Language / Voiced consonants in final positions in Polish [6]


Actually, this is not bad German at all.
If you remember lectures on High German consonant shift that was complete around 6 to 7th century AD. You will also remember that many of the consonant changes had to do with voiceless shifts in High German (Hoch Deutsch). Of course, you will also know that Hoch Deutsch is is what influenced modern German to a degree higher than other German dialects. If you happen to have forgotten all those then a decent refresher course can be found on the friendly Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_German_consonant_shift

For instance:

Hunde /hunde/ but Hund /hunt/ (dog, in German it can also be Spelled Hunt)
rauben /rauben/ but Raub /raup/ (rob, robbery)
Könige /køːniɡə/ but König /køːniç/ (king)

Particularly the last example is striking (that's gotta be the sexiest sound in all of the German language). You can hardly get any more voiceless than that, although in some dialects (such as some areas of Berlin) and depending on the preceding vowel (tag vs. Pfennig) often sounds different, but in most cases still voicelss.

Language / Genetive, "jej" and "jego" [8]

Good point!

USA, Canada / Dual citizenship of both Poland and Canada? [12]

Half Poles are not automatically entitled to obtain a Polish passport,unless an application like that is made within 3 months ob the child's birth and if both parents are in agreement.

There are some ifs ands and buts so your best bet is to contact a Polish Consulate in Canada. It will save you a lot of time.

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]


It has to do with what is called "semantic fields". Read up on the subject and you'll realize that all those words will be in the same symantic field (don't confuse with synonym), and therefore naturally discussed as one topic.

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]


można+infinitive is impersonal, like English "one may" or "something is allowed".

News / Is the E.U. good for Poland?? [180]


I haven't read all the posts in this, now lengthy thread, so I have a question which is basically the same one but asked in a different way: would Poland be better outside EU, while surrounded by EU member countries? Was there a realistic and plausable alternative?

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]


Anytime.
Do następnego razu! (Till next time!)

(another tricky one, eh? Remember, Polish voiced consonant become voiceless when followed by either a voiceless one, or by silence, hence your spelling error.)

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]

i tak dalej, used in Polish as etc., but etc is also correct.

oops, let me add another one similar to etc:

itd - i tak dalej (and so on)
itp - i tym podobne (and the like)

Sometimes you will here people combine the two in one sentence (itp itd), much like English "and so on and so forth"

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]


You're welcome. I don't mind at all, and I'm glad I can help.

Now... the teacher in me... I hope you understand ;)

The thing with the first name:

Official form: Dariusz (I'd this is too official for every day speech)
Diminutive forms:

Darek (OK for anybody to use)
Daruś (affectionate)
Dareczek (mildly affectionate)

"Pan Dariuś" should be "Panie Darusiu" (vocative). "panie" + "darusiu" sounds funny, but not incorrect. Kinda tongue in cheek expression, since the diminutive and affectionate "daruś" is gently cancelled by "pan".

So, the expected forms would be:

Dziękuję bardzo, Daruś.
Dziękuję bardzo, Darusiu.
Dziękuję bardzo, Panie Darku.
Dziękuję bardzo, Panie Dariuszu.


Heck, I know you're really working hard here. And you even include such nice, and unexpected touches as "itd.?" in your post.

Signed: Daruś z Kanady :))

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]


I can't answer that question. I am not in a poisition to contro you, so have all the fun ;)

In terms of grammar, perfect.

Language / If The Polish Language Is Too Hard >>> Sing Instead [18]

Jacek Stachurski is someone new to me :)
I just listened to a couple jingles by him. Lyrics sound reasonably usable for learning purposes.

Language / can / be able to vs may / be allowed to [19]

the precise meaning of móc depends on the conetxt so it can be used to express the meaning of both.
There are other words which are more specific though:

potrafić - to be able too
wolno - is/was/will be allowed.

Wolno is kinda funny to explain. It probably can be translated as "it is allowed for [me, you etc] to do something".
Here are the forms:
The (*) symbol explained below

wolno mi (*) - I may
wolno ci (*) - you may
wolno mu/jemu (*) - he/it may
wolno jej (*) - she may
wolno mu (*) - he may

wolno nam (*) - we may
wolno wam (*) - you may
wolno im (*) - they may

a) for the present tense (*) needs to be replaced with an infinitive (I am allowed)
b) for the past tense (*) needs to be replaced with "bylo" + infinitive (I was allowed
c) for the future tense (*) needs to be replaced with "bedzie + infinitive (I will be allowed)

Most of the time version a use used, the other ones being rare in colloqial (colloquial is not necessarilly slang) speech

Language / If The Polish Language Is Too Hard >>> Sing Instead [18]

What an underrated thread!

How about a legend of Poland's music scene, Marek Grechuta. His songs, while certainly not mainstream, are easy on the ear and may be great for those learning Polish. Phrases from some of his songs are popular in everyday Polish language, selection of vocabulary is reasonable and very much usable in every day speech:

Here's one called Nie dokazuj:

History / Polish Jews - they changed their Jewish surnames to Polish [532]


Some of them were quite small. One was no more than years old, my aunt told me. She was sent to Auschwitz, and my two uncles to camps in Germany. The reason was that my grandma was hiding a little Jewish boy (no more than 8 years old, she said) in the barn, but the Germans found out. The boy was killed right there, on the spot. Near a water well in the yard, perhaps 10 paces from the house. A shot in his head. Nobody understands why the whole family wasn't also killed. They just took 3 oldest of the kids to concentration camps.

