The more I learn Czech, the more I think I'll never learn Czech. Sometimes I feel like it was specifically designed to be impossible to ever learn. Any encouraging words? Why do you need 7 cases for a noun? Why do you need to change the noun if there are 5 of them instead of 4? Why are there so many exceptions? ..sigh.. I'm done ranting. Thank you for listening.
I agree. It can be very discouraging. I realized the other day that at the rate I'm learning (one chapter a month), it will take me 2 years to get through my book. That means 2 years to fluently speak Czech. That freaking sucks! I've been at this 7 months and I only know 2 cases. I have 5 more to go along with so many other words.
Two years to go from nothing to fluency is actually very fast, if I may say so. My experience is that an average person takes between four and five years to achieve a semblance of fluency, in any foreign language. It takes a lot of persistence, it's an uphill battle, but the feeling of satisfaction is enormous when one day you look back and you realize that you've made it. Speaking a foreign language makes life so much more interesting, it's worth all the trouble. Don't give up.
Wow, I didn't know it usually takes that long. All the Czech people I know learned English while living here in the States. It took them about 6 months or so. But they were fully immerged into the language. I know that makes a difference. Also, they all tell me that English is much easier than Czech. Thumbs Up for sentence order!
I'm sure it can be done faster, especially if you're under pressure and/or have nothing else to do. And there are whizzkids who can learn a language in an afternoon. But most of us mortals need years of hard labour.
My wife and I are just trying to learn a few phrases to impress our Czech friend (fluent English speaking Czech friend!!) and starting to feel really stupid. Being originally from Kentucky, I barely know English :lol: I would have to live in some small town in the Czech Republic for 5 years before I could think I was fluent. We're having fun, however, and I hope our Czech friend will be happy that we are making an effort.
My step-daughter's boyfriend is from the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. We've been there and decided that I'm the only American in the family. My husband and step-daughter are Czech and he is Kentuckian! :lol: It is definitely a country of it's own (with it's own language!)