Teach Yourself Czech Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) [Paperback]

David Short (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071430423 | ISBN-13: 978-0071430425 | Publication Date: April 14, 2004 | Edition: 2

Party in Prague? Teach yourself Czech!

With Teach Yourself it's possible for virtually anyone to learn and experience the languages of the world, from Afrikaans to Zulu; Ancient Greek to Modern Persian; Beginner's Latin to Biblical Hebrew. Follow any of the Teach Yourself Language Courses Audiopackages at your own pace or use them as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are professionally designed for self-guided study, making them one of the most enjoyable and easy to use language courses you can find. Audiopackages include an instructional paperback book and two companion 60-minute audio CDs.

Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including:

• Step-by-step guide to pronunciation and grammar
• Regular and irregular verb tables
• Plenty of practice exercises and answers
• Practical vocabulary and a bilingual glossary
• Clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout
• An exploration of the culture
• And much more

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Short

has taught Czech for many years ath the University of London.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (April 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071430423
• ISBN-13: 978-0071430425
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Czech

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not conducive to "teaching yourself", August 19, 2005

By 

W. Inouye - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teach Yourself Czech Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) (Paperback)

While many of the books in this series are quite useful, the Czech edition is extremely unhelpful. In addition to a tendency to stray into topics that you will never use (e.g., "Cleaning Liba's Wardrobe"), it offers very unclear explanations for a language with a very complex grammar. I lived in the Czech Republic for six months, and I don't think I once found this book useful. If you would like a resource that will help you learn this crazy (but fascinating!) language, try "Cestina pro cizince" or "Communicative Czech".

43 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners, July 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Teach Yourself Czech Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) (Paperback)

This course starts with the Czech alphabet then immediately throws you into a complex conversations. Often times the book and audio do not match. If you are a beginner, this is not for you. Definitely not for a person just wanting to learn the basics for travel. Save your money and search elsewhere.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great comprehensive study of Czech - but be wary - the language is HARD!, August 18, 2007

By 

Keith (Suburbs of Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Czech Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) (Paperback)

I've been studying Czech out of this book since July 2006. It's the only comprehensive overview of the Czech language out there, and it's great. The book is very well written and edited. It's very concise and explains everything you need to know about the language in a logical and sequential way. If you are truly devoted to learning the language in depth, this is the book for you. Be aware however, you will need to make flashcards, listen to Czech internet radio and rent Czech movies, take notes from the book, and perhaps purchase Josef Fronek's Czech-English dictionary. If you really want to put the time in - this is the book for you. But it's VERY difficult, and is like doing a Sudoku puzzle every time you sit down to read it.

If you just want to learn a couple of useful phrases, check out the in-flight Czech CD or Berlitz's tape on Czech expressions. Stay away from the Pimsleur 5CD set, because it's extremely boring.