Polish is Fun - learn Polish online with comics and audio

Polish is Fun. Free online lessons and private classes via Skype.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 22:30:00 +0000

Welcome to my blog Polish is Fun! You can find here interesting free stuff (comics, video clips, audio recordings) for beginners Polish learners.
If you want to learn Polish faster, deeper and more efficient: you can take private lesson via Skype with a qualified Polish native speaker. All details are here.

Enjoy learning Polish together! Let's start!

How to Express Your Impressions and Feelings in Polish. Exclamations.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 21:56:00 +0000

Sometimes you want to express your spontaneous feelings or first impressions. Positive or negative. I mean situations when we need exclamations as: "what a terrible day!", "what a pretty girl!" and so on. How to express your likes and dislikes in Polish?
The easiest way to do that in Polish is to use a word "jaki" before an adjective with a noun which describe your feeling towards the object.
Let's take the second example: "What a pretty girl!".
In Polish: "Jaka ładna dziewczyna!"

Use a word "jaki" before masculine nouns. Jaki okropny dzień! (What a terrible day!)
Use "jaka" before feminine nouns. Jaka fajna kawiarnia! (What a cool café!)
Use a word "jakie" before neutral nouns. Jakie duże miasto! (What a big city!)

Do you want to sound more like native, more informal? You can use a word "ale" instead of "jaki (jaka, jakie").

ale + adjective + noun !

Ale ładna dziewczyna! (What a pretty girl!) = Jaka ładna dziewczyna!
"Ale" means also "but". (On jest bogaty, ale nudny. He is rich but boring)

Let's take some examples with pictures:

- Niezła koszulka!
- Dzięki!

- Not bad t-shirt!
- Thanks!

(we don't add words like "jaki" or "bad" before
a word "niezły" - it's a kind of an exception)

- Ale super app!
(What an awesome/cool app!)

Remarks: 1."app" (taken from English) is a masuline word 2. an adjective "super" is untypical and it doesn't change form when we use it with feminine and neutral nouns:
"super książka" (an awesome book), "to miasto jest super!) (this city is awesome!)

- Ale fajna piosenka!
(What a cool song!)

- Ale nudna książka!
(What a boring book!)

Jaki okropny wypadek!
(- What a terrible car accident!)

-

- Jaki słodki piesek!
- Luna, nie! Nie!!! (Luna is, of course, a name of the dog)

(- What a sweet doggy!
- Luna, no! No!!!)

Here are recordings with dialogues and expressions from the pictures above:

Remember that endings of adjectives are different for describing masculine, feminine and neutral nouns.

Usage of masculine adjectives: use an adjective from dictionary (without any changes),

Usage of feminine adjectives: add a feminine ending - "-a"instead of a masculine -y or - i (for example - big is "duży" for masculine nouns and "duża" for feminine nouns).

Usage of neutral adjectives: add a neutral ending -e instead of masculine - y or -i (duże - neutral instead of the masculine "duży").

Polish is Fun Reloaded.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:53:00 +0000

My blog Polish is Fun is returning. In a few next day a plan to publish a new post about giving compliments.

All recordings are available again. I apologize for previous issues with it.

I'm looking also for new students on Skype.

If you are interested, want to ask about prices or other details, contact me via a Contact Form in a section “Learn Polish via Skype”.

Do you speak Polish? Useful expressions for Polish learners.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 15:06:00 +0000

Today we will learn some useful Polish phrases which concern your ability to speak and understand Polish. I mean phrases like: "I speak Polish a little",
"I don't undersand", "Could you speak more slowly, please!", "I'm learning Polish" and some more.

I hope that you don't need an expression "I don't speak Polish" any more. The girl in the picture on the left doesn't seem to feel very comfortable with this phrase.
Let's begin our lesson. As always, you can listen to recordings with all Polish words and expression (bold print).

The most useful phrases are:
- Czy mówisz po polsku? (Do you speak Polish?)

- Nie, niestety. (No, unfortunately).

- Czy mówisz po polsku? (Do you speak Polish?)

- Tak, trochę. Uczę sie polskiego. (Yes, a little. I'm learning Polish)

Another useful dialogue:

- Czy rozumiesz po polsku? Do you understand Polish?

