What this is

The Czech Language Navigator is an overview of the key points important in the study of Czech as a second language. The book is organized into a system customary in the description of Czech grammar. That is the one a student is most likely to find in other Czech textbooks. The first section outlines this system briefly along with the usual terminology. The following sections offer more detail on individual points, and contain the relevant charts. The final two sections deal with trivia related to Czech such as idioms and the history of the language that a student will find of use.

Where does this come from

The Czech Language Navigator as a whole is an original creation based on materials developed for the US Peace Corps language program in the mid 1990s (referred to in previous editions as the Yellow Pages of the Czech Language). The Navigator combines grammatical knowledge of many generations gleaned from reference materials too numerous to list. Many people contributed to the original drafts over a period of several years.

Some of the sections were composed as separate handouts over many years of teaching and therefore, there is a certain inconsistency of presentation and tone of language. It is possible that this also resulted in some small portions of the text being copied from elsewhere without attribution as is common in the practice of busy teachers putting together handouts. We tried to replace all of these with original work but some may have been overlooked. We will be happy to remove these when pointed out or provide attribution.

Licensing and reuse

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International. Under Commercial use we understand print for profit but not print distribution that charges for the cost of print and delivery. Neither do we consider commercial use using this work as a textbook in commercial courses, provided students are not charged for the text beyond the cost of reproduction.

We welcome and encourage the following reuse:

• Corrections of errors and misprints (because of the frequent switching between Czech and English
• Alternative formatting of charts and tables
• Replacing or adding examples
• Clarifying exisitng or adding alternative explanations
• Adding new sections
• Translation of the English into other languages
• Transforming the content into other formats, including interactive apps

We have learned over many years that there is no one way to present grammar that will suit all learners and teachers alike. This reference is intended to be as complete a starting point as possible but does not claim to be the ultimate book.

Explanation of symbols used

Note: Grammatical terms are explained in individual sections.