Polish language belongs to the Slavic languages group, along with Russian, Ukrainian, Czech or Serbian.
The first known full sentence in Polish comes from “Księga Henrykowska” from 1270 and relates to the description of daily life at that time. The husband says to his wife: "Daj, ać ja pobruszę, a ty poczywaj" (loosely translated: "Relax Honey, today I will do the dishes.").
The Polish alphabet (like most European alphabets) is based on the Roman alphabet and consists of 32 letters. 9 of them, however, you won’t find in any other alphabet. They are: ą, ć, ę, ł, ń ó, ś, ż, ż. And although it is these "rustling" letters that keep foreigners awake at night, Poles have clearly weakness for them. The ranking from 2010 for the most beautiful Polish word may serve as a proof of this. It was won by... "źdźbło" (blade of grass). Other words which were also taken into account were: "szept" (whisper), "brzdęk" (plunk) and ... "szeleścić" (to rustle). :)
In addition to the "rustling" letters, there is another torture device for foreigners - the "digraphs", i.e.: cz, ch, sz, rz, dz, dż and dź. Compiled in different combinations, they create tongue twisters such as "Chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie w Szczebrzeszynie". Don’t worry, even Poles have a problem to pronounce it correctly. :)
Information taken from: Varia Polish Language Centre
Here are some definitions or explanations of some basic terms used in Polish language.
in Polish | in English |
tak | yes |
nie | no |
dzień dobry | good morning |
dobry wieczór | good evening |
dobranoc | good night |
cześć (informal) | hi, hello |
proszę | please |
dziękuję | thank you |
przepraszam | sorry/excuse me |
pomocy | help |
Time, dates, months | |
dzisiaj | today |
jutro | tomorrow |
poniedziałek | Monday |
wtorek | Tuesday |
środa | Wednesday |
czwartek | Thursday |
piątek | Friday |
sobota | Saturday |
niedziela | Sunday |
styczeń | January |
luty | February |
marzec | March |
kwiecień | April |
maj | May |
czerwiec | June |
lipiec | July |
sierpień | August |
wrzesień | September |
październik | October |
listopad | November |
grudzień | December |
dzień | day |
miesiąc | month |
rok | year |
godzina | hour |
Food and drinks | |
chleb | bread |
masło | butter |
ser | cheese |
jajka | eggs |
mleko | milk |
ziemniaki | potatoes |
ryż | rice |
kasza | groats |
drób | poultry |
wołowina | veal |
wieprzowina | pork |
jagnięcina | lamb |
ryba | fish |
warzywa | vegetables |
owoce | fruits |
sól | salt |
pieprz | pepper |
cukier | sugar |
woda | water |
kawa | coffee |
herbata | tea |
piwo | beer |
wino | wine |
sok | juice |
Transportation | |
tramwaj | tram |
autobus | bus |
taksówka | taxi |
samolot | airplane |
rower | bike |
pociąg | train |
peron | platform |
tor | track |
dworzec | (train/bus) station |
lotnisko | airport |
przystanek | (bus/tram) stop |
Other useful words | |
otwarte | open |
zamknięte | closed |
wyjście | enter |
wejście | exit |
bankomat | cash machine, ATM |
poczta | post office |
znaczek pocztowy | stamp |
list | letter |
paczka pocztowa | parcel |
kantor | currency exchange offcie / bereau de change |
rachunek | bill/check |
kino | cinema |
cena | price |
wyprzedaż | sale |
przychodnia medyczna | medical centre |
szpital | hospital |
recepta | prescription |
apteka | pharmacy/drugstore |
Academic life | |
student | student |
dziekanat | dean's office |
wydział | faculty |
legitymacja studencka | student card |
egzamin | exam |
zaliczenie | credit (course completed succesfully, yet no grade given) |
przedmiot | course/subject |
ocena | grade |
sesja | exam session |
rok akademicki | academic year |
semestr zimowy | winter semester |
semestr letni | summer semester |
przerwa semestralna | inter-semestral break |
akademik | dormitory/student house |
cisza nocna | silent night period |
regulamin studiów | study regulations |
wykład | lecture |
ćwiczenia | labolatory |