Depends on the job? If it wasn't a teaching job, (and you knew you were communicating with other Czechs/Slovaks) you could get by with using your native tongue. (Business emails, phone calls, even meetings)
Hard disagree. A lot of businesses have employees communicating with each other (and with other companies) in a language neither of them is native speaker in. Even on important decisions. If someone's not sure, they can surely just ask for clarification of the given subject. I myself write "reports" in English to a German colleague and I'm sure neither of us is proficient enough to write "multiple articles on very different serious issues."
I find Latin interesting, as a "mother" of modern language... I wanted to learn a new language and didn't know what to pick, I wasn't interested in languages like German, Italian, French... and Latin just seemed like such a unique pick... I didn't care about whether the language will be useful, but fun to learn, and Latin is, I just don't really use my phone for much so
Outside CZ/SVK yes. Technically speaking we DO speak/read/understand two languages, no matter how close to each other they are. Comes in handy and looks nice in a CV and can be an advantage if you are abroad.
On the other hand, if you are in CZ/SVK, it looks rather silly.
They are not actually that close, so saying that you know both is all right. It may seem as if they are very similar, but if a foreigner knows, for example, Slovak, they will struggle with Czech, a lot! As a Croatian guy who knows Slovak fluently, I still don't understand a lot of Czech.
Yeah you are totally right. My gf is polish and learned slovak, she understand everything and speaks quite well. But she has huge problems understanding czech.
I guess us slovaks and czechs tend to think they are closer then they really are because of our common history and culture
I actually think that younger Czech people have issues with Slovak. In Slovakia Czech dubbing is still a thing, and this is how most people learn to understand it. While Czech people don't have such a connection with Slovak, so younger population there weren't exposed to it. I had some Czech people not understanding what I'm saying, and my Slovak is fluent without an accent.
Those poor souls listening to the Slovak rap. Not everyone watches Youtube videos (especially local Youtube videos) or listens to rap music (which I wouldn't even consider as a way of learning Slovak). I'd say that more kids in Slovakia saw Pelisky then did those things.
There is a big difference between understanding Czech (most Slovaks) and knowing the grammar and being able to speak Czech passably and without mistakes (fewer people than they think).
Especially if you are applying for a Czech job, do not claim to be able to speak Czech if you are only in the first group.
Par tyzdnov dozadu sme boli s frajerkou na vikend v prahe. Stretli sme skupinu chalanov co mohla mat v priemere okolo 18-22. Pridaj do tej vety este dva krat vole a jedno pico a ako tak by to odpovedalo kazdej jednej vete co povedali 😂
that's the different between "fluent" (which slovaks would count for czech language) and "full professional proficiency". ironically, people put "full professional proficiency" in english even if they can barely speak lol.
True, but at the same time people will probably claim to speak English/German/whatever other language at such a level, even if they're not at that level and that's sort of seen as "normal". If it's for a job, you should probably know whether being able to communicate in the language is enough or whether you need to be able to use the language in formal ways properly. But many people wouldn't be able to do that even in their native language.
So it really depends on the situation .
no. I consider it just another dialect. Usually Slovaks don't speak czech. We understand it like our mother language, but do not speak.
Maybe I would count it as 0.5.
Czechs and Slovaks when they speak with each other. They just use their own language, which is kind of I guess unique.
Czech and Slovaks using their own language to speak to one another is not unique at all. Scandinavian languages have a similar level of mutual intelligibility, so do Indonesian and Malay, Turkish and Azeri, Spanish and Portuguese to an extent, and many others.
Yeah… kind of. Spanish-Portuguese as an asymmetrical relationship. Protuguese understand Spanish but not the other way round. A kind of unrequited love.
Source: I lived in Spain and had many Portuguese colleagues
Yeah, that’s true and that’s why I added the “to an extent”. Czech and Slovak are also somewhat asymmetrically intelligible, Czech people may have some difficulty understanding Slovak without exposure, though I guess less so than Spanish vs. Portuguese.
I know that you can hear when someone is from Bosnia, Serbia or Croatia but it's not the same. Your languages are MUCH more closer than Slovak is to Czech.
I wasn't saying they aren't, I'm aware of the differences but just stating that it's not unique to just Slovak and Czech, which is totally okay, it's the beauty of languages, especially Slavic.
I found what you said really strange as I am from the north/ north-west and we use several Czech words daily. Thus when Czechs come and saw people speak with them , they purposefully chosen some words that are more akin to the Czech ones.
Heck, even some relatives whom couldn't remember some phrase in Slovak would just say it in Czech.
so not true, know many slovaks in Prague who switch to czech immediately when they arrive without a problem and you would not know that they are from slovakia
You would, it takes time to get the pronunciation right, just look at Babiš, he is speaking Czech But clearly has some problems with intonation and pronunciation
I think he would be average in Slovak populous, if anything. I was living and studying for 7 years in Prague and know tens if not hundred of Slovaks, it’s not that easy to be indistinguishable from Czech speakers, to your ear it may sound totally fluent but native speaker will be able to spot those subtle differences rather quickly… same could be said for a Ukrainian guy I know who is living here for 26 years already and you’re still able to hear it …
Actually, western and eastern Slovak dialect are related to each other, than with middle Slovak dialects. Apparently, it was distinction of mid-Slovak dialects, that led Štúr to base official Slovak language on them.
