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My new clients often say things like: “I'm smart in English, but in Czech, I feel like a small child.” “Everything disappears when I try to speak.” “When I get stuck, I panic and switch to English.” The problem usually isn’t grammar. It’s the stress, it's the pressure. It's not knowing what to do in the moment when communication breaks down. For the past two months, I’ve been working with one client, and the progress he’s made is honestly incredible. He now speaks Czech with

Over the years,  I’ve noticed something interesting about many people who are learning Czech.  They’ve taken courses, worked with textbooks, maybe tried apps or watched videos. Slowly, their knowledge grows. And yet  when the moment comes to actually say something in Czech, many people suddenly hesitate. Very often, it’s simply because everyday life doesn’t create many safe moments to try. So many learners  keep studying Czech for years… but speaking never really becomes a re

Recently, I had a call with one of my wonderful clients, and she said something that made me write this post: “I recently bought a couple of Czech textbooks… and they’re still in the plastic.” She also said:  – I know there are a lot of resources.  – But I just don’t know how to organize myself.  Maybe you have a similar stack of Czech textbooks at home. Maybe you’ve told yourself more than once:  “I’ll start properly next week.” But the reason textbooks don’t work for yo u (

One of my wonderful clients has been learning Czech for years. But whenever she visits Prague, she becomes so shy that she simply doesn’t speak. “Whenever I’m in Prague, I’m so shy to speak that I just never get to practice.” Part of the reason is that when she tries to speak Czech, people in her Czech family sometimes look confused or even laugh, and that makes her even more nervous to try again. So when she joined my WhatsApp speaking group, her goal wasn’t perfect grammar.

Recently, in my Speaking Group for Women , we had a mastermind session.  That means the structure of the lesson was different.  Each woman had 20 minutes of space first to present a topic or problem she is currently dealing with, and the others offered advice, questions, their perspective, and support. I introduced this format into my lessons because I am part of a mastermind group myself. Under the guidance of my wonderful mentor Nina, I meet every month with other teacher

My little boy is slowly starting to speak. He's 2. For now, he mostly babbles, mixes sounds, and completely reshapes words. But that doesn’t stop him from talking. Constantly. 😄 What fascinates me is this: Even though he makes mistakes, he uses Czech declension endings almost perfectly. Recently, we went by metro. It was clearly a huge experience for him, because the whole evening he kept repeating: “Tletlem. Tletlem.” (His version of "metrem" – “by metro.”) He has no idea t

But this weekend reminded me why community matters so much. Recently, one of my wonderful clients wrote in our WhatsApp group that he was going to Prague and asked if anyone wanted to meet for a coffee or a beer. I mentioned it to a few other clients…, and before I knew it, we were fifteen people sitting together in the centre of Prague.  People were coming and going, some already knew each other, some were meeting for the first time.  But everybody was talking, networking, a

When this client came to me for the first time three years ago, he could only say a few basic sentences. After one year of studying Czech, his routine consisted of using a textbook, doing what he thought he should do, but he didn’t enjoy it much, and he didn’t feel like it was really working. He felt a bit stuck. When we started working together, he wrote to me after just one month: “𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒

The other day, my daughter found my bike helmet. She came to ask me what it was, and I told her, “That’s my bike helmet.” She went to our Peruvian nanny and wanted to say the same thing in Spanish because that's the language they use. But there was one problem: she didn’t know the Spanish word for “bike.” So she said: “Es de mamá y es para kolo.” (It’s mommy’s and it’s for a “kolo“) Our nanny replied: “Aa, para una bicicleta?” (Oh, for a bicycle?) And my daughter: “Sí, para u

I recently started working with two new clients. They are completely different people, and yet they have so much in common. We’ve only had two lessons so far, but I can already see something I see with my clients again and again. 1. Both of them have been learning Czech for years. They’ve tried courses, textbooks, apps, and podcasts. And still, they feel like none of it really fits together. 2. Real conversations with Czechs feel frustrating and scary. They freeze, the conver

I see this all the time. Expats in the Czech Republic want to learn Czech, but they have no system. They jump between textbooks, podcasts, courses, homework…and instead of actually learning Czech, they spend most of their energy deciding what to do next. They don’t move forward. And they get frustrated. One of the first things I do with my clients is help them set up a simple, daily routine they can follow between lessons, so Czech doesn’t exist only once a week. This routine

His goal is to achieve a clear and confident Czech pronunciation so he can effectively communicate with his customers and clients. Throughout the whole lesson, I kept thinking how beautifully he speaks. He has one of the best Czech pronunciations I’ve ever heard from an American. He works hard, practices a lot, and is genuinely committed. And yet, during our reflection at the end of the lesson, he felt frustrated. He felt it was still “not good enough”. So I told him this: Yo

🟡 Today, we skipped the Czech lesson. And it was great! My women’s speaking group tried something new: a mastermind session. Each of them shared something she’s currently dealing with : work, family, relationships, ...and the others offered questions, support, and perspective. There were no grammar points, no set topic. Just 4 real conversations, each for one of them. All in Czech. I didn’t correct anything. I just helped with a word if needed and let the group do the rest

🟡 You've been learning Czech for years.  You've tried watching Czech films, Netflix series, ČT24. But it always ends the same. They talk too fast, too mumbly, too native. So you turn it off. Again. But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if you had a guide, right there with you? Someone who paused the video and said: “Here’s what they just said. Here’s why. And here’s how you can say it too.” Tadáááá! That’s what I created for you. 🥳  A 30-second Czech clip, turned

🟡 Tykání can feel friendly… or it can feel like a slap. At our last Zoom call in my women’s speaking group , we touched on a topic that sparked a big discussion: tykání and vykání. One woman shared a story about someone who started 'tykat' her right away, without asking. Was it because she’s younger? New to the neighbourhood? Or because she’s a foreigner? Whatever the reason, when someone in the Czech Republic starts tykat you without permission, it can be a subtle way of sa

🟡 We just had another Zoom call with my amazing Speaking group for women . Today, each participant presented something important from her life, and then they discussed it together. And here’s what came up in our final reflection: - I learned the difference between the expressions „jsem ráda, že…“ (I’m glad that…) and „těším se na…“ (I’m looking forward to…). - I learned the words „chumelenice“ (snowstorm) and „vliv“ (influence). - I learned the phrase „je potřeba se trochu c

🟡 Christmas cookies, Czech only, and zero awkward silence. Not long ago, a small group of Czech learners came to my home in Prague for an offline Christmas cookie-baking afternoon. Some participants already knew each other, others were meeting for the first time. And honestly… when everyone arrived and immediately started talking, laughing, and getting to know one another (in Czech!), I almost felt bad about interrupting them to actually start baking. 😄 But we eventually go

🟡 For expat women who've been learning Czech for years and want to use Czech in meaningful conversations and build relationships in Czech.  - Do you struggle to speak Czech confidently in everyday situations? - Do you feel excluded from conversations with native speakers? - Do you feel overwhelmed trying to balance learning with work and family? - Do you find it hard to practice speaking Czech consistently? Then you will LOVE this group.  "This group has given me so much! We

🟡 I recently started working with two new clients. They are completely different people, and yet they have so much in common. We’re still at the beginning, we’ve only had two lessons so far. But already, I can see something very familiar, something I see with my clients again and again. 1. Both of them have been learning Czech for years. They’ve tried courses, textbooks, apps, and podcasts. And still, they feel like none of it really fits together. 2. Real conversations with

One of my amazing clients, Solée from the US, recently shared something that really stayed with me. She's currently part of my 10-week...