Did you know that 5% of all Czechs can’t make a sound that appears in their language because it is so difficult?

Rosie and I should be listening to our tour guide who’s showing us around Prague – the ridiculously knowledgeable Ian! But we aren’t – we are in full voice geek mode! We are standing at the back of the crowd – now trying to figure out the exact mechanism to say the ř
the sound that appears in Czechs (the one with angry eyebrows above it – ř)

It’s the one that appears in the composer’s name Dvořak

People in the group look at us a little confused but we are engrossed.

We figured it out. You have to sound like you have a money-counting machine in your mouth.

You make a sound like you have a piece of very hot potato in your mouth and you can’t spit it out so you are having to blow over it whilst keeping it in your mouth. Now do a very rolled ‘R’ at the same time and – bingo the Czech ř.

We are now feeling pretty pleased with ourselves – hope we didn’t miss anything whilst we were geeking out!

Let me know if you can do it!