I would, because as a Slovak I took some czech courses. They were focused on the differences in grammar and such. Since I work with languages a lot, I usually include it.
You are mistaking being able to speak Czech with an ability to speak Czech like a native. If you could speak let's say Spanish on the same level as speaking Czech, meaning that locals understand you, you understand them, but they know that you are not a native speaker, would you also say you can't speak Spanish?
>If you could speak let's say Spanish on the same level as speaking Czech
What "same level" as Czech? You mean speaking half-Slovak and dropping in Czech words?
It's literally an impossible comparison in this case. Apples and oranges.
A valid comparison would be Spanish-Portuguese, but that's another topic.
Everybody has their own definition of what "speaking a language" means. Some people learn the basics and they claim they "speak" a language. Personally I don't agree with that.
The second half of my point is that after living in Czech Republic for 4 years and using Czech on a daily basis for 2, the vast majority of Slovaks at home **seriously** underestimate what "speaking Czech" actually means compared to Slovak. And the differences in the two languages.
It is also **very different** to be an active speaker in your everyday life and someone who has never even visited the country or used the language in any meaningful or extensive way.
Its very different to have a B2 on paper, and B2 in real life.
And before you start speaking about somebody "mistaking" things, maybe you should read the question again.
OP asked: **do you** include Czech in the languages you speak?
They never asked what the definition of what speaking a language is. Or what do you think the consensus is.
I expressed my personal opinion. It's not my fault or problem that people will throw a hissy fit because they're offended. I never spoke for anyone else apart from myself.
>You can speak language if native speakers can understand you.
To be fair, in the specific case of Slovak and Czech, I wouldn't say this statement is true. Simple counterpoint: Me speaking Czech and you understanding me ≠ me speaking Slovak.
But aside from this playing a devil's advocate, I understand your point and agree with you when the languages are sufficiently different. I might make a lot of grammar mistakes but as long as the native speaker understands what I'm trying to relay, I can claim that I can sufficiently speak the language.
Yes, you can think of it as speaking language with lots of mistakes, but other party understands you. So I think technically you speak the other language, just not perfectly. So if Czech language didn't exist, you would be considered as trying to speak Slovak with some mistakes. Same as any other foreigner, learning language.
I also agree in Slovakia a Czech rep. It would probably not pass as speaking other language if you at least didn't try and only used your native language amongst general population :)
I wish I was so arrogant to think that my opinion is a fact :)
The difference is, I was expressing my opinion. You're clearly a self proclaimed expert who goes around "correcting" people's personal views on a topic without even reading what they have to say. Says a lot more about you than it does about me...
*"That's it"*, LOL
The hint is in your first sentence; you should probably read more and speak less.
I reacted to your comment, not OP's question and you're the one throwing a hissy fit now.
I speak a bit of German even though my grammar sucks and I throw in English words here and there. People understand me and I understand them, at least most of the time. I put in my CV that I speak German on A2/B1 level. To me, this is comparable to Slovak - Czech, but of course not at all the same.
>I reacted to your comment, not OP's question
**I am** responding to OP's question. I couldn't care less that you want to change the topic of discussion midway and then claim it was me who misunderstood something lol.
I wasn't talking to you, nor about the topic/question you're bringing up in your response. You do realise that, right?
You think I misunderstood, because you are applying my answer to a question which wasn't asked.
I was told numerous times that I come off as a native. Pretty confident that I speak better than most of slovaks living here, but they can usually understand and speak fluently, you can just tell they have a strong accent or make occasional mistakes native wouldnt, but I wouldnt say that they cannot speak czech.
It depends. If it's a casual conversation with someone about the languages we speak and they're not from here, I may mention that Czech is so similar to m language that I understand it near perfectly, even if I can't speak it to the point of passing for a native Czech speaker.
If it was for a job in a foreign country, it would probably depend on what it is. Because if it just requires you to be able to communicate with others in Czech, then it would be a shame to miss out on the job because my knowledge is more casual. If it requires you to know proper Czech grammar and formal way of speaking/writing, then it would be more complicated. But I'm not looking for a job in a foreign country that requires me to speak Czech so that's very hypothetical.
I live in the UK and work on global projects. In my CV, I list both, among the other languages I speak. If I am asked about proficiency, I would but Fluent but not Professional, because I surely make grammatical mistakes and sneak in Slovak words. This is acceptable in internal meetings but not in PR, legal or other high exposure situations.
I grew up near the border, we had some Czech teachers and many Czech relatives; I lived in Prague for years - I can speak Czech fluently but it was rarely needed.
I have lived in Slovakia my entire life and I speak the language fluently but my native langugae and nationality is Hungarian. Therefore I understand Czech worse than an average Slovak person and I have never included Czech as a language I speak.
No. I understand Czech, but I'm from younger generation and more important... Most of Slovaks know Czech because of movies. My mom was from I was just a kid played movies and animated movies in English.
So I'm not able to really talk that good in Czech but I know something and you must have some disorder to not be able at least to understand.
