Abstract
This article traces the development of views on the use of L1 in teaching EFL. It attempts to discover why many teachers feel the guilt they claim to feel when they use L1 in the EFL classroom.
Two possible causes are identified - the Reform Movement and, in the local context, the specific nature of the ELT situation and language market in the post-1989 period in Czechoslovakia. The article advocates the use of L1 provided that use is systematic and follows clear guidelines.
In addition, it calls for debate on what these guidelines should be.