- Tak, dużo rozumiem, ale słabo mówię po polsku. Yes, I understand a lot, but I hardly speak Polish (more literally: Yes, I understand much, but I speak Polish poorly.)

Here is a recording with first three dialogues above (Polish native speaker's voice):

Sometimes we don't understand what our foreign interlocutor says because he speaks too fast. Another time he uses some new words or grammar structures. But remember: words you want to hear are the easiest to understand, aren't they? Look at a picture below!

The dialogue in the picture above with the translation:

- Czy mnie rozumiesz? (Do you understand me?)

- Nie rozumiem! (I don't understand.)

- Jesteś bardzo ładna! (You are very pretty!)

- Teraz rozumiem! (Now I understand!)

Look at a picture below. A girl called Jane (British, American?) uses some very helpful expressions which you need talking to Polish native speakers ("please speak more slowly", "Repeat it, please"). But why this young Pole (her admirer) seems to be so confused in the end?

The dialogue in the picture with translation:

- Kocham Cię! (I love you)

- Nie rozumiem. Proszę powtórzyć. (I don't understand. Repeat, please)

- Kocham Cię, Jane! (I love you, Jane)

- Proszę mówić wolniej. (Please, speak more slowly)

Please, learn how to say "I love you" in Polish (just as a precaution).

Here is a recording with the two dialogues above (Polish native speaker voice):

And the last today's scene. We can call this scene: "Do you like me? Or...?"

We will learn how to ask a Polish native speaker to speak to us in Polish instead of English (it is necessary if you want to practise your Polish).

- Would you like a drink with me? (Eng.)

- Mów do mnie po polsku. Uczę sie polskiego. (Speak to me in Polish! I learn Polish.)

- Dobrze! Napijesz się ze mną? (Ok! Would you like a drink with me?)

- Jasne! Bardzo lubię polskie piwo! (Sure! I like Polish beer very much!).

But does she like him? Not only Polish girls are sometimes cruel (heartless).

Here is a recording with the dialogue above (Polish native speaker voice):

How to say "my" and "your" in Polish. Why we need 3 forms?

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:56:00 +0000

Talking about things or persons belonging to us is a really nice thing, isn’t it? We can talk about that for hours. We keep on talking even if people who are listening to us get bored quickly.
Let’s try to talk about that in Polish!
At first look it seems to be a bit complicated because the word “my” has 3 basic forms in Polish. The same is with a word “your” (singular). “My” can be translated as mój, moja or moje in Polish. “Your” can be translated as twój, twoja or twoje into Polish. A right choice of a right form among these 3 forms depends on the gender of a noun which follows the word "my" or "your".

If I‘m talking about a masculine noun I should say: “mój X”. If I am talking about a feminine noun I should use “moja X”. And if I am talking about a neuter noun I should say “moje X”, of course. The same rule concerns a word: “your” (only singular!): twój for masculine nouns, twoja for feminine nouns and twoje for neuter nouns. This rule works similar to the rule of using 3 different forms of adjectives, which describe masculine, feminine and neuter Polish nouns.

Let's look at an example (a picture below):

1. A word "komputer" (compter) is a masculine noun (m.), so we should say: "mój komputer" (my computer) and "twój komputer" (your computer).
2. A word "okno" (window) is a neuter noun (n.), so we should say: "moje okno" (my window) and "twoje okno" (your window).
3. A word "torebka" (handbag) is a feminine noun (f.), so we need to say: "moja torebka" (my handbag) and "twoja torebka" (your handbag).

Here is an audio recordnig with the following text:

Mój, moje, moja. (my /m., my/n., my/f.).

Twój, twoje, twoja (your/m., your/n., our/f.).

Mój komputer, twój komputer (my computer, your computer).

Moje okno, twoje okno. (my window, your window).

Moja torebka, twoja torebka (my handbag, your handbag).

