Czech is much more difficult than Spanish, for people whose native language doesn't live in the Slavonic branch. People here say that if you want to be fluent, you need to study hard for about ten years. And while I've been here for just about that long, I haven't studied hard for any of it, and my ability to speak to people has long suffered, as a result. Of course, I can take care of everyday things, deal with technical subjects relating to Burt, and generally get by, but it really is true that this is a language that must be studied properly. And that's because it has so many rules, most of which, you just aren't likely to pick up by hanging around and chatting to people in the supermarket.

Czech is an interesting language, as it uses a more or less Latin alphabet (with the addition of ěščřž ď ť ň ch ýáíéůǔú), but its similarity to other Slavonic languages means that, even though my level is not that impressive, I have been able to speak at length with people who reply in Polish, Russian and Slovak. There are quite a few other countries where use of Czech would get you by, too, including Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, to name a few.

For me, though, the problem with Czech is not its difficulty - clearly, I am not someone who shies away from a challenge - it's just that Czech doesn't get me going. It's not an exciting language to speak or hear. It's not musical. No, this is a language I got this far with out of necessity. Sad, but undeniably true.

My journey with Czech has always been a stop-start one, and I have long struggled to motivate myself. Having said that, on my last road trip (summer 24), in which, I explored the country by what us Brits would call B roads (those little country lanes with grass on both sides, that are barely wide enough for two bicycles, let alone some of the monstrous machines that come roaring down them), I met people from villages and towns, who rarely speak English (often German & Russian, logically), and found myself practicing all the time. It was a great experience, actually, and it did lead to noticeable improvements in my Czech skills, which I am obviously happy about.

You can read about one of my trips, where I had to use this language extensively, when I encountered a lovely Czech family, in a remote village, and was invited to spend the day with them, in A Family Affair.