Czechs tend to apologise for their language level when they speak English. There’s no need for this. Most native English speakers are not noting errors but admiring your ability to speak their language. That said, Czech people often request ‘quick’ ways to improve their English, so I’m covering ten common errors here.

Mistake No.1

Czechs tend to use ‘on’ instead of ‘at’ with places, which can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, I once received this message from a student: “I cannot come to class today, I am on the airport. Thank you for all. Goodbye.” At first glance, I thought it was a suicide note.

Mistake No.2

Czechs often use “please” instead of “sorry” when they haven’t heard something properly. This is not catastrophic, but gives the impression the speaker is begging for reprieve mid-conversation.

Mistake No.3

Czechs say “strange person” when they mean “stranger.” In English, a stranger is a person you don’t know, while a strange person is weird. I once explained this to a student after she’d announced she liked talking to strange people. Then I asked if she meant “strange person” or “stranger.” She thought about this for a while and replied: “Both.”

Mistake No.4

Czechs say “chief” when they mean “boss.” For example, “I like my chief.” Native speakers will still understand but may wonder why they’ve been transported into a Cowboys and Indians movie.

Mistake No.5

Czechs tend to pronounce every letter of every word. A good example is fruit, which Czechs pronounce as ‘fru-it.’ The correct pronunciation of ‘fruit’ rhymes with shoot. I’ve explained this so often that I sometimes wake up in the night with “fruit rhymes with shoot” spinning through my mind.

Mistake No.6

The Czech word for ‘check’ (kontrolovat) is a false friend because Czechs translate it as ‘control’ instead of ‘check’. They then create sentences like: “I need to control my homework,” which creates an image of ‘out of control homework’ threatening to take over the world. A new Disney movie perhaps?

Mistake No.7

When an agreement has been reached, Czechs say, “I’ll count with you,” rather than “I’ll count on you”. This is an example the wrong preposition changing the meaning of a sentence. Whenever I hear this error I imagine two people agreeing to count from one to a hundred together.

Mistake No.8

Czech people use the word “action” when they mean “event”. In English, an action is a protest. For example, “An action in the city centre against the government.” This has prompted some confusing English conversations:

Student: “Last weekend we had a work action in the forest.”

Me: “What was the protest about?”

Student: “Protest? Er, I am not sure. I am not happy to have work actions at the weekend.”

Me: “So you protest against having actions at the weekend by organising actions at the weekend?”

Student: “I am sorry, I am lost. Let me try a different answer. At the weekend I picked fru-it on the cottage.”

Mistake No.9

Czechs use ‘satisfied’ when they mean ‘happy’. Satisfied tends to be used when expectations are met. For example: “I’m satisfied with my internet provider.” So it can be amusing to hear a Czech say: “I am very satisfied with my new girlfriend.”

Mistake No.10

Czechs speak English far better than they give themselves credit for, they just need more confidence in their ability to use it. I understand that telling people to ‘speak with more confidence’ is like telling an anxious person to stop worrying. But this shift in mindset will be more beneficial than hundreds of grammar and pronunciation lessons. The only downside is it may simultaneously put all English teachers out of a job.

*I recently published  a book entitled 101 English mistakes Czechs make. Click here to find out more.