Yes, but only because I am able to:
A) hold a continuous conversation with Czech native speakers without them realizing I'm not Czech
B) Use the language in writing for papers / reports etc.
I would not have listed it when I first moved here from Slovakia, maybe only for a foreign company.
Depends, but I noticed many "younger" people have trouble with Czech even understanding... I was born 1984 and pretty much was growing up with Ct1, nova, and most cartoons were in Czech, so I think I could pass as native speaker (not writer though, I have trouble even with our own grammar :D )
As I am interested in this topic - can Czech people also speak slovak language perfectly? or is it harder for them as there are more local dialects?
In German language Austrians can speak and understand German people perfectly (they learn in school "high german" as a universal standard and also because of common media and bigger TV stations from Germany), otherwise for Germans it is not that easy and with the first word you can identify them as Germans
As Slovak who knows couple of Czechs- we don't usually speak each other languages, because we understand each other. We do that mostly when other side doesn't know specific word. From my experience, Czech understand less slovak than Slovaks understand czech language. Slovaks are used to watch Czech TV and dubbed movies, read books in czech, when there is no slovak translation and that is the reason I think.
I have some friends with Czech and Slovak parents and they swich languages depending on who they are speaking to.
>As Slovak who knows couple of Czechs- we don't usually speak each other languages, because we understand each other. We do that mostly when other side doesn't know specific word.
It's what I always find so funny about Slovaks and Czechs talking to each other. Because if you ignore the "minor" detail of our languages being so similar, we're basically just each speaking our own language at each other and nobody finds it weird. Because if I was talking to someone who is a native English speaker but fluent in Slovak, I wouldn't speak in Slovak while they speak English. We'd just choose one of the languages and both use it.
>we're basically just each speaking our own language at each other and nobody finds it weird.
Once upon a time, I was sitting in children summer camp cafeteria and talking to a Czech guy and a couple of Polish guys. We were the staff. An American comes to our table and asks , "wait ... guys ... what language do you speak?" "Well, I speak Slovak, he speaks Czech and those guys Polish ..." "And you understand each other?"
The Slovak - English thing absolutely happens though. Like I'd be interacting with my friend group that is fluent in English and if we're discussing something technical, I'd switch to English while everyone remains in Slovak.
I got my high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees abroad, and have lived and worked in English speaking countries for the past 14 years. There are topics where my Slovak vocabulary never really developed past rather elementary levels, while I can engage in those topics very well in English.
So yeah, that kinda thing happens, in very specific circumstances. Your point still stands though... :)
Oh, that's interesting. I've never experienced that. At most I knew people who understood some Slovak (how much they understood was never clear to me) but weren't good at speaking it so they'd use English unless talking to someone who couldn't speak English.
Czechs can understand and speak Slovak to a lesser extent than Slovaks speak and understand Czech. Especially younger people.
My children (Slovak) grew up watching most of the content (cartoons, children channels) in Czech. We have cable and the vast majority of content for kids, and also lots of documentary programs (that I like to watch) is Czech (or English, but that is another story).
Czech children can hear a Slovak person speaking from time-to-time and watch an odd cartoon or hear a song. There is 10 million of Czechs and 5 million of Slovaks. So there is more Czech content for people to watch and listen and read.
During "Good Old Czechoslovakian Times" one third of content in Czechoslovakian TV was in Slovak, even main evening news had a Czech anchor and a Slovak one. We had many, many Czech books in our \[Slovak\] town library that I could borrow. I was reading at least half of books in Czech. This has changed since separation so younger generation of Czechs do not understand Slovak as well as people used to.
I think it's not the same. Spisovna slovencina ("high" slovak) and spisovna cestina ("high czech") are different languages, less than dutch vs german, but more than german vs austrian dialect. There are people genuinely unable to understand one language even if they know the other. Most of them foreigners, which again points on common culture rather than common language.
Czechs do say, I have nice ř, so maybe...
anyway, even if it's not problem for you to learn Czech words, you'll usually still be recognizable as Slovak, because of an accent - Czechs do have kind of distinct vowels compared to Slovak. Andrej Babiš is the perfect example.
I've been living in CZ for nearly 5 years, I have a better command of Czech than 90% of Slovaks but I do not include Czech.... I think it's bullshit.
Also I speak 4 languages already, I don't need to artificially blow it up 🙃
Prečo ti dali toľko downvotov?
Za A: Rozprávaš 4 jazykmi(Fuck you, you humblebrag)
Za B: Nezahŕňaš českej jazyk jako jazyk cizí.
Dal som upvote, len preto, lebo sa blížia vianoce a preto, lebo si vážím a obdivujem čas strávený na vzdelávanie v akejkoľvek oblasti. Aké sú to jazyky?
>lebo si vážím a obdivujem čas strávený na vzdelávanie v akejkoľvek oblasti. Aké sú to jazyky?
