James Naughton

This second edition of the popular Colloquial Czech has been rewritten to bring it completely up to date.Written by an experienced teacher, the course offers a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Czech. No prior knowledge of the language is required.Czech is spoken by over 10 million people. It is closely related to the other members of the Slavic family of languages but, unlike Russian, uses the Roman alphabet.By the end of this rewarding course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in a broad range of situations.

Colloquial Slovak is easy to use and is specially written by experienced teachers for self-study or class use. The course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Slovak. No prior knowledge of the language is required.What makes Colloquial Slovak your best choice in personal language learning?* interactive - lots of dialogues and exercises for regular practice* clear - concise grammar notes* practical - useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide* complete - including answer key and special reference sectionBy the end of this rewarding course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in a broad range of situations.

COLLOQUIAL SLOVAK is easy to use and completely up to date! Specially written by an experienced teacher for self-study or class use, the course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Slovak. No prior knowledge of the language is required. What makes this new edition of COLLOQUIAL SLOVAK your best choice in personal language learning? Interactive – lots of exercises for regular practice Clear – concise grammar notes Practical – useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide Complete – including answer key and reference section Whether you’re a business traveller, or about to take up a daring challenge in adventure tourism; you may be studying to teach or even looking forward to a holiday – if you’d like to get up and running with Slovak, this rewarding course will take you from complete beginner to confidently putting your language skills to use in a wide range of everyday situations. Accompanying audio material is available to purchase separately on two CDs or in MP3 format, or comes included in the great value COLLOQUIAL SLOVAK paperback and CDs complete course. Recorded by native speakers, the audio material complements the book and will help develop your listening and pronunciation skills.

COLLOQUIAL SLOVAK is easy to use and completely up to date! Specially written by an experienced teacher for self-study or class use, the course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Slovak. No prior knowledge of the language is required. What makes this new edition of COLLOQUIAL SLOVAK your best choice in personal language learning? Interactive – lots of exercises for regular practice Clear – concise grammar notes Practical – useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide Complete – including answer key and reference section Whether you’re a business traveller, or about to take up a daring challenge in adventure tourism; you may be studying to teach or even looking forward to a holiday – if you’d like to get up and running with Slovak, this rewarding course will take you from complete beginner to confidently putting your language skills to use in a wide range of everyday situations. Accompanying audio material is available to purchase separately on two CDs or in MP3 format, or comes included in the great value COLLOQUIAL SLOVAK paperback and CDs complete course. Recorded by native speakers, the audio material complements the book and will help develop your listening and pronunciation skills.

Colloquial Slovak: The Complete Course for Beginners has been carefully developed by an experienced teacher to provide a step-by-step course to Slovak as it is written and spoken today. Combining a clear, practical and accessible style with a methodical and thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Slovak in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required. Colloquial Slovak is exceptional; each unit presents a wealth of grammatical points that are reinforced with a wide range of exercises for regular practice. A full answer key, a grammar summary, bilingual glossaries and English translations of dialogues can be found at the back as well as useful vocabulary lists throughout. Key features include: * A clear, user-friendly format designed to help learners progressively build up their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills * Jargon-free, succinct and clearly structured explanations of grammar * An extensive range of focused and dynamic supportive exercises * Realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of narrative situations * Helpful cultural points explaining the customs and features of life in Slovakia * An overview of the sounds of Slovak Balanced, comprehensive and rewarding, Colloquial Slovak is an indispensable resource both for independent learners and students taking courses in Slovak. Audio material to accompany the course is available to download free in MP3 format from www.routledge.com/cw/colloquials. Recorded by native speakers, the audio material features the dialogues and texts from the book and will help develop your listening and pronunciation skills.

'As I crammed the cream horn voraciously into my mouth, at once I heard Francin's voice saying that no decent woman would eat a cream puff like that'In a quiet town where not much happens, Maryska, the flamboyant brewer's wife, stands out. She cuts her skirt short so that she can ride her bicycle, her golden hair flying out behind her. She butchers pigs. She drinks and eats with relish. And when the garrulous ranconteur Uncle Pepin comes to visit the locals are scandalized even further, in Bohumil Hrabal's affecting, exuberant portrayal of a small central European community between the wars. 'One of the greatest European prose writers' Philip Roth'Hrabal combines good humour and hilarity with tenderness' Observer

'Folks, life is beautiful! Bring on the drinks, I'm sticking around till I'm ninety! Do you hear?'A young boy grows up in a sleepy Czech community where little changes. His raucous, mischievous Uncle Pepin came to stay with the family years ago, and never left. But the outside world is encroaching on their close-knit town - first in the shape of German occupiers, and then with the new Communist order. Elegiac and moving, Bohumil Hrabal's gem-like portrayal of the passing of an age is filled with wit, life and tenderness. 'What is unique about Hrabal is his capacity for joy' Milan Kundera'Even in a town where nothing happens, Hrabal's meticulous and exuberant fascination with the human voice insists that, as long as there's still breath in a body, life is endlessly eventful' Independent