Aptitude for learning Czech (or any other complex language)?

Přesný překlad mého příspěvku (in Czech, we say příspěvek or just post to the posts in the discussion forums) je:

Ano, tady je teplé počasí, na druhou stranu [we say "on the other side" instead of "on the other hand", what used in English, I think], mohl jsem [I could] otestovat moje upravené řešení chlazení [lze i tvé `způsob chlazení`; btw combinations in English like "cooling solution" can be said in Czech as both "chladící řešení" and "řešení chlazení" (lit. "solution of cooling")] na mém počítači [in Czech, "na" ("on" in Eng.) is used also in some cases of English "at"] v nejhorším případě (nejvyšší možná teplota v mém pokoji) a funguje to perfektně.

V češtině není "horká teplota", ale velká, vysoká apod.; horké může být počasí.

 

Correction: Možná bychom nebyli právě nejlepšími učiteli. (instr.)

 

Yes, now that you mention it, učitelé should be correct. Yet, Pravidla Ceskeho Pravopisu lists only učiteli as the plural (1st, 4th, and 7th cases) of učitel. Hmm... now I'm confused, because now I do remember using učitelé all the time.

(And yes, of course there should be a carka on the a's in možná and právě--not an uncommon mistake for me :? )

As for Zeisig's use of the instrumental (nejlepšími učiteli), that works better.

 

Yes, in this case both nominative and instrumental are correct. Instrumental is better as for the style (nominative could be also confusing because of free word order) but I respected original scrimshaw's choice.

It's disturbing but there is mistake in (these unoficial :! Pravidla. Compare it with analogous kazatel.

 

I'm having trouble understanding the website: http://www.pravidla.cz

for instance, the post above links to a page on that site. So does that page give the 7 different cases of that word?

 

Not necessarily. "Nalezené tvary" (=found forms) is followed by list of some possible forms without any information about their usage.

Essential is this part:

kazatel, -e m., mn. 1. -é, 7. -i

kazatel...headword itself
-e ... genitive suffix, useful for model noun identification
m. ... gender (m. for masculine, ž. for feminine, stř. for neuter)
mn. 1. -é, 7. -i ... list of irregularities or aberrations from standard model (in this case: plural nominative and instrumental suffix is -é and -i respectively)

 

By the way, as for the website http://www.pravidla.cz/, it is not without controversy. It appears to be an on-line version of the famous book Pravidla českého pravopisu, but the publisher of that book, the Institute of the Czech Language at the Academy of Sciences, has found it necessary to distance themselves from it:

http://www.ujc.cas.cz/aktuality/aktuality_detail.php?str=aktuality&id=16

 

Wer thanks for the explanation. That helps a lot.

 

Thanks, wer and mbm.

I had thought the website was an official version of Pravidla českého pravopisu. As my command of the Czech language gets rustier and rustier, I've found that I rely on this more and more. This is the first mistake I have come across. I'll have to keep my official hardcopy of the book handy to double check.

 

To Sova:

Fide, sed cui fidas, vide! - Věř, ale komu věříš, měř!

It is very true that the Internet is a world where men are men, women are men and 12 years old girls are FBI agents.

Pravidla.cz (a také eva.cz a další) provozuje jakási firma Zásobování a.s. Mělník. ("Provozovatelem internetového supermarketu EVA.cz je společnost Zásobování a.s.. Společnost s více jak desetiletou historií v oblasti velko a maloobchodu.") Opravdu skvělá kvalifikace.

It is incomparable with e.g. http://www.rae.es (if you are interested in Spanish).

 

Na druhou stranu se ale musí uznat, že na Internetu poptávka veřejnosti po takové službě existuje. Je ostuda, že Ústav pro jazyk český ji neposkytuje a přenechává to podnikatelům, u kterých nevíme, jestli z nich můžeme mít důvěru. Asi chtějí ty Pravidla raději prodávat, než poskytovat zadarmo. To je sice pochopitelné, až na to, že oni jsou veřejná instituce placená z daní a člověk by čekal, že budou zájem veřejnosti klást před zisk.

 

Stanovisko ÚJČ

 

Haha! I love it! Yes, I should know better than blind trust, particularly as a scientist. Yet while the scientist in me is skeptical, the theorist in me is idealistic.

Also a comment to wer's last link: I love the "we're working on it" answer from the keepers of the real Pravidla českého pravopisu. With copyrights and lawyers involved, though, I won't get my hopes up of seeing an official website anytime soon (there's the skeptic in me again ).

 

Ahoj vsichni, I just thought I'd post a little about my experience with leraning Czech. I've been learning for 5 years on my own and I still can't consider myself fluent (unfortunately). I haven't been very dilligent with studying everyday so that is part of the reason.
As I've been learning, the hardest thing for me defnitely has been speaking and understanding when spoken. I understand a lot more when reading it and I write a lot better than I speak.
I've used Colloquial Czech by James Naughton, with that book I think it enabled me to improve my writing and reading skills, not so much speaking. Chcete mluvit Cesky and Elementary Czech are two other textbooks I've used as well. It's hard to say which one is the best.
It's hard especially when you're not in the country and have the oppurtunity to hear and speak every day, so therefore it's going to take me a lot longer before I become fluent. But definitely for those of you who are learning on your own, find different ways to practice everyday, whether it's reading,listening or writing.. Also if I may add a question, I've heard people say read out loud to yourself, is it good to do that, and does it help in anyway?
So that's all.. It's a great language and I really love it in Czech republic.
ahoj

christina