Language I

Czech is a crazy language! More on that later.

Before leaving the US many people asked how much English is used here. Quite a bit. Kids start learning English in 3rd grade. When they are older (~ 7th grade), they can switch to a different language if they want. This started when the Commies were ousted (previously kids were forced to take Russian). So there is a whole generation now that has had a lot of exposure to English.

When I go places I find that about one in three employees at stores (at least bike and sporting goods stores) can speak fairly well. Last Sunday we held Priesthood meeting in English because over half the group spoke English better than Czech and all but one were very capable English speakers.

I must point out too that many of these English speaking Czechs do really well. It's not a matter of having taken two years at the end of high school and knowing how to ask to use the bathroom.

So, between the English spoken by folks here and our friends who are excellent English speakers, we can get by well enough without speaking Czech.

It feels so wrong, though, to be here and ask others to speak a foreign language. I mean, it's one thing for tourists because you can't expect them to know any of the language and they pay the bills. But for somebody shopping at the grocery store I think we can reasonably expect something more.

Trouble is, Czech is a crazy language.