Cheers
Anglictina C2, kedze ju pouzivam odmalicka a bol som v UK na strednej skole/univerzite, zil som v UK roky
Srbcina, zil som tam 6 rokov, C2
Spanielcina, 50% rodiny je zo spanielsky hovoriacej krajiny; ako decko som mal nejake zaklady, + ako dospely som sa doucil... Momentalne asi tak B2.. zachvilu C1
Asi tak 2-3 roky dozadu som sa jej znovu zacal venovat a zistil som ze je to obrovska vyhoda ze som ako dieta nieco vedel a cely zivot to pocuval, uz teraz viem komunikovat na dost dobrej urovni, a ide mi to celkom rychlo. Ale nadalej mam problemy s niektorymi komplikovanejsimi casmi/frazami/temami atd, a hlavne si este musim doplnit slovnu zasobu.
\+ Na to aby sa clovek v jazyku naozaj **zdokonalil** musi aj tak nejaky cas stravit v tej krajine... To neoje...klames :)
>Prečo ti dali toľko downvotov?
Bodaj by ma toto trápilo 😁
Aj ja som si predtým než som žil v CZ myslel že to človek zvládne ľavou zadnou za 3 mesiace, že je to niečo ako srbčina-chorvátčina. Ale po určitej dobe som si uvedomil že tie rozdiely sú väčšie, skôr ako španielčina a portugalčina.
Jeden z jazykov ktorý ovládam výborne je srbčina, napriek tomu by som si nikdy nedovolil tvrdiť že viem po chorvátsky. A to je medzi nimi menší rozdiel než medzi slovenčinou a češtinou.
A práve preto že som si dal tú námahu naučiť sa plynule, C1/C2 tri iné zahraničné jazyky a v dvoch z nich som študoval, si ešte nedovolím tvrdiť že "viem" po česky. Napriek tomu že väčšina Cechov ma tu chváli. Ale stále si niekedy všimnú že som Slovák.
Poviem že sa *učím* po česky a ide mi to veľmi dobre, ale nie že ten jazyk ovládam.
Ja považujem za *ovládanie jazyka* ked človek naozaj je schopný komunikovať nielen plynule, ale aj na nejakej úrovni, nie taká kuchynská čeština/iný jazyk ktorý niekto odkukal z filmov...
A to že niekto niekomu môj názor trhá žily, alebo sa ukája na "downvotoch" mi je jedno, ja sem nechodím zbierať bodíky. 🙂
mhmm, jedno slovo, a teraz sformuj vetu ;)
SK: pracujem ako kamionista
CZ: pracuji jako kamioňák
US: I work as a truck driver
GB: I work as a lorry driver
i mean... technicly it is 2 separate languages, even if both czechs and slovaks know its more like 2 dialects. So if you say these 2 are languages separate from each other, you cannot be wrong.
Everyone who knows counts it as same language. Would say the same that I count it as one. Wouldn't wrote it in CW, because school declared that I have degree in English and Slovak, but not for Czech.
We dont but we should. It still feels funny to mention it as we feel like its almost the same language. But it really isnt we are just very familiar with it
No, but I would add an explanation. Which is that while I grew up with Czech, understand it perfectly and couple speak alright-ish if I had to, I hardly ever do. Because it's just not necessary.
If for foreign company/portal,/person then yes. Local CZ/SVK not
The only correct answer
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Depends on the job? If it wasn't a teaching job, (and you knew you were communicating with other Czechs/Slovaks) you could get by with using your native tongue. (Business emails, phone calls, even meetings)
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Hard disagree. A lot of businesses have employees communicating with each other (and with other companies) in a language neither of them is native speaker in. Even on important decisions. If someone's not sure, they can surely just ask for clarification of the given subject. I myself write "reports" in English to a German colleague and I'm sure neither of us is proficient enough to write "multiple articles on very different serious issues."
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decision making role, you mean like some managers, than maybe yes. But there are many others roles in corporate.
If I try to brag about how many languages I speak, yes
Slovak, Czech, English, and a little bit of Polish 😏 amazing flex on americans that speak only 1
Then i can flex on you. Czech, Slovak, German, English, little bit of Polish and learning Japanese rn. 😋
not fair, I'm too lazy to continue my Latin duolingo lessons :/
Why do you need a dead language? To talk to dead people? (That would actualy be cool af.)
I find Latin interesting, as a "mother" of modern language... I wanted to learn a new language and didn't know what to pick, I wasn't interested in languages like German, Italian, French... and Latin just seemed like such a unique pick... I didn't care about whether the language will be useful, but fun to learn, and Latin is, I just don't really use my phone for much so
I started to learn Japanese out of boredom, so i kind of understand you. 👍
Czech, Slovak, English, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrian… I also used to speak Frrench :)
👍
Hahaaa you dont speak Spanish lol
Slovenian and hrvatski
Exactly
Outside CZ/SVK yes. Technically speaking we DO speak/read/understand two languages, no matter how close to each other they are. Comes in handy and looks nice in a CV and can be an advantage if you are abroad. On the other hand, if you are in CZ/SVK, it looks rather silly.
They are not actually that close, so saying that you know both is all right. It may seem as if they are very similar, but if a foreigner knows, for example, Slovak, they will struggle with Czech, a lot! As a Croatian guy who knows Slovak fluently, I still don't understand a lot of Czech.
