· 7 min read
Learn Czech for Free: Official Courses
By Language Lab editorial team
Learn Czech for free: Masaryk University's Czechonline portal with A1 and A2 courses, free courses at state integration centres, and the exams to aim for.
You can learn Czech for free with official resources. Czechonline, at czechonline.org, was built at Masaryk University with European Union support and offers free online courses: Everyday Czech with basic vocabulary, level A1 and level A2, plus medical, business and legal Czech and downloadable grammar tables. It began in 2015 as mluvtecesky.net, which won the European Language Label in 2017. If you live in the Czech Republic, the state's Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners offer Czech courses for free to foreigners legally residing in the country, from one-off elementary lessons to intensive courses that reach B1. Two official exams give you targets: A2 for permanent residence and B1 for citizenship. The US State Department lists Czech in Category III, at about 44 weeks of classes.
The resources at a glance
| Resource | Who makes it | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Czechonline (czechonline.org) | Masaryk University Language Centre, supported by the European Union | Free online courses: Everyday Czech at A1 and A2, specialist Czech, grammar tables |
| Czech courses at integration centres | Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners, run by the Refugee Facilities Administration of the Ministry of the Interior | Free elementary and intensive courses, from beginner to B1, with free textbooks |
| Exam preparation materials | The official website of the Czech exam for permanent residence | An exam handbook, a model test, a practice test and an information video |
Czechonline, the free online course
Czechonline is the main free route for a learner anywhere in the world. Its Czech-language home page says the portal provides Czech courses to the general public completely free of charge, for an unlimited time and without advertisements.
- Size: 114 lessons from 5 disciplines.
- Everyday Czech: basic vocabulary, level A1 and level A2. This is the course for beginners.
- Specialist courses: Medical Czech, Business Czech and Legal Czech.
- Language tandem: exercises to do with a conversation partner.
- Grammar: clear tables and simple explanations, as PDF files to download, covering noun gender, the cases, verbs, word order and pronunciation.
- Daily goal: you choose a daily target, and the site's advice is to set aside some time every day.
- Access: you create an account to start. The site's menu is offered in Czech, English, German and Polish.
The portal has a history. Masaryk University and its partners launched it in 2015 as mluvtecesky.net, a free course first designed for people who need Czech in a health profession, and it won the European Language Label in 2017. On 13 October 2026 that old address led to czechonline.org.
Free courses in the Czech Republic
The Refugee Facilities Administration of the Ministry of the Interior has opened 14 Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners since 2009, in 10 regions. In the 4 remaining regions similar centres are run by other organisations; in Prague it is Prague City Hall. The centres' services are offered for free to foreigners legally residing in the Czech Republic and to people granted international protection, and Czech language courses are one of those services.
- Elementary courses: you can attend once, without signing up. They are sets of separate, practical lessons on everyday situations.
- Intensive courses: lessons build on each other and regular attendance is compulsory. Places are limited, so you sign up in advance.
- Levels: intensive courses are divided by level, from beginners to the level corresponding with B1, in 40-hour blocks.
- Textbooks: people attending the courses get textbooks for free.
- Where: mainly in the cities where the centres are located.
First phrases
| Czech | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ahoj! | Hello. |
| Nashledanou. | Goodbye. |
| Děkuji. | Thank you. |
| Ano. | Yes. |
| Ne. | No. |
| Jmenuji se ... | My name is ... |
| Mluvíte anglicky? | Do you speak English? |
These come from the BBC's archived list of essential Czech phrases. One note from Czechonline's grammar tables: Ahoj! is an informal greeting. In formal situations, such as with adults you do not know, the greeting is Dobrý den!
Exams to aim for
- A2: the level of the Czech language exam for permanent residence. Its official website offers study materials, including a model test and a practice test.
- B1: the level of the Czech language exam for citizenship. The citizenship exam also has a separate part on Czech life and institutions.
Czechonline's Everyday Czech covers A1 and A2, and the integration centres' intensive courses run to B1, so free courses exist at both target levels.
A free weekly plan
- Five days a week, 20 minutes: Czechonline, Everyday Czech, one lesson at a time.
- Twice a week, 10 minutes: one grammar table, read alongside the lesson that uses it.
- Every day, 5 minutes: the phrases above, aloud.
- In the Czech Republic: one elementary lesson at an integration centre whenever one is offered near you.
- Each week: repeat last week's exercises before starting new ones.
The plan relies on practice testing and distributed practice, the two techniques a 2013 review of learning research rated as high utility. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.
How far free takes you
The US State Department places Czech in Category III, hard languages, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours for English speakers, so plan for steady work over a long period. Free courses cover vocabulary, grammar and exercises. Speaking needs a partner. Language Lab's Czech course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, which supplies spoken practice.
Frequently asked
Can I learn Czech for free?
Yes. Czechonline, created at Masaryk University, offers free online courses including Everyday Czech at A1 and A2. In the Czech Republic, state integration centres offer free Czech courses to foreigners legally residing there.
What happened to mluvtecesky.net?
It was launched by Masaryk University in 2015 as a free Czech course. On 13 October 2026 the address led to czechonline.org, the university's current portal.
What does Czechonline teach?
114 lessons in 5 disciplines: Everyday Czech with basic vocabulary, A1 and A2, plus medical, business and legal Czech, a language tandem section and grammar tables.
Who can attend free Czech courses at integration centres?
The centres' target group is foreigners legally residing in the Czech Republic and people who have been granted international protection.
What Czech level do I need for permanent residence and citizenship?
The permanent residence exam is at A2. The citizenship language exam is at B1.
Is Czech hard for English speakers?
The US State Department places it in Category III, hard languages, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours.
Sources: Czechonline (czechonline.org), home page, Everyday Czech, Grammar and About us; Masaryk University, Magazín M, Masaryk University launched a portal to teach Czech to foreigners (2015) and Interactive online Czech course won European Language Label (2017); Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners (integracnicentra.cz), Basic Information and Activities for Clients; official websites of the Czech exams for permanent residence and for citizenship (cestina-pro-cizince.cz); BBC Languages, Quick Fix essential Czech phrases (archived); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Český Krumlov Castle above the Vltava, Guido Radig / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
