Language / (part 2) Polish Language Pronunciation - Sample Words and Phrases [311]

I just thought that in French, en, an and on sounded the same, in and ain were another sound and un was out there on its own.

I wasn't trying to misinform anyone.


Cans. (As far as I'm concerned anyway).

Language / (part 2) Polish Language Pronunciation - Sample Words and Phrases [311]


I thought the French nasals a and o sounded the same - more like an o than an a.
Turns out I was wrong.

Life / Cultural readjustment... returning to Poland from the West. [58]

Is that 60 shilling?
(Written 60/-)

Language / Numbers in Polish - two different ways? [44]

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th... 132nd, 133rd, 134th...

UK, Ireland / Survey of Poles in the UK [24]

Without going back to look, I'll guess that 18 was about British food.

UK, Ireland / Survey of Poles in the UK [24]

It's nice to know when people are happy.
Actually, it's good to know the truth, and it's just better if people are happy.

Some of the questions were a bit stupid, and it's possible that at least one person answered 'Don't know' for every single question.

But they didn't ask:
Are British donkeys cooler than Polish ones?
Is British popular music far, far superior to Disco Polo?
Have you ever spanked anyone with their own copy of the Daily Mail?
Do you plan on having obese children?

Language / Numbers in Polish - two different ways? [44]

So each one will be identified by their number?

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]


Try to remember more please.


I doing what?

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]


I'm never doing that.

Love / How do Polish girls like to be approached? [66]


I thought that was just most women from just about anywhere.

Life / Is there a "Polish Soul" or only Russians can claim a slavic soul? [6]

Just because the Russians say they have it, that doesn't mean Poles have to as well.
Judging by the number of responses so far, I imagine this isn't something Poles really think about.

Apparently there was quite a good tax wangle you could do by buying those Russian souls, but despite the efforts of a rather unpleasant Swiss bloke and a revolution or two, that opportunity is as dead as the souls in question.


People are strangely drawn to all kinds of things, often but not always connected with their personal prehistory. I used to be strangely drawn to art students.

Life / Nasty polish guys in Bialystok [36]

Just don't call the Daily Mail.

UK, Ireland / Do many British carry knives? [60]

The best knives are the ones that have a bottle opener and a corkscrew.
I've never been keen on the ones with fish-scalers, magnifying glasses, scissors where the spring always goes, toothpicks, tweezers that don't quite meet in the middle, small saws for cutting I-don't-know-what...

UK, Ireland / Queue to leave broken Britain [59]

Is there a queue to leave the country now?
We've always been good at queueing, so it's not such a big deal.

Queue - Why does this word contain so many letters when it could be spelt with just the one?


Hittler? Who was he/she/it? I've never heard of such a person or thing.

UK, Ireland / Do many British carry knives? [60]

Knives are sharp. If you carry one, you might end up hurting yourself, or as Mr. Woo just said, someone else might hurt you with it instead.

In times of trouble, your best weapons are the ones you were born with, especially your feet.

Having a baseball bat or some other sort of kosh (some people might keep one in the car or under the bed - why?) are particularly useless as they are so unwieldy. In most civilised parts of the world, carrying a gun is even less of an option, particularly as you will get youirself in far more trouble with one, even if you don't attempt to use it. Luckily, in Britain, hardly anyone does resort to this.

UK, Ireland / Do many British carry knives? [60]

Knives are for chefs.

UK, Ireland / Do many British carry knives? [60]

Sofi, you're getting quite violent these days, aren't you?
I, for one, am not going to pick any more fights with you, just to be on the safe side.

How many people who do carry a weapon of some sort would actually be able to use it in self-defence?

UK, Ireland / Do many British carry knives? [60]

From the cutlery drawer to the work-surface or to the dining room table.

I also use a knife at work for cutting string, shrinkwrap and cardboard, and also for stabbing Polish people.

Food / FRIED BREADED MOUNTAIN CHEESE (OSCYPEK PANIEROWANY) [5]


Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccus (spp.)
Is this traditional? Made with the American cranberry or a European relative?

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]


A useful concept to understand if you're studying Polonology.

I've just worked out that it should be Poloniophobia / Poloniology / Poloniophonic / Polonistics...

UK, Ireland / Queue to leave broken Britain [59]


or suburban jungle - all near-identical brick houses on roads with names that don't mean anything, planted with haggard-looking cherry trees watered by the bored youth who, like every generation, are looked down upon and cursed by older generations whose view of the world has been crushed and warped by the monotony of work and the overfeeding of trashy newspapers, even trashier TV and dull tasteless food.

Which decade are we talking about?

It's not as though everyone sees the world in that way.

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]

I ought to mention a newly released English word, invented by a Polish person.
Following on in a natural progression from somewhat, somehow, somewhere:

S O M E W H E N

This word was invented somewhy, I suppose.


I'd like to hear the Polish bartender saying "Sorry, you can't have Coke."

Language / (part 2) Polish Language Pronunciation - Sample Words and Phrases [311]


Or like the French 'banque'


Neither can I, but can you imagine anyone demanding their money back?

UK, Ireland / Are the Poles in England hated? [450]

Zeus did funny things with swans. Allegedly.

UK, Ireland / Are the Poles in England hated? [450]


You've just convinced me. Well done you miserable...

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]

You have to pronounce all the silent letters.
Half. Salmon. Debt. Psychopath.

You must also put the stress on the wrong syllable as much as possible.
The Polish penultimate syllable is undobBtedly a popular one, but so is the first syllable.

There is no 'a', there is no 'the', but there might be some 'some'.

You must also diminish the very wide English palette of vowels sounds, to about 5 or 6.

From these notes, if you're not Polish, you may be half way to pretending that you are.
Just read most of the rest of the forum to find out what else you have to do.


Is there something else you're not telling us?
Would it help if I said that one is longer and further back in the mouth than the other.

Sorry about that sudden load of filth. I don't know what came over me.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

I knew that the prize would be an inflatable donkey.
I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to tomorrow.
The last page or so on this thread is looking forward to the random chat bin.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

I know already.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

Question:
What is the strangest thing in Poland?

Answer:
This entire thread if you can believe it really was a walking, talking, eating, drinking donkey.
Not in Poland now, so it must actually be a different answer.