Czech pronunciation: Length and stress

Is Czech pronunciation a problem for you? I offer you a short training. Today´s topic: vowels – the length and the stress in Czech.

Czech letters

1.       vowels = a, e, i, y, o, u

2.       consonants = all that is not a vowel = b, d, s, m, ž…

Czech vowels

1.       short = a, e/ě, i, y, o, u

2.       long = á, é, í, ý, ó, ú/ů

Students get into difficulties because of the pronunciation of long vowels and putting stress. So how to do it correctly?

Length mark   ´ (čárka)

A length mark above a vowel = a signal for long pronunciation

ATTENTION! We write ú with a length mark only at the beginning of the word  (úkol, úterý), ů with a circle (kroužek) in the middle, and at the end of the word (dům, domů). A circle ° has the same role as a length mark ´ = long pronunciation.

Do you open your mouth correctly?

How to pronounce a Czech vowel right? The pictures help you: to open your mouth correctly is very important.

↔                                                   O → o

i/y                                                    u

               e                          o

                              a

a = a neutral position of your mouth

e = your mouth goes towards your ears (to the left and to the right)

i = your mouth goes towards your ears more than in e pronunciation

o = your mouth makes a circle

u = your mouth makes a smaller circle than in o pronunciation

ATTENTION! i and y are two different graphic marks but the same sound!

bít = to beat x být = to be

But we pronounce them the same way: [bi:t]! If we want to understand whether we hear bít or být we need context.

Czech pronunciation: a short training

Listen to this sentence and repeat. Ten times, twenty times… So many times until you pronounce the same way as the audio voice.

Má máma má malou zahrádku.

Audio

Stress

Stress in Czech = always on the first syllable or on the preposition with a vowel

What is a syllable?

1 syllable: dům, sklo, říct, mám, jsem

2 syllables: máma – má/ma, nevím – ne/vím, Praha – Pra/ha, Brno – Br/no, místnost – míst/nost, pražský – praž/ský

3 syllables: dokument – do/ku/ment, nádraží – ná/dra/ží

4 syllables: republika – re/pu/bli/ka, učebnice – u/čeb/ni/ce

ATTENTION! Words on the second position don´t have the stress.

Example 1

Pojedu do Polska na služební cestu.

Pojedu: the first syllable = po = there is the stress

do Polska: the preposition do contains a vowel o = stress is on the preposition (not on the word Polska)

na služební: the preposition na contains a vowel a = stress is on the preposition (not on the word služební)

cestu: the first syllable = ce = there is the stress

Listen and repeat. Audio

Example 2

Byla jsem na dovolené v Egyptě.

Byla: the first syllable = by = there is the stress

jsem: word on the second position = no stress

na dovolené: the preposition na contains a vowel a = stress is on the preposition (not on the word dovolené)

v Egyptě: preposition v doesn´t contain a vowel = no stress, the stress accent on E = the first syllable of the word Egyptě

Listen and repeat. Audio

How to practice Czech pronunciation more?

• Here you can find other sentences and audio. Listen and repeat.
• If you use Lída Holá books, here you can find all audio. Listen and repeat. E.g. Čeština expres 1.
• Don´t forget to learn more in the third (i/y), fourth (h/ch), seventh (ř), and eighth (r) parts of this article.
• You can also watch my students and their practicing Czech pronunciation.

Czech version of this article.

13th February 2018