Czech: Lonely Planet Phrasebook [Paperback]

Richard Nebesky (Author), Lonely Planet Phrasebooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

More essential than socks (and lighter on your nose), this phrasebook is your card to the real Czech adventure--from monumental Moravia to classic countryside and Pilsner in Prague, relax and take a moment to raise your glass. Na Zdravi! (Cheers!)

Our phrasebooks give you a comprehensive mix of practical and social words and phrases in more than 120 languages. Chat with the locals and discover their culture--a guaranteed way to enrich your travel experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

National Geographic Traveler, September 2006
'Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit...'

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 2 edition (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741040477
• ISBN-13: 978-1741040470
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 3.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Travel > Europe > Czech Republic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable travel companion, May 18, 2008

By 

Gregory J. Kaleka - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Czech: Lonely Planet Phrasebook (Paperback)

It's true what they say; the natives are friendlier when you make an effort!

I have purchased a variety of language guides for a number of languages (Czech, Italian, French, German), and I have always found the LonelyPlanet phrasebooks to be the best. Their size makes them very portable and discrete, they are very well organized, and have good, easy to use 2-way dictionaries for when you're in a pinch. They also don't take themselves too seriously, and include sometimes laughable - though potentially very useful - sections on things like clubbing, and "intimate" times. The guides claim to be "more essential than socks (and lighter on the nose)." I think this sums them up nicely.

In particular, I found that the Czech language guide did a fantastic job hand-holding the reader through the admittedly arduous task of learning to pronounce all the different consonant- and vowel sounds with their plethora of accents. Be sure to start there.

In short, this is an indispensable guide, and an absolute MUST for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic.

Five stars.



P.S. One word of warning: no book can really teach English speakers the infamous [r-with-upside-down-^] or "rzh" sound - as in the Czech composer Dvo['rzh]ak - since the sound does not exist in our language. You'll see what I mean, no doubt. I suggest searching online for an audio clip of this consonant. The word [rzh]eka, for river, is an excellent example, if you can find it. Happy traveling!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and pretty well organized, June 2, 2007

By 

Historicus "Historicus" (Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Czech: Lonely Planet Phrasebook (Paperback)

Although the version of this phrase book that I used was a 2004, assuming that they have not changed it much, I would certainly recommend this book. I used it extensively when I was in Prague and the Czech Republic for three months, and most of the time it proved to be just what I required. It is very portable -- fits well in a back pocket -- and was easy to use on the whole.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learning the Czech language, October 18, 2007

By 

D. Kostel (Rocky Mtns. of Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Czech: Lonely Planet Phrasebook (Paperback)

Of all the Czech language aids I have, this phrasebook is the best organized and the easiest to understand. This is an excellant book for the beginner in the language, but also very useful for someone with a bit of familiarity with the language. It will be my pocket companion on my next trip to Prague.