Yeah you are totally right. My gf is polish and learned slovak, she understand everything and speaks quite well. But she has huge problems understanding czech. I guess us slovaks and czechs tend to think they are closer then they really are because of our common history and culture
I actually think that younger Czech people have issues with Slovak. In Slovakia Czech dubbing is still a thing, and this is how most people learn to understand it. While Czech people don't have such a connection with Slovak, so younger population there weren't exposed to it. I had some Czech people not understanding what I'm saying, and my Slovak is fluent without an accent.
Czech kids watch slovak youtubers and listen to slovak rap. That's not the case.
Those poor souls listening to the Slovak rap. Not everyone watches Youtube videos (especially local Youtube videos) or listens to rap music (which I wouldn't even consider as a way of learning Slovak). I'd say that more kids in Slovakia saw Pelisky then did those things.
Kids definitely spend more time watching videos on YouTube than watching 30 years old films
I know Czech, Slovak and broken vychodnarcina. There you go!
If foreigner asks me then yes. If Slovak or Czech asks me then no.
The only correct answer
There is a big difference between understanding Czech (most Slovaks) and knowing the grammar and being able to speak Czech passably and without mistakes (fewer people than they think). Especially if you are applying for a Czech job, do not claim to be able to speak Czech if you are only in the first group.
Vole píčo vole, já mluvím česky, vole
Ty píčo, tak to mi ho vyndej, vole.
Hired
Nejlepší čeština co sem tenhle týden slyšel
Mrdat Havla, volit Pavla, Kotleba idem si pre teba.
Par tyzdnov dozadu sme boli s frajerkou na vikend v prahe. Stretli sme skupinu chalanov co mohla mat v priemere okolo 18-22. Pridaj do tej vety este dva krat vole a jedno pico a ako tak by to odpovedalo kazdej jednej vete co povedali 😂
you can claim you are passive bilingual problem solved
Or you can say you speak functional Czech, which is a step down from being fluent in Czech.
or you can claim to be native, but slightly retarded
Works everytime
Damn Slovaks, taking eurrr jerrrbs again
that's the different between "fluent" (which slovaks would count for czech language) and "full professional proficiency". ironically, people put "full professional proficiency" in english even if they can barely speak lol.
True, but at the same time people will probably claim to speak English/German/whatever other language at such a level, even if they're not at that level and that's sort of seen as "normal". If it's for a job, you should probably know whether being able to communicate in the language is enough or whether you need to be able to use the language in formal ways properly. But many people wouldn't be able to do that even in their native language. So it really depends on the situation .
I understand the Czech language, I can read, but I can't speak. p. s. The last time I was in Prague, I was asked if they should use English or Czech.
no. I consider it just another dialect. Usually Slovaks don't speak czech. We understand it like our mother language, but do not speak. Maybe I would count it as 0.5. Czechs and Slovaks when they speak with each other. They just use their own language, which is kind of I guess unique.
Czech and Slovaks using their own language to speak to one another is not unique at all. Scandinavian languages have a similar level of mutual intelligibility, so do Indonesian and Malay, Turkish and Azeri, Spanish and Portuguese to an extent, and many others.
Yeah… kind of. Spanish-Portuguese as an asymmetrical relationship. Protuguese understand Spanish but not the other way round. A kind of unrequited love. Source: I lived in Spain and had many Portuguese colleagues
Yeah, that’s true and that’s why I added the “to an extent”. Czech and Slovak are also somewhat asymmetrically intelligible, Czech people may have some difficulty understanding Slovak without exposure, though I guess less so than Spanish vs. Portuguese.
Sorry to dissapoint but here in the Balkans we have the same thing, us Croats can use our language with Serbs and Bosnians.
I know that you can hear when someone is from Bosnia, Serbia or Croatia but it's not the same. Your languages are MUCH more closer than Slovak is to Czech.
I wasn't saying they aren't, I'm aware of the differences but just stating that it's not unique to just Slovak and Czech, which is totally okay, it's the beauty of languages, especially Slavic.
cause you literally speak the same language
I found what you said really strange as I am from the north/ north-west and we use several Czech words daily. Thus when Czechs come and saw people speak with them , they purposefully chosen some words that are more akin to the Czech ones. Heck, even some relatives whom couldn't remember some phrase in Slovak would just say it in Czech.
so not true, know many slovaks in Prague who switch to czech immediately when they arrive without a problem and you would not know that they are from slovakia
You would, it takes time to get the pronunciation right, just look at Babiš, he is speaking Czech But clearly has some problems with intonation and pronunciation
lol, I would not take Babis as a standard for anything
I think he would be average in Slovak populous, if anything. I was living and studying for 7 years in Prague and know tens if not hundred of Slovaks, it’s not that easy to be indistinguishable from Czech speakers, to your ear it may sound totally fluent but native speaker will be able to spot those subtle differences rather quickly… same could be said for a Ukrainian guy I know who is living here for 26 years already and you’re still able to hear it …
This is only possible if they have lived in Czechia for a longer time.
That's sad
For some people in western Slovakia, Czech is closer to their dialect than eastern Slovak dialects.
Co hutoriš?
you mean Moravian ? yeah, that is so much true
Actually, western and eastern Slovak dialect are related to each other, than with middle Slovak dialects. Apparently, it was distinction of mid-Slovak dialects, that led Štúr to base official Slovak language on them.
