Learn Czech from German at PBC Languages
Group classes with native Czech teachers and 1-on-1 exchanges: 30 minutes in Czech, 30 in German. See what trips up German speakers first.
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German speakers usually pick up Czech grammar faster than English or French speakers do, because the logic is already familiar: you think in Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, Genitiv, so the idea that endings carry meaning isn't new. The extra three Czech cases (instrumental, locative, vocative) still take work, but the concept doesn't scare you the way it scares a Spanish or English speaker. Word order also loosens up quicker: Czech tolerates topic-fronting and verb-second patterns the way German does, so a sentence like 'Dnes jedu do Prahy' (Today I'm going to Prague) doesn't feel as backwards as it would otherwise.
What gets stuck: the ř sound, in words like 'řeka' (river) or the composer Dvořák, has no German equivalent — it's a trilled, buzzing sound your mouth has never had to make. Consonant clusters with no vowel in sight, like 'zmrzlina' (ice cream) or 'čtvrt' (quarter, as in a city district), trip up people expecting a vowel every couple of letters. And gender doesn't transfer: 'voda' (water) is feminine, 'Wasser' is neuter; 'most' (bridge) is masculine, 'Brücke' is feminine. You can't guess Czech gender from the German word.
Vocabulary is where you gain ground unexpectedly. Centuries of German presence in Bohemia left Czech full of loanwords, especially in everyday and Prague slang: 'knedlík' from Knödel, 'šunka' from Schinken, 'plac' from Platz, 'cimra' from Zimmer. Spotting these gets you further, faster, than a German speaker starting from scratch with Polish or Russian — which is exactly the kind of head start our exchanges are built to use, since you'll hear this slang from Czech natives long before any textbook mentions it.
Words you will actually hear
| Here | Elsewhere | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| stůl | Stuhl | False friend: 'stůl' is a table, 'Stuhl' is a chair. Sounds alike enough to sit down in the wrong place mentally. |
| škoda | Schade | True cognate: both mean 'a pity, a shame'. Easiest false-friend trap to actually get right. |
| knedlík | Knödel | Same word, borrowed straight from German for the same dumpling. Recognize it once, never forget it. |
| šunka | Schinken | Both mean 'ham'. A direct loanword that gives you the vocabulary for free. |
| malovat | malen | Both mean 'to paint'. Same root, easy to guess and easy to remember. |
| list | List | False friend: Czech 'list' is a leaf or a letter; German 'List' is cunning, a trick. |
| stan | Stand | False friend: 'stan' is a tent; 'Stand' is a stall, a state, or standing. Similar sound, unrelated meaning. |
| obchod | Obacht | False friend: 'obchod' is a shop or business; 'Obacht' means caution, pay attention. The first syllables mislead you. |
| los | Los | True cognate: 'los' in Czech is a lottery ticket, 'das Los' in German is a lot or fate you draw — same idea, useful overlap. |
| plac | Platz | Colloquial loanword: Czech slang 'plac' for a square or spot comes straight from German 'Platz'. |
How it works here
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Sign up and say your level
Two minutes. If you do not know your level, we place you in the first class.
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Pick a class or an exchange
Classes are led by a native teacher. An exchange is with another member: half the time in their language, half in yours.
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From your phone or your computer. If you cannot make it, cancel and get your place back.
Questions about this
How long does it take a German speaker to get comfortable in Czech?
With regular practice, most people can hold a basic daily conversation within a few months. The ř sound and the case endings take longer, closer to a year of steady use, because those need repetition with natives, not just study.
Is the 1-on-1 exchange really free?
Yes, it's a swap, not a paid service. You give half an hour in German, your partner gives half an hour in Czech, and nobody pays for the exchange itself. The group classes with native teachers are the paid part of PBC.
What level do I need to join a Czech-German exchange?
Enough to sustain half an hour of conversation without collapsing into English, roughly A2/B1. Below that, the group classes with a teacher who can slow down and correct you are a better starting point than an exchange.
How is the hour split in an exchange?
Thirty minutes in Czech, thirty in German, timer-switched so nobody drifts into whichever language feels easier that day. If you're the one struggling, you get corrected in real time by someone who actually speaks Czech at home.
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