Čeština
Classes last for 16 weeks (see the academic calendar).
NB! The university transfers to a new study information system. This may cause errors in the course links that provide more detailed information. Should this occur, we kindly ask you to contact the coordinators of the college.
Click on the course to see the time-tables, course descriptions, requirements etc in the study information system.
You can find the schedule of the course in SIS II by clicking on the “Event” button under the name of the course.
Language courses on the basis of English:
- HVLC.05.043 Czech for Beginners I, Level 0 > A1.2 (6 ECTS)
The courses are generally free of charge for the students of the University of Tartu and for students from other Estonian higher education institutions (See which institutions and universities have a partnership with the University of Tartu).
Visiting students from foreign higher education institutions need to pay for their language courses only if they are fee-paying students at the University of Tartu. In case of the latter, consult with the foreign student office regarding the credit point costs and conditions.
If you have an active Study Information System (SIS) account, see how to register in SIS.
If you're not a student, see the information on prices and registration.
The University of Tartu is a partner of Eesti Töötukassa (Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund). Support for participating in training programmes is also available to people who already work.
Czech is a West Slavic language and is spoken as a first language by approximately 12 million people. The Czech language is an official language in the Czech Republic, but is also spoken in Slovakia, USA, Canada, Serbia, Austria, Ukraine and in various other European countries. Since 2004, Czech is also an official language in the European Union.
The Czech language (čeština) uses the Latin alphabet, but due to its phonetic individuality, it soon became clear that Latin characters alone wouldn’t suffice. Diacritic marks were introduced into the Czech language in the 15th century. For example, the letters á, é, í, ó, ú, ů, ý mark long vowels in words such as káva (coffee), bílý (white), úspěch (success), stůl (table). Ř is a peculiar sound that is created when r and s or z are pronounced simultaneously: řeka (river), tři (three), moře (sea).
Some words or even entire phrases don’t include any vowels: vlk (wolf), skrz (through), čtvrt (quarter). Probably the most well-known Czech tongue-twister is Strč prst skrz krk, which basically means ‘stick your finger through your throat’. Word stress is fixed on the first syllable no matter how long the word itself is: náměstí (square, plaza), skloňování (declension), nejsympatičnější (the most sympathetic).
Loanwords are rarely used in the Czech language. Instead, the Czechs preferred to create new words based on Slavic roots: hospodářství = ekonomika (economics), mluvnice = gramatika (grammar), košíková = basketbal (basketball).