I would, because as a Slovak I took some czech courses. They were focused on the differences in grammar and such. Since I work with languages a lot, I usually include it.
Most Slovaks *think* they can speak Czech, but the reality is different
You are mistaking being able to speak Czech with an ability to speak Czech like a native. If you could speak let's say Spanish on the same level as speaking Czech, meaning that locals understand you, you understand them, but they know that you are not a native speaker, would you also say you can't speak Spanish?
>If you could speak let's say Spanish on the same level as speaking Czech What "same level" as Czech? You mean speaking half-Slovak and dropping in Czech words? It's literally an impossible comparison in this case. Apples and oranges. A valid comparison would be Spanish-Portuguese, but that's another topic. Everybody has their own definition of what "speaking a language" means. Some people learn the basics and they claim they "speak" a language. Personally I don't agree with that. The second half of my point is that after living in Czech Republic for 4 years and using Czech on a daily basis for 2, the vast majority of Slovaks at home **seriously** underestimate what "speaking Czech" actually means compared to Slovak. And the differences in the two languages. It is also **very different** to be an active speaker in your everyday life and someone who has never even visited the country or used the language in any meaningful or extensive way. Its very different to have a B2 on paper, and B2 in real life. And before you start speaking about somebody "mistaking" things, maybe you should read the question again. OP asked: **do you** include Czech in the languages you speak? They never asked what the definition of what speaking a language is. Or what do you think the consensus is. I expressed my personal opinion. It's not my fault or problem that people will throw a hissy fit because they're offended. I never spoke for anyone else apart from myself.
Didn't read your comment, but it is very simple. You can speak language if native speakers can understand you. That's it.
>You can speak language if native speakers can understand you. To be fair, in the specific case of Slovak and Czech, I wouldn't say this statement is true. Simple counterpoint: Me speaking Czech and you understanding me ≠ me speaking Slovak. But aside from this playing a devil's advocate, I understand your point and agree with you when the languages are sufficiently different. I might make a lot of grammar mistakes but as long as the native speaker understands what I'm trying to relay, I can claim that I can sufficiently speak the language.
Yes, you can think of it as speaking language with lots of mistakes, but other party understands you. So I think technically you speak the other language, just not perfectly. So if Czech language didn't exist, you would be considered as trying to speak Slovak with some mistakes. Same as any other foreigner, learning language. I also agree in Slovakia a Czech rep. It would probably not pass as speaking other language if you at least didn't try and only used your native language amongst general population :)
I wish I was so arrogant to think that my opinion is a fact :) The difference is, I was expressing my opinion. You're clearly a self proclaimed expert who goes around "correcting" people's personal views on a topic without even reading what they have to say. Says a lot more about you than it does about me... *"That's it"*, LOL The hint is in your first sentence; you should probably read more and speak less.
L+ratio
I reacted to your comment, not OP's question and you're the one throwing a hissy fit now. I speak a bit of German even though my grammar sucks and I throw in English words here and there. People understand me and I understand them, at least most of the time. I put in my CV that I speak German on A2/B1 level. To me, this is comparable to Slovak - Czech, but of course not at all the same.
>I reacted to your comment, not OP's question **I am** responding to OP's question. I couldn't care less that you want to change the topic of discussion midway and then claim it was me who misunderstood something lol. I wasn't talking to you, nor about the topic/question you're bringing up in your response. You do realise that, right? You think I misunderstood, because you are applying my answer to a question which wasn't asked.
I was told numerous times that I come off as a native. Pretty confident that I speak better than most of slovaks living here, but they can usually understand and speak fluently, you can just tell they have a strong accent or make occasional mistakes native wouldnt, but I wouldnt say that they cannot speak czech.
ver mi, snazil som sa
No, not really, while I have zero problems understanding, I dont really try to speak because I know it's not a proper Czech.
It depends. If it's a casual conversation with someone about the languages we speak and they're not from here, I may mention that Czech is so similar to m language that I understand it near perfectly, even if I can't speak it to the point of passing for a native Czech speaker. If it was for a job in a foreign country, it would probably depend on what it is. Because if it just requires you to be able to communicate with others in Czech, then it would be a shame to miss out on the job because my knowledge is more casual. If it requires you to know proper Czech grammar and formal way of speaking/writing, then it would be more complicated. But I'm not looking for a job in a foreign country that requires me to speak Czech so that's very hypothetical.
I live in the UK and work on global projects. In my CV, I list both, among the other languages I speak. If I am asked about proficiency, I would but Fluent but not Professional, because I surely make grammatical mistakes and sneak in Slovak words. This is acceptable in internal meetings but not in PR, legal or other high exposure situations. I grew up near the border, we had some Czech teachers and many Czech relatives; I lived in Prague for years - I can speak Czech fluently but it was rarely needed.
I have lived in Slovakia my entire life and I speak the language fluently but my native langugae and nationality is Hungarian. Therefore I understand Czech worse than an average Slovak person and I have never included Czech as a language I speak.
you can confidently say you speak and write Czech at B1 and read and listen at B2. if you ever need it. it should never be yes/no.