Let's look at some examples in funny comics below! First read a list of new words:

“My” and “your” followed by masculine nouns (used in comics below)

mój mąż (m.), twój mąż; my husband, your husband

mój syn (m.), twój syn my son, your son

mój pies (m.) twój pies my dog, your dog

mój raport (m.) twój raport my report, your report

mój samochód (m.) twój samochod, my car, your car

mój szef (m.), twój szef, my boss, your boss (only about a boss who is a man)

“My” and “your” followed by feminine nouns (used in comics below)

moja żona (f.), twoja żona, my wife, your wife

moja córka (f.), twoja córka, my daughter your daughter

moja szefowa (f.), twoja szefowa, my boss your boss (only about a woman)

moja sekretarka (f.) ,twoja sekretarka , my secretary , your secretary (only about a woman)

moja sukienka (f.) twoja sukienka, my dress, your dress

“My” and “your” followed by neuter nouns (used in the comics below)

moje biuro (n.), twoje biuro, my office, your office

moje zdanie (n.), twoje zdanie, my opinion, your opinion

moje mieszkanie (n.), twoje mieszkanie, my flat (apartment), your flat moje okno (n.), twoje okno, my window, your window

(m.) – means: masculine noun (they end mostly with a consonant)

(f.) – means: feminine noun (they end mostly with a letter –a)

(n.) – means: neuter noun (they end mostly with a letter – o or –e)

Here is an audio recording with the words above (Polish native speaker voice):

Let's look at some situations in the pictures below:

Picture 1a -To jest moja rodzina: mój mąż, moja córka, mój syn... -This is my family: my husband, my daughter, my son... - ... i twój pies! - ... and your dog! Picture 1b - Widzisz, co robi twój syn?! - Can you see what your son is doing?! - To nie jest mój syn, ale twój syn! This is not my son, but your son!

Here is an audio recording with dialogues in picture 1 (Polish native speaker voice):

2. Another situation. Do you remember a couple who met on the stormy day? No? That was here: http://goo.gl/zl8Ls

Picture 2a

- To jest moje nowe biuro, kotku!

This is my new office, honey! (or: "baby", literally: "kitten")

- Super! A jaka jest twoja szefowa?

Cool! (great, super!). And what is your boss (woman) like?

Picture 2b

- Gdzie jest twój raport?!

Where is your report?

- Mój raport? Eee…jest prawie gotowy.

My report? Er... It's almost ready.

Here is an audio recording with dialogues in picture 2 (Polish native speaker voice):

3. The last example. Why people dont't want to listen to us? That's a question!

Picture 3a

- …mój samochód... moja sekretarka.... moja zdanie.

...my car, my secretary (woman), my opinion...

- Zawsze tylko: mój, moja, moje.

Always only: my (m.), my (f.), my (n.)

Picture 3b

- …mój szef… moje mieszkanie... moja sukienka…

...my boss, my flat (apartment), my dress...

- O nie – znowu! Oh no - again!

Here is a recording with dialogues in picture 3 (Polish native speaker voice):

A little remark about the pronunciation:

Remember that letters “ó” and “u” (mój, biuro) have a different spelling , but they represent the same sound in Polish. We pronounce both of them as “u” (like “u” in an English word "push"). Compare with the recordings.

We don’t have any special words like English: “mine” and “yours” in Polish. The words: "mój", "moja", "moje" and "twój", "twoja", "twoje" are used also to replace English: mine and yours. And remember: "twój", "twoja", "twoje" means "your" only in the singular. Polish language has a different word (with its 3 forms) for "your" in the plural: "wasz", "wasza", "wasze".

How to avoid a strange "dzi" sound when you speak Polish.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:07:00 +0000

Beginner Polish learners get sometimes confused seeing so many words with a quite strange (from foreigner’s point of view) spelling: dziękuje, dzień, dziewczyna. “Dzi”: how for God sake do I pronounce it?! These three letters are represented by one sound. Let's call it the "dzi" sound. Is it possible to avoid words with this strange “dzi” sound?

I have a bad and a good piece of news for you. The bad news: it’s almost impossible to avoid the “dzi” sound when you speak Polish, because many the most frequent and useful Polish words contain “dzi” sound. How can we talk not using words like: "thank you", "day", "girl", "family" or "child"? I can’t imagine that. These words are so basic, that they do not have even synonyms.

