How to Create a Czech Microclimate (Even If You Live 5,000 Miles Away)
You don’t need to live in Prague or Brno to learn Czech. You just need a little creative climate control.
One of my favorite things to do when I travel to countries whose languages I’m learning is to soak up the everyday culture like a sponge. I bring home books, CDs (yes, I still buy them), DVDs, and even cheap tabloids. I tune in to local radio, get hooked on weird TV shows, and scribble down words I overhear at cafés.
Here's a snapshot of my car trunk during my current trip to the Azores: bursting with Portuguese-language novels, guides, and kids’ books. It’s my idea of treasure. Because reading is part of summer. So why not read in the language you're learning?
Books Over Beaches
Fill your suitcase with stories in Czech, not just sunscreen.
Create Your Own Czech Microclimate
Even if you live in Boston, Brighton, or Buenos Aires, you can build a mini Czech ecosystem that feels natural and nourishing.
Here’s how:
Fill Your Life with Czech Books
Start with what you love. Fairy tales? Try Čtení pro děti. Crime novels? Biographies? Grab a few Czech books on your next trip or hunt down ebooks from Czech publishers like Albatros or Kosmas.cz. Children’s books are gold: fun, simple, and great for building confidence.
Me reading Portuguese novel about Sao Tomé
Tune In to Czech Audio
Stream Czech radio like mujRozhlas, which offers live broadcasts and archives of spoken-word programs. I especially recommend Rádio Junior for learners. It’s slow, clear, and full of stories.
Want podcasts? Search for:
Čeština s Michalem for short, everyday Czech
SlowCzech clear and learner-friendly
Or dive into YouTube: channels like Easy Czech or Czech with Kateřina can add variety to your listening diet.
Let Czech Music Play in the Background
From indie pop to Moravian folk, Czech music is diverse and often poetic. Try artists like Tomáš Klus, Igor Orozovič, Kateřina Marie Tichá, Aneta Langerová, or Pokáč. Make a Czech playlist and hit play while you cook, clean, or run errands.
New LP by Czech multitalented singer Igor Orozovič
Swap Netflix for Česká Televize
Watch series or news at iVysílání or YouTube. Turn on Czech subtitles. Use pausing, replaying, and screenshotting as your new superpowers. Even 10 minutes a day adds up.
Tip: iVysílání may be geo-blocked outside the Czech Republic. Just use a VPN and teleport your device to Prague.
Set Your Devices to Czech
Your phone, your laptop, your apps… These are the places where your attention already lives. So why not let Czech live there too?
Switch your device language to čeština. Suddenly, you’re no longer just opening your calendar. You’re checking kalendář. You’re not replying to messages, you're answering zprávy. These micro-moments build passive exposure that makes Czech vocabulary stick naturally, without flashcards.
It might feel confusing at first (where did “Settings” go?!), but that's the point. Friction creates memory. Every tap becomes a tiny lesson.
Bonus: Change your Google search language to Czech, too. That way, when you google something like “best hiking trails,” you'll be led into Czech websites and BOOM, you're reading authentic Czech content without even planning to.
Make Czech Your Default on the Internet
Search in Czech. Read news on ct24.cz. Google things like “český podcast o historii” or “nejlepší česká detektivka”. You’ll find gems and train your brain to browse naturally in the language.
You don’t need to be in the Czech Republic to live in Czech. The language is everywhere. You just have to turn toward it. Build your own Czech world. Surround yourself with sounds, stories, and phrases. The more you touch the language, the more it will touch back.
Want help building your habits?
The Painless Czech Guidebook is full of tools for creating daily Czech moments.
Get the guidebook →