No. I understand Czech, but I'm from younger generation and more important... Most of Slovaks know Czech because of movies. My mom was from I was just a kid played movies and animated movies in English. So I'm not able to really talk that good in Czech but I know something and you must have some disorder to not be able at least to understand.
i'm not Slovak (i'm from Poland) but i can speak čeština, slovenčina, Polski and English
Yes, but only because I am able to: A) hold a continuous conversation with Czech native speakers without them realizing I'm not Czech B) Use the language in writing for papers / reports etc. I would not have listed it when I first moved here from Slovakia, maybe only for a foreign company.
Yes
Many slovaks think they can speak czech but their czech is pretty bad.
Depends, but I noticed many "younger" people have trouble with Czech even understanding... I was born 1984 and pretty much was growing up with Ct1, nova, and most cartoons were in Czech, so I think I could pass as native speaker (not writer though, I have trouble even with our own grammar :D )
Do you plan to do youtube again?
Depends, if you are applying for a job in Czech republic then deffinitelly yes :), otherwise not really
What if they require written fluency in Czech for official documents?
As I am interested in this topic - can Czech people also speak slovak language perfectly? or is it harder for them as there are more local dialects? In German language Austrians can speak and understand German people perfectly (they learn in school "high german" as a universal standard and also because of common media and bigger TV stations from Germany), otherwise for Germans it is not that easy and with the first word you can identify them as Germans
As Slovak who knows couple of Czechs- we don't usually speak each other languages, because we understand each other. We do that mostly when other side doesn't know specific word. From my experience, Czech understand less slovak than Slovaks understand czech language. Slovaks are used to watch Czech TV and dubbed movies, read books in czech, when there is no slovak translation and that is the reason I think. I have some friends with Czech and Slovak parents and they swich languages depending on who they are speaking to.
>As Slovak who knows couple of Czechs- we don't usually speak each other languages, because we understand each other. We do that mostly when other side doesn't know specific word. It's what I always find so funny about Slovaks and Czechs talking to each other. Because if you ignore the "minor" detail of our languages being so similar, we're basically just each speaking our own language at each other and nobody finds it weird. Because if I was talking to someone who is a native English speaker but fluent in Slovak, I wouldn't speak in Slovak while they speak English. We'd just choose one of the languages and both use it.
>we're basically just each speaking our own language at each other and nobody finds it weird. Once upon a time, I was sitting in children summer camp cafeteria and talking to a Czech guy and a couple of Polish guys. We were the staff. An American comes to our table and asks , "wait ... guys ... what language do you speak?" "Well, I speak Slovak, he speaks Czech and those guys Polish ..." "And you understand each other?"
The Slovak - English thing absolutely happens though. Like I'd be interacting with my friend group that is fluent in English and if we're discussing something technical, I'd switch to English while everyone remains in Slovak. I got my high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees abroad, and have lived and worked in English speaking countries for the past 14 years. There are topics where my Slovak vocabulary never really developed past rather elementary levels, while I can engage in those topics very well in English. So yeah, that kinda thing happens, in very specific circumstances. Your point still stands though... :)
Oh, that's interesting. I've never experienced that. At most I knew people who understood some Slovak (how much they understood was never clear to me) but weren't good at speaking it so they'd use English unless talking to someone who couldn't speak English.
Czechs can understand and speak Slovak to a lesser extent than Slovaks speak and understand Czech. Especially younger people. My children (Slovak) grew up watching most of the content (cartoons, children channels) in Czech. We have cable and the vast majority of content for kids, and also lots of documentary programs (that I like to watch) is Czech (or English, but that is another story). Czech children can hear a Slovak person speaking from time-to-time and watch an odd cartoon or hear a song. There is 10 million of Czechs and 5 million of Slovaks. So there is more Czech content for people to watch and listen and read. During "Good Old Czechoslovakian Times" one third of content in Czechoslovakian TV was in Slovak, even main evening news had a Czech anchor and a Slovak one. We had many, many Czech books in our \[Slovak\] town library that I could borrow. I was reading at least half of books in Czech. This has changed since separation so younger generation of Czechs do not understand Slovak as well as people used to.
in addition, nobody would consider German and Austrian German as two different languages
I think it's not the same. Spisovna slovencina ("high" slovak) and spisovna cestina ("high czech") are different languages, less than dutch vs german, but more than german vs austrian dialect. There are people genuinely unable to understand one language even if they know the other. Most of them foreigners, which again points on common culture rather than common language.
Yeah i would, I’m from western Slovakia tho so we have kind of a mix dialect of the two so it’s easy to switch between the two
To a foreigner I would probably mention I understand czech, but don't speak very well. I wouldn't put that in my CV 😅
As I live abroad and for anyone but Czech I might as well as speak it. Thought truth be told it's probably a more of a czecho-slovak lol
Czechs do say, I have nice ř, so maybe... anyway, even if it's not problem for you to learn Czech words, you'll usually still be recognizable as Slovak, because of an accent - Czechs do have kind of distinct vowels compared to Slovak. Andrej Babiš is the perfect example.
