Good conversation is an art, and twice a month, on the first and third Thursday afternoons, the members of the English Chat group get together to weave a beautiful oral tapestry. For over a year we have met at Kavarna Adria, an old-World café on Narodni. This month, we will try out a new venue, Styl & Interieur, on Vodičkova, which promises to be quieter, and in the warm weather, we can enjoy their lovely garden.

We have a truly international group, with members from the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Ukraine, Mongolia, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and France. Our discussions are always peppered with interesting tidbits about our different countries, customs and cultures.

As for the conversation topics, they vary widely. After holidays or the summer, we find out how our members spent their time – traveling either to their home countries to see friends and family or to exotic destinations. We’ve played grammar games, read articles and discussed them, but mostly we just let the topics grow organically depending on who is participating that day.

For example, we had a conversation recently about how each of us learned English: the teachers, the methods, and the textbooks. Some schools start teaching English at seven, others at thirteen. We laughed a lot because the first words and sentences that everyone learned were pretty much the same, very simple ones. We talked out the influence of television on learning English. In Finland, all English TV serials and films have subtitles, not dubbing. In the Czech Republic, the TV serials and films are dubbed. We also ranked the difficulty of the various accents in English. Scottish won the “prize” hands down.

What our members enjoy in addition to the topics. is learning some new vocabulary, and from time to time, a little grammar (but not too much). It’s always great when other native speakers besides the Chat Group leader participate. Different accents, vocabulary, and intonation make for an interesting mix.

You’re invited to join in, regardless of your native language or level of English. You just need to let me know by Wednesday noon, the day before, so that our table is set for the right number of people.

Join us!
English Chat Group
Thursday, 14:30 – 16:30
To join, please see the IWAP weekly heads up and website for contact details.