someone mentioned something about that they didn't explain verb conjugations, and I think that may be because there are so many irregular verbs that it would have been useless to explain a bunch of conjugations, have you memorize them, only to be mistaken when you go to apply them. Those are things that you find out when you learn a language, things you best acquire from speaking, you can't learn a language solely from a book, you have to converse, and this book does exactly that--sets you up with the ability to converse, and all the rest it can't cover comes from interaction.
   ALSO someone mentioned something about mistakes in the book, I never noticed any, I'm not Slovak, but when I looked at Hippocrene's Slovak products, I noticed handfuls of spelling mistakes immediately--so if there are mistakes, at least this book is better than the other resources.
   The only downside I remember is that they didn't really explain the declension paradigm; they offered it in the appendix, but they left you to your own devices on why some words change form, and others differently. Once you have a handle on that though it's ok.

2 comments about Czech-English/English-Czech Dictionary and Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks).

1. Essential phrases to help make a vacation in a foreign country more enjoyable



2. This book includes a Czech-English and English-Czech dictionary, as well as a basic grammar section and even a short history of the Czech Republic. After looking at several Czech dictionaries, this is the one that I've found to be easiest to use and is best suited for a tourist or casual student of the language.

5 comments about Basic Czech: Learn to Speak and Understand Czech with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsluer).

1. This really works. It moves slowly and is very repetitive, which is great for those of us who are not very quick at picking up a language. It really walks you through pronunciation as well, which was key in learning Czech.



2. I can only recommend this product as a supplement to a written text. It really doesn't work well as a stand-alone product, largely because of the poor pronounciation in places. There are many places where it sounds like the speakers are adding whole syllables to the ends of words that aren't there, or they don't clearly enunciate other parts of words (I was hearing "ste" instead of "jste" consisently, "rozumima" instead of "rozumim", etc.)
   
   It's a pity, because the slow pace and repetition really does work for building vocabulary. The pacing is such that it really only takes one or two listens to each roughly 30-minute lesson to build the vocabulary. I was hoping that this was going to be good enough for me to unreservedly go ahead and buy the big expensive set, but I'm strongly disinclined to do so with the problems with the recorded voices here.



3. I started listening to the cd's in my car on the drive to and from work, a total of 40 minutes a day and after the first week I was extremely confident in what I have learned so far. Having never spoken a work of Czech it's very easy to learn.



4. Not as good as some of the other products I have bought to help me learn Czech. I like to see what I speaking as well as hear it. No software just audio. I like to have both so I can speak and read it. My primary goal is to read and understand. As it will help me greatly to be able to translate my own Czech Documents for Genealogy.
   
   I would not recommend this product for those wanting to be able to read it as well as to speak Czech.



5. I own language programs for French, German, Japanese, Spanish and American Sign Language, and the Pimsleur program for Czech is my favorite. I am not bored working through this auditory learning only program, and I find that even after going days without listening to the CDs, I have not forgotten any of what I have learned. For the first time, I really think I will finally be able to learn a second language and "keep" it. This is BASIC conversation with no books and reading or writing to mess with, yet I believe this program teaches you everything you would need to know if you were to actually go to Czechoslovakia. I bought the program as a marketing aid for me in my farmers market business because (1) I am half Czech and always wanted to learn the language and (2) there are many elderly Czech customers at our farmers market who may feel more comfortable with a vendor who speaks the language they grew up with. A very good buy at a reasonable price.

5 comments about Czech: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. Although the version of this phrase book that I used was a 2004, assuming that they have not changed it much, I would certainly recommend this book. I used it extensively when I was in Prague and the Czech Republic for three months, and most of the time it proved to be just what I required. It is very portable -- fits well in a back pocket -- and was easy to use on the whole.



2. This book is really handy for traveling to Prague - It gives good advice that you might not think of otherwise. Definitely worth the money!!



3. Of all the Czech language aids I have, this phrasebook is the best organized and the easiest to understand. This is an excellant book for the beginner in the language, but also very useful for someone with a bit of familiarity with the language. It will be my pocket companion on my next trip to Prague.



4. I used this book for a week in Prague. I found this book to be very well organized and useful. It is also small enough to through in your bag or purse for the day. It is definately helpful to learn a few greetings and such as the people seemed much more helpful when you were putting an effort into trying their language.



5. It's true what they say; the natives are more friendly when you make an effort!
   
   I have purchased a variety of language guides for a number of languages (Czech, Italian, French, German), and I have always found the LonelyPlanet phrasebooks to be the best. Their size makes them very portable and discrete, they are very well organized, and have good, easy to use 2-way dictionaries for when you're in a pinch. They also don't take themselves too seriously, and include sometimes laughable - though potentially very useful - sections on things like clubbing, and "intimate" times. The guides claim to be "more essential than socks (and lighter on the nose)." I think this sums them up nicely.
   
   In particular, I found that the Czech language guide did a fantastic job hand-holding the reader through the admittedly arduous task of learning to pronounce all the different consonant- and vowel sounds with their plethora of accents. Be sure to start there.
   
   In short, this is an indispensable guide, and an absolute MUST for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic.
   
   Five stars.
   
   
   
   P.S. One word of warning: no book can really teach English speakers the infamous [r-with-upside-down-^] or "rzh" sound - as in the composer Dvo[rzh]ak - since the sound does not exist in our language. You'll see what I mean, no doubt. I suggest searching online for an audio clip of this consonant. The word [rzh]eka, for river, is an excellent example, if you can find it. Happy traveling!