Teach Yourself Czech Book+cds-2

Description:
Since 1993, the Czech Republic is one of the two daughter states of the former Czechoslovakia (the other is Slovakia to the east). The Czech Republic lies in the very heart of Europe and its capital Prague has become an important tourist destination. If you want to progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking and writing Czech with confidence then 'Teach Yourself Czech', using a book/CD combination, is the course for you. Although aimed at those with no previous knowledge, it is equally suitable for anyone wishing to brush up existing knowledge for a holiday or business trip. Key structures and vocabulary are introduced in 20 thematic units progressing from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to talking about the past and making a complaint. You will become familiar with many aspects of life in the Czech Republic as well as the language. The emphasis is on communication throughout with important language structures introduced through two dialogues in each unit. These build up to give you a command of many essential phrases and, especially in the earlier units, much of the basic language you will need on first arriving in the Czech Republic. There are plenty of exercises to practise the language as it is introduced and tips throughout to help with grammar. The new edition retains the tried-and-tested structure of the lessons but has been updated. The new page design makes the book more attractive and user-friendly for the self-access learner. New features in this edition include: - an English-Czech vocabulary, - a glossary of grammatical terms, - new artwork, - a taking it further section directing you to further sources of real Czech.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Good morning. How are you?; What's your name?; Where do you work?; What is your house like?; Is there a bookshop near here?; At customs; Where exactly did you study?; I can't find the key; What's the time?; What should I buy the family?; We've got visitors coming on Thursday; It's my wife who takes the children to school; It's raining!; Stop arguing!; If I knew you were coming...; It'll be quicker like that; Don't get worked up over politics!; First we'll tidy Liba's wardrobe; Have something to taste; Other things which you need to know; Key to the exercises; Appendices; Glossary of grammatical terms; Czech-English vocabulary; English-Czech vocabulary; Taking it further; Index.

Author Biography:
David Short has taught Czech and Slovak in London since 1973 and is a founder member of the North-American (now International) Association of Teachers of Czech. He has also examined in Czech for a wide range of institutions, including other British universities and a period of involvement in the Czech A-level examination, before it was scrapped. He publishes widely on Czech and Slovak topics, with many items brought together in a volume of Essays in Czech and Slovak Language and Literature (1996), and he is pleased to have had some involvement in prize-winning dictionaries of Czech idioms (1983, 1988, 1994). He is also an active reviewer, freelance translator (including some literary and scholarly works) and interpreter (chiefly for asylum-seekers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia). His other published books include the bibliography Czechoslovakia (1986), its updated revision Czech Republic (with Vlaika Edmondson, 2000), and Customs and Etiquette in the Czech Republic (1996), and he is the author of the descriptive outline grammars of Czech and Slovak included in Bernard Comrie & Greville G. Corbett (eds): The Slavonic Languages (1993).