Zahrádkářská kolonie
The Allotment Garden
A beloved Czech escape from the apartment block: the allotment colony on the edge of town, where city families keep a little hut, grow their own vegetables and fruit, and spend summer weekends grilling and chatting with neighbours over the fence.
You will practice: mít rád + accusative for liking (mají rádi přírodu), the reflexive dative si (děti si hrají), and the instrumental of accompaniment/instrument (s míčem, se sousedy).
Words to know
Skim these before you read — they carry the story. Tap the star to add one to your saved words.
- přírodanature
- klidpeace, calm
- zahradničenígardening
- bytflat, apartment
- balkonbalcony
- trávagrass
- zahrádkasmall garden, allotment
- koloniecolony
- chatkasmall hut, cabin
- zeleninavegetables
- rajčetomato
- okurkacucumber
- mrkevcarrot
- stromtree
- květinaflower
- sousedneighbour
- plotfence
- odpočinekrest, relaxation
Did you get it?
5 quick questions — no grades, just a comprehension check.
1. Why do many Czechs have an allotment garden?
2. Where are these garden colonies located?
3. What do people grow there?
4. What do the adults do on summer afternoons?
5. How is the allotment described overall?
Too hard? Pick an easier text in the Czech reading library. Understanding most of a text without translations is the goal — struggling through is not.