The good news: my experience as a Polish teacher shows that the most foreigners don't have big problems with pronunciation of this sound. Even if your pronunciation of this sound isn’t perfect, you will be understood by Poles. There is a really very small risk for misunderstanding. Just try to pronounce it with help of my recordings.
Some popular Polish words with the "dzi" sound" (native speaker voice):

Here are the recorded words:
a) The “dzi” sound at the begging of the word: dzień (day), dzień dobry! (Good morning!), dziękuję (thank you!), dziewczyna (girl and girl-friend), dziecko-dzieci( child –c hildren), dziwny (strange) ,

B) The “dzi” sound in the middle of a word: niedziela (Sunday), poniedziałek (Monday), rodzina (family) , godzina (hour, time), ludzie (people)

C) The “dzi” sound at the end of the word: siedzi ( is sitting or sits*: third person singular), widzi ( is seeing or sees*: third person singular),

*There is only one Present tense in Polish, so we can translate it differently in different contexts.

And here are some tips for pronounciation:
The “dzi” sounds like "jee" in English but softer, not so strong. It is rather something between "dee" and "jee". Just try to say "jee" while your mouth is positioned to say "dee".

Let’s have a look at some important words and phrases with “dzi” sound.

1. Dzień dobry! Dzisiaj niedziela.

1. noc – dzień (night - day)
2. - Dzień dobry! Dzisiaj niedziela! Good morning! Today is Sunday.

Here is a recording with the words and the monologue above (the Polish native speaker voice):

2. Dziwny - dziwna - dziwne.

dziwny, dziwna, dziwne - (strange) - masculine, feminine and neuter forms of the adjective "dziwny". "Dziwny" is also a basic grammar form which you can find in a dictionary)

Czapka - (winter hat) is a feminine noun, that's why we should say:

"ładna czapka" (a nice winter hat) or "dziwna czapka" (a strange winter hat), not ~~ładny czapka~~ nor ~~dziwny czapka.~~

The dialogue:

- Nowa czapka? (a) new winter hat?

- Tak. Ładna? Yes! Is it nice (pretty)?

- Bardzo dziwna! (It’s) very strange (odd)!

Here is a recording with the dialog above (the Polish native speaker voice):

3. Dziewczynka, dziewczyna - what's the difference?

dziewczynka - girl, baby-girl, child, not teenager

dziewczyna¹ - girl: teenager or young woman

dziewczyna²- girl-friend (the second meaning of the word, a translation depends on the context)

moja dziewczyna - my girlfriend

twoja dziewczyna - your girlfriend

To jest moja dziewczyna. This is my girlfriend.

Here is a recording with the words and expressions above (Polish native speaker voice):

A grammar note: "moja" means "my", but only when we talk about feminine nouns, for instance: "moja czapka" (my winter hat) , "mój" means "my" for masculine nouns (objects), for instance: "mój syn" (my son) and "moje" means my for neuter nouns; for instance "moje dziecko" (my child),

The same with a word "twoja": we use "twoja" (your, singular) - for feminine objects, "twój" (your, sungular) for masculine objects, "twoje" (your) for neuter objects.

Polish Pick-up Lines about the Weather.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 03:19:00 +0000

Can be talking about the weather sexy?

Do Poles tend to talk about the weather? How to talk about the weather in Polish? I will provide you with all the answers in the today's lesson. You will learn some useful Polish expressions about the weather, for example how to ask a question like "What is the weather like (today)?" and how to answer it.

Subsequently you will get to know some information about Poles' attitude towards a small talk about the weather. In the end of our lesson we'll discuss some pick-up lines connected with the weather. Don't you believe that such boring topic as the weather can work as pick-up line (s) topic? Read my post!

Poles don't tend to talk much about the weather - especially when we compare them with the British. The weather isn't so variable in Poland and the most of Poles tend to be more open in the conversation than the British tend to be - so a small talk (or rather a cold talk) about the weather is accepted only before breaking the first ice. But that doesn't mean that Poles don't talk about the weather at all. The weather is always a good, safe subject to begin with, especially if the weather has recently changed.
Here are some useful Polish expressions about the weather:

pogoda f. - weather
słońce n. the sun

jest słonecznie. It's sunny

chmura f. - a cloud

Jest pochmurno. It's cloudy

1. słońce (jest słonecznie) 2. chmura (jest pochmurno)

Jaka jest pogoda? What's the weather like?

