Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

Who was Joseph Conrad?


I have never found the Polish to be quite linguistic-more on a par with their plumbing!

Travel / Changing Poland [75]

Yes, they are probably cheap but my God, have you ever looked at the place? I would prefer to live in Kingston Upon Hull!

Yes, I do remember it very well and it was awfull. Dirty wet streets-something like a film script of England in the 17th. century. I have heard that there is a lot of crime there but then again I weas there twenty years ago. Not a place to bring up a family, but then again. where in Poland is?

Travel / Changing Poland [75]

I am wondering if Poland can ever change. Some years ago, I was in Gdansk and visied an area where I stayed during the Communist era. It is called Orunia, if I am not mistaken. You get there by bus. I remember I stayed on a street called Podmiejska. Her house has since been bulldozed to make way for a road expansion scheme. A really dreadful place. Sad. cold, dirty, rundown and empty of any soul. I walked home from the bus stop with a young schoolgirl from Poland. She has been living here in England for the last two years. I asked her if she would want to go back and she said to visit her family and friends, yes, but to live-never! Her mother has exchanged Poland for the Tesco supermarket shelf filling department on a night shift. 600,000 of Poland's young have followed her. Can Poland ever be strong with such an exodus? They always complain about their voting rights in the EU but under Russia they had none.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

In England most pupils learn French but if a Frenchman had to make himself understood in French in a food shop in England in order to buy food he would starve!

I think also that the Poles are rather like the Brits and are not really linguists. I must say that I have met Czechs and they seem to find English really easy. Some of them can speak it really well. Maybe it is because their accent is softer and they feel that they sound better in English? Confidence is a lot to do with it, I suppose.

Language / Kasia and Zosia pronounce [17]

Were you in London as a tourist or did you work in an office? At work your written work may be of concern but on the street? In America nobody ever corrected my English though at times I had to repeat myself as we speak a little fast. I was there of course, as a tourist.

Language / Some example sentences using each of the cases in Polish [33]

What is rule number 14? I think actually that it would be znam madrego mezczyzne, I do not think that there would be a final 'a' even if it the Polish 'a' which would be nasal

Language / Kasia and Zosia pronounce [17]

I would have thought that the British are fairly tolerant too as they hear people trying to speak English all the time in so many different accents.

Language / Some example sentences using each of the cases in Polish [33]

No, my question was why is it mam psa but mam psy when it is mam kolege but mam kolegow. The negative nie mam psa and nie mam psow is understood and is a simple piece of basic Polish grammar. Never mind, when my Polish wife returns home I will ask her. It is not important any more, you do not understand the concept I was trying to convey.

And as a PS Krysia is a good one to aske-I have seen some of her translation work!

Language / Some example sentences using each of the cases in Polish [33]

Yes, but again, you are saying the same as me but are not giving an answer.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

I know that as soon as Poland gained its freedom, Russian went 'out the window' over night but apparantly, it has been returning again in popularity of late. After all, Russia is still Poland's biggest natural neighbour.

Language / Some example sentences using each of the cases in Polish [33]

Yes, but why is it for example, ja mam psa but ja mam psy and not ja mam psow? Psy is a living thing too. You do not answer my point at all.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

Oh, yes, all the Polish learn or at least learnt Russian at school.

I know for a fact that Russian is still taught in Polish schools as my relatives have lessons even to this day. And why not? They are more likely to use Russian in Czestochowa than English!

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

I have been to Poland many times and have never relied on English so I can not comment on the level of English spoken. Probably, it gives the Poles a lot of status to be seen speaking English amongs their friends, it is the same in France too.

As a PS none of my family in Poland speaks English but I do know that one or two have been having a lot of leasons. They have never tried it out on me so am not too sure.


I thought that is was Russian, which was a compulsory subject?

News / The Impact of Poland joining the EU [64]

Have you ever thought about what that means to stress out an economy? 600,000 workers. There were only 270,000 whites in Rhodesia during the hights of the Smith regime in the early 1970's. No wonder the

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

It is not really an insult as far as I know and you started this topic in the first place, not me. Why do you not look the word up in a simple basic dictionary for yourself, after all, if you are going to spend a lot of time in Poland, you will need a fairly good dictionary. If you do not want to learn the language, why are you even there in Poland at all?


I would imagine that as an English speaking person on your own in Poland without a knowledge of the language you are a pretty lonely guy-I know that I would hate it for myself.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

If you are in Poland I would suggest that you buy a course and learn some Polish rather than arguing with me! How do you survive not knowing a single word of Polish?

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

I am not racist-simply the word in question is a basic word that anybody who knows Polish would know. Why is this such a problem for you?

News / The Impact of Poland joining the EU [64]

I think that allowing Poland in to the EU was the wost thing we have ever done. Some years ago, they could not work here without visas but now..They say that we have 600,000 of the buggers though I am not sure if this is for the U.K. or if rthis figure includes Ireland too.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]


I have never found German to be at all logical. I find Polish word order to be more like English. German verbs split bits up and puts in a 'zu' ect. Very very confusing!


Every word is important

Language / Some example sentences using each of the cases in Polish [33]

Why is it for example ja pale papierosa and not simply ja pale papieros?papieros? Ja mam psa but ja mam psy and not psow. Sometimes there is no logic. Unless, of course, I have made some mistakes myself here.

News / Polish girl burnt alive, please help me. [42]

Unfortunately, these things do happen and the longer you live the more of this sort of thing you will see. Many years ago, in 1984, I was a student in Moscow and there was an IRA bombing which took place at the same time in London. A police sergeant was killed among them and it just happened to be someone with whom I had worked some years previously. It is always a shock.

Language / Good books about polish grammar? (online purchase) [19]

There have been quite a lot of good books written on Polish grammar and being in the United States, you should be able to find a good second hand book shop with a collection to choose something from. I have some very good books but they are old and are probably out of print and maybe were never available in the United States even? If you are a studnet you could try your college library and/or try amazon, which specializes in books of all sorts and you may be able to buy something cheap.

They are quite old now but there was a set of two volumes printed in America called Beginning Polish Volume 1 and 2 by Alexander M. Schenker. I have the volume 1 with tapes and the exercises are very good for a learner. Mine is a revised copy from 1972 but the language itself has not changed much-just a few added words and phrases. He came from New Haven, Connecticut, America.

News / Poland's Growth Fastest in 10 Years [95]

Szczecin, for instance, is a German city and I see no reason why Poland has laid claim to it.

News / Poland's Growth Fastest in 10 Years [95]


So they should, the Poles nicked loads of German land after World War 2.

UK, Ireland / How expensive is living in UK/London for one person? [23]


Just as you asked me, you are not English are you? You too can not spell.

News / Poland's Growth Fastest in 10 Years [95]

The trouble is that a lot of all this money is just coming from the EU. I have always said that if a country will make it in the West it will be the Czech Republic-they are miles ahead of Poland and always have been.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]


Well, I am sorry but was it not you who was asking about the meaning of the Polish word 'murzyn'? If you do not even know such a basic simple word, you obviously do not speak Polish. I assume from what you have been saying that you are learning Polish. Why am I a fruitcke? In fact, I bet you do not know what a fruitcke in Polish is either!

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]

No, it is not a mistake, they have a double negative as I have said, for example, nie rook nie. Read what I have said.

Anyway, what would you know about double negatives, you still have to learn Polish!

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]


All I was talking about was the double negative and Africans has the double negative, for example, nie rook nie-no smoking.

Language / A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language? [116]


Mind you, the Americans have a reputation of being crap at learning languages. I remember them in both Moscow and in Krakow and they never really shone.