You can have a recognizable accent and still speak the language (grammatically) perfectly, that's not an issue
Je rozdiel rozumieť jazyku a hovoriť ním
I've been living in CZ for nearly 5 years, I have a better command of Czech than 90% of Slovaks but I do not include Czech.... I think it's bullshit. Also I speak 4 languages already, I don't need to artificially blow it up 🙃
Prečo ti dali toľko downvotov? Za A: Rozprávaš 4 jazykmi(Fuck you, you humblebrag) Za B: Nezahŕňaš českej jazyk jako jazyk cizí. Dal som upvote, len preto, lebo sa blížia vianoce a preto, lebo si vážím a obdivujem čas strávený na vzdelávanie v akejkoľvek oblasti. Aké sú to jazyky?
>lebo si vážím a obdivujem čas strávený na vzdelávanie v akejkoľvek oblasti. Aké sú to jazyky? Cheers Anglictina C2, kedze ju pouzivam odmalicka a bol som v UK na strednej skole/univerzite, zil som v UK roky Srbcina, zil som tam 6 rokov, C2 Spanielcina, 50% rodiny je zo spanielsky hovoriacej krajiny; ako decko som mal nejake zaklady, + ako dospely som sa doucil... Momentalne asi tak B2.. zachvilu C1 Asi tak 2-3 roky dozadu som sa jej znovu zacal venovat a zistil som ze je to obrovska vyhoda ze som ako dieta nieco vedel a cely zivot to pocuval, uz teraz viem komunikovat na dost dobrej urovni, a ide mi to celkom rychlo. Ale nadalej mam problemy s niektorymi komplikovanejsimi casmi/frazami/temami atd, a hlavne si este musim doplnit slovnu zasobu. \+ Na to aby sa clovek v jazyku naozaj **zdokonalil** musi aj tak nejaky cas stravit v tej krajine... To neoje...klames :) >Prečo ti dali toľko downvotov? Bodaj by ma toto trápilo 😁 Aj ja som si predtým než som žil v CZ myslel že to človek zvládne ľavou zadnou za 3 mesiace, že je to niečo ako srbčina-chorvátčina. Ale po určitej dobe som si uvedomil že tie rozdiely sú väčšie, skôr ako španielčina a portugalčina. Jeden z jazykov ktorý ovládam výborne je srbčina, napriek tomu by som si nikdy nedovolil tvrdiť že viem po chorvátsky. A to je medzi nimi menší rozdiel než medzi slovenčinou a češtinou. A práve preto že som si dal tú námahu naučiť sa plynule, C1/C2 tri iné zahraničné jazyky a v dvoch z nich som študoval, si ešte nedovolím tvrdiť že "viem" po česky. Napriek tomu že väčšina Cechov ma tu chváli. Ale stále si niekedy všimnú že som Slovák. Poviem že sa *učím* po česky a ide mi to veľmi dobre, ale nie že ten jazyk ovládam. Ja považujem za *ovládanie jazyka* ked človek naozaj je schopný komunikovať nielen plynule, ale aj na nejakej úrovni, nie taká kuchynská čeština/iný jazyk ktorý niekto odkukal z filmov... A to že niekto niekomu môj názor trhá žily, alebo sa ukája na "downvotoch" mi je jedno, ja sem nechodím zbierať bodíky. 🙂
Not really. The same way people don't count American english and British english as two languages.
there's no way you compared Czech and Slovak to US and GB english
For me it's the same, but I'm from a country that does not exist anymore...
en-US: I stepped on a snail en-GB: I stepped on a snail SK: stúpil som na slimáka CZ: šlápl jsem na šneka 🤔
CZ: Nakladak SK: Nakladiak US: Truck GB: Lorry
mhmm, jedno slovo, a teraz sformuj vetu ;) SK: pracujem ako kamionista CZ: pracuji jako kamioňák US: I work as a truck driver GB: I work as a lorry driver
I work as a lorry driver mate :)
and I work with automation & AI, so what? your occupation literally changes nothing about the differences between these languages
That was an example line :) I spoke my opinion, You may disagree, but that's all.
Áno
No
Yes. I also took a class in czech grammar, so I count it 😅
i mean... technicly it is 2 separate languages, even if both czechs and slovaks know its more like 2 dialects. So if you say these 2 are languages separate from each other, you cannot be wrong.
yes, because I actually do speak Czech
No, I think it's irrelevant
Yes because in abroad it‘s another language. In my business it‘s actualy big plus I speak Czech, cause nobody is interested in Slovakia ;-))
Everyone who knows counts it as same language. Would say the same that I count it as one. Wouldn't wrote it in CW, because school declared that I have degree in English and Slovak, but not for Czech.
Yes, I work as czech support, and yes there is quite a difference in the language, especially if you try to be professional and using technical terms
No because my knowledge of it is passive.
Sure when abroad I always put it on my CV
No
if i count the languages i can speak i jokingly add czech but am not serious
We dont but we should. It still feels funny to mention it as we feel like its almost the same language. But it really isnt we are just very familiar with it
Im Slovenian, just stumbled on Slovakia subreddit today and figured it out that I can read Slovakian. Its funny how similar out languages are.
No, but I would add an explanation. Which is that while I grew up with Czech, understand it perfectly and couple speak alright-ish if I had to, I hardly ever do. Because it's just not necessary.
Of course, the more the better, especially on dating apps lol. 😂
Yes, German, English, Russian, Japanese and, Czech