Jaka jest dziś pogoda? What's the weather like today?

Jest ładna pogoda. The weather is nice.

Jaka ładna pogoda! (we can say that with or without "jaka") - What nice weather!

Jest brzydka pogoda. The weather is bad (litteraly "brzydka" means "ugly")

Jaka brzydka pogoda! What bad weather!

Jaka okropna pogoda! What terrible weather!

Here there are recordings of the first part of new Polish words and
expressions (Polish native speaker's voice):

1. Pada deszcz. 2. Pada śnieg.

"Pada deszcz" (or just "pada" - Poles know that we mean "rain").- It's raining
"Pada śnieg" (here we can't say that without a word snieg) - It's snowing

"Jest gorąco". It's hot.

"Jest za gorąco". It's too hot.
"Jest zimno". It's cold.
"Jest za zimno". It's too cold.

1. Jest gorąco. 2.Jest zimno.

You can use all these phrases to talk to the neighbours or to other people who you don't know well.

But what about picking up an attractive girl (or an attractive man)? Aren't pick-up lines about weather too boring? It depends on who and how to use them.

Look at two short stories below and answer yourself: “Are pick-up lines so important in these stories?”

The dialogue 1:

- Ładna pogoda! (What nice weather!)

- Za gorąco! (It's too hot!)

My answer is: "no". The words aren't the most important things. But we still need to say something, so a small talk like that can be so good a topic as the others. Don't forget about a smile and looking straight into your interlocutor's eyes.

The dialogue 2:

- Okropna pogoda (What terrible weather!)

- Naprawdę? (Really?)

Don't care about mixing up Polish words such as "nice weather" and "terrible weather" - that can sound even more intriguing. And don't forget that your foreign accent can be sexy for many Poles. Good luck!

Here is a recording with the second part of Polish words and expressions (to begin with "pada deszcz") and the dialogues (from the pictures) used in the lesson (Polish native's speaker voice)

How to apologize in Polish. "I’m sorry" in Polish.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 18:08:00 +0000

In my last post you have learned, that “przepraszam” is a Polish word used instead of two English expressions: “Excuse me” and “I’m sorry”.

Recently I provided you with some typical examples of using an expression “przepraszam” in situations when we should translate it as the English “Excuse me”.

Today it’s time to get to know a bit more about using the Polish verb “przepraszam” when we want to say: “I’m sorry”, “I’m really sorry” or even “Forgive me!”.

What to say in Polish when you step on someone’s foot or you accidentally push someone?

How to apologize in Polish when you accidentally spill your coffee or wine all over someone’s shirt or when you are late for a meeting?

In all these above situations you should use a Polish expression “Przepraszam” (I’m sorry) or “Przepraszam bardzo (I’m very sorry!). It’s enough. Especially when you did something wrong accidentally, without any bad intentions.

What is a suitable response in Polish when someone is apologizing to you? What are Poles used to answering when they hear “przepraszam” in the meaning “I’m sorry”?

Some typical answers are:

„Nic nie szkodzi”

or just „nie szkodzi”

Another typical answer is : “Nic się nie stało”.

All these answers mean something like “never mind”, “that's all right, “That’s o.k.” or “It doesn't matter” (not literally). Let's see a short comic:

But sometimes someone doesn’t want or can’t forgive us (like the girl above ;-).

It’s difficult to say what a person who blames us and doesn’t want to forgive us can say. There is no typical Polish phrase in such a case. But we can all understand what silence and an accusing glance mean. It’s a quite universal body language, isn’t it?

In situations when our fault is evident and we want to show that we really regret our mistakes by saying something like "I am really sorry" or "Forgive me" - we should say in Polish:

"Naprawdę przepraszam" ("I am really sorry!" or "I do apologize!")

or "Wybacz mi" ("Forgive me" or even "Do forgive me!")

But I can’t promise, that will help, especially when you keep being late for a date with a Polish princess ;-).

Here are audio recordings with all usuful expressions (bold text in the post) and with the dialogues on the pictures (Polish native speaker's voice).

How to say "Exuse me" & "I'm sorry" in Polish.

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:55:00 +0000

Przepraszam is a magic word in the Polish language, because it's a very polite and very useful one. You can use it instead of an English expression "Excuse me", but also instead of English "I'm sorry". The meaning depends on the situation. Let's see some examples:

You should say "Przepraszam", when you are going to interrupt someone and ask about something, for example when you are asking someone to show you the way.

When you are asking an unknown woman, say - "Przepraszam panią" (Excuse me, Madam). When you are asking an unknown man – you should say "Przepraszam pana" (Excuse me, Sir).When you are talking to a child or a friend you can use an informal expression

"Przepraszam cię" or you can just say “przepraszam” and ask your question – “Przepraszam” without any other words which address your interlocutor sounds neutral and quite polite in Polish - so you can use that when you are talking to women and men, young and old people.

Dialogue 1: - „Przepraszam panią! Gdzie jest ulica Bracka?”A (Excuse me, Madam! Where is Bracka Street?)

- "Bracka? O, tam na lewo." (Bracka? Oh, it's there - on the left.)

Another dialogue (without a picture): "Przepraszam Pana, gdzie jest ulica Mazowiecka?" (Excuse me, Sir? Where is Mazowiecka Street? Mazowiecka. It's there - on the right.

(Bracka and Mazowiecka are names of two quite famous streets in Warsaw).

The same way you can use a word "przepraszam" when you want to ask about other things - for example about a free seat on the plane, in the cinema etc.

The dialogue in the pictures:

- Przepraszam (bardzo)! Czy to miejsce jest wolne? (Excuse me, is this seat free?)

- Tak, proszę bardzo! (Yes, please sit down).

"bardzo" - means literally "very", but with words "proszę" and "przepraszam" is used to make our requests even more polite.

Below is a recording with these 3 short dialogues (Polish native speaker's voice):

How to say in Polish: "Please" & "Here you are"?

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 23:31:00 +0000

"Proszę" is a very important Polish word and a useful one. We can use it in many situations. Sometimes “proszę“ means in Polish “please”, sometimes- “here you are”, sometimes - “come in!”. You should use the word “proszę“ always when you want to show, that you are a polite person.

Don’t worry about the pronunciation of a typical polish nasal vowel “ę” at the end of the word “proszę“because in this word it sounds just like a simple Polish “e” (you can hear it in a recording inserted at the end of this post). There is a rule, which says that “ę” at the end of Polish verbs sounds always so. It doesn’t mean that Poles never pronounce nasal “ę”, but you don’t need to bother with that in words like “proszę“ . Some Poles try to pronounce “proszę“ with a noticeable nasal “ę” in the end, but the most famous Polish linguists just laugh at them.

Some tips:
Use a word “proszę“ when you are giving, handing in or passing something to another person in many different circumstances - both private and official.

In this situation “proszę“ means “here you are”. Look at the example. A waiter or an waitress uses always a word “proszę“when they are placing your ordered drinks or dishes on the table.

The dialogue from the first picture. "Proszę" (here you are!) - Dziękuję (Thank you!).

Instead of using just "proszę" we can use the more polite form of this expression - "proszę bardzo" (“bardzo” means “very”). Poles are used to saying “proszę“ or “proszę bardzo“ while handing things to other people, like handing a book in a library.

The dialogue from the picture 2:“ - Proszę bardzo! (Here you are).

When someone is handing you something with (or without) saying “proszę“ - you should answer “dziękuję“ (“thank you!”). The girl in the library isn’t very polite!

Another situation. We use a Polish word “proszę” while ordering something in a cafe, restaurant or buying things in a shop. Without using “proszę” our orders don’t sound polite.

We can hear a Polish word “proszę“ also after knocking on a door. Poles (who are inside) used to answer with a word “proszę” (please) instead of the longer form “Proszę wejść” (please - come in). The longer form is used only in situations when 2-3 time repeated word “proszę” doesn’t work and the knocking person seems to be a bit deaf.

Picture 3.- Małą latte, proszę. (Cafe Latte – the small one, please) - Proszę bardzo. (Certainly).

Picture 4. - Puk-puk (knock-knock) – Proszę! (Come in!)

Here are recordings with the dialogues from the bubbles on the pictures (native speaker’s voice):

How to say "How are you" in Polish?

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:39:00 +0000

How to say "How are you" in Polish?" - when you meet someone who you know?
Forget about "Jak się masz" (How are you?), because Poles almost never use this expression nowadays.
"Jak się masz?" doesn't sound natural to native speakers, though this expression exists in the Polish language (the most often in some textbooks for foreigners).
So I recommend to you to use some other more useful expressions instead of "Jak się masz?".
So what should you say after "hello" in Polish when you meet someone who you know?

There are a few options. You you can ask:

Co nowego? (What's new? How are things)

Co słychać? (What's up? What's new? How's it going?)

Co u ciebie? (What's new with you? How are you doing?)

Co tam? (What's up?)

Jak tam? (What's up?)

The last two expressions are quite popular, but you must remember that they are very informal,
used mostly among friends and family members, or young people e.g. students. I'm sorry I haven't added the last two expressions to my recording.

If someone asked you first, your question looks a bit different:

- A u ciebie co nowego? (How about you?)

-A u ciebie co słychać? (How about you?)

A u ciebie? (How about you?)

Typical answers to these questions are:

U mnie? (me? are you asking about me?) - a kind of introduction

Nic nowego (same old stuff)

Po staremu (same old stuff)

Wszystko po staremu (same old stuff)

Nic ciekawego (nothing interesting)

Jak zawsze (as always)

Jak zwykle (as usual)

W porządku (all right)

Wszystko w porządku (everything is all right)

You can listen to these answers (native speaker's voice):

And now you can see a typical small talk between two Poles, who know each other but aren't close friends (the conversation is conducted in informal way).

The dialogue

- Cześć! (Hi!)
- Cześć! (Hi)
- Co słychać? (What's new?)
- Nic nowego. A u ciebie?
(Nothing much. What about you?)
- Wszystko po staremu. (All the same stuff)
- No to cześć! (So - bye!)

Of course - she should also say "cześć" as goodbye at the end of the conversation, but there was no space in the picture.

You can listen to this dialogue here (native speaker's voice):

Questions "Co nowego?" and "Co słychać?" can be used in both formal and informal situations.
"Co u ciebie słychac" is informal (used between friends or when we talk to children) because of a word "ciebie" (you - one of grammar forms of the word "ty"). If you want to use that expression in formal situation - you should ask "Co u Pani słychac?" (when you are talking to a woman)
or "Co u Pana słychać" (when you are talking to a man).
All the answers used in this text can be used both in formal and informal situations, although many Poles avoid these questions when they talk to close friends and move on straight to the point.

How to Say "What is Your Favorite Colour?" in Polish?

noreply@blogger.com (Screen) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:25:00 +0000

This is our first online Polish lesson. Today we are talking in Polish about colours. You will learn how to say -what your favourite colour is - in four different ways.
You will also learn names of colours in Polish.
Let's start!

Here are some useful words and expressions:

kolor (m.) - colour (colour)
ulubiony - favourite
twój - your
mój - my (mine)
Jaki jest twój ulubiony kolor? - What is your favourite colour?
Mój ulubiony kolor to... - My favourite colour is...

Nazwy kolorów po polsku (names of colours in Polish)

You can listen to words and expressions written above.

Talking about preferences and favourite options in Polish.

Useful expressions:

1. kocham + object, (I love x)
2. lubię + object, (I like y)
3. uwielbiam + object, (I adore x)
4. mój ulubiony x to y (my favourite x is y)

These expressions are universal and we can use them not only with colours and other adjectives, but also with nouns (food, cars etc.).

What is she saying?

Mój ulubiony kolor to niebieski - My favourite colour is blue.

Uwielbiam czerwony - I adore red (colour).

What is she saying?

Kocham żółty kolor. - I love yellow colour

Bardzo lubię zielony. - I like green very much

What about the pronunciation of these expressions? Listen to a recording.