That happened in a small village in Pinczow region. Pinczow was inhabited by Jews in about 80% before the War. Grandma told me they were poor people. When I still lived in Poland there were none left. Not one. There is a Jewish cemetery next to the Catholic one. We used to place flowers there on All Saints Day. On Jewish graves too. Some people frowned, as I remember: "it's a sin to go to a Jewish cemetery on a Catholic holiday", they said. But my grandma, a devout Catholic, wouldn't listen. She was a very simple woman, but she had in her more humanity for the living, and respect for the dead than some of the biggest barkers on this forum combined.

The anti-semitic drivels are nothing but just that; stupid drivels. Their authors will pretend a vast knowledge of anything related to Jews, while in fact they know squat and are fed the sickness of the like minded individuals. I don’t need to seek in books any confirmation of the Jewish plight and attempts of their extermination.

The information and proof is a part of my family’s history. You see, both my aunt and the two uncles survived. So did many others in that village. The Pinczow Jews didn’t. Some of them were little kids, so again, in that you are absolutely correct –many Jews were not such big victims. They were young and small.

History / World War II - a tragic story for Poland and the World [489]


Oh I know. It sounded kinda weak to me though ;)


I actually started typing an answer since I thought you wanted a genuine debate, but you have proven that don't. I'm not interested.

Just one final note; don't write "we the Brits" when you write about WW2. You weren't there, keyboard warrior.

History / World War II - a tragic story for Poland and the World [489]


Like... military assistance? Like ... an ttack against Germany in the West to take some of the heat of Polish forces? Most German forces were in the East at the time. What Hitler hoped for, and what Stalin was waiting for till September 17th was exactly what Brits did - nothing.


Poles were the 4th largest army in Europe during WW2 and you write that Poles were not unwilling to fight?

History / World War II - a tragic story for Poland and the World [489]


Agreement of Mutual Assistance Between the United Kingdom and Poland:

ARTICLE I.
Should one of the Contracting Parties become engaged in hostilities with a European Power in consequence of aggression by the latter against that Contracting Party, the other Contracting Party will at once give the Contracting Party engaged in hostilities all the support and assistance in its power.

Could you list some of the support and assistance Poland received form UK in September of 1939?


Is this a joke?

Genealogy / Ros and Debranski surname [9]

Sound obviously Polish, but you are correct in assuming the person may have been Jewish.

Maybe this will help: cherlvin.nfshost.com/HT/PF/joze-f02.html.

This is an equivalent of marriage preregistration (allowing the marriage to take place) and it is scheduled to have taken place in the city of Włocławek in 1929 in the local synagogue. Links at the top of page may be useful too.

News / The new Polish Minister of Finance is British [29]

Crow,

instead of your little tribal suggestions, do you think we'd better of with pan-humanism?

History / World War II - a tragic story for Poland and the World [489]


Poles did too. The difference between the two was the Poland received no (as in zero) help from its allies when it was attacked, while Britain received lots form hers, including from Poles.

I'm not sure whether Poles in general despise Brits for WW2. For one, it's been a long time ago, and then it's more about a sense of disappointment than hatred.

Work / Average Polish Income is 2700zl per month [65]

PLN to X (as of 10 minutes ago):

2.571091 - CAD
3.664070 - EUR
2.500900 - USD

History / Polish Jews - they changed their Jewish surnames to Polish [532]

My take is that the Puzzler went to Canada and failed. A lot of immigrants fail. I've had my failures too, and I was humiliated once or twice. But instead of bi.tching I got up and kept on going. I came to a different country but I didn't know the rules. Once I figured them out I began to stand form for myself, for my family and for my community (Polish or otherwise).

I've lived in the US and in Canada for over 20 years. I did come across comments that were negative of Poland and Poles, but these comments either came from fools (in which case no amount of confincing will change their minds), or I was able to repell them. I am perfectly capable of making negative comments about other nationalities too.

Overall, I haven't suffered any ethinc bias and I worked all over the US and in Canada as a consultant and I was often hired ahead of those who were born here. I worked with Aglos, East Indians, Chinese, Poles, Germans Latinos, Jews and dozens of other nationalities. At IBM my boss was a Jamaican. Yup, a black fella. The nicest and possibly the best boss I ever had. Very knowledgeable too. They were all great people and they were not the problem. The problem are people like you who, instead of concentrating on themselves and bettering their lives, they keep on blaming the whole world for all the "evils" for their personal failures.

Puzzler,
In early 1980's over 60% of Canadian citizens were born outside Canada, so who are you calling Canadians? On another forum you wrote you spent 10 years in Canada. If it took you so long to figure out Canada was not for you, then perhaps the issue is not with Canada but you? It really is good be be a little quicker on your feet. Life's not that long after all. Don't waste it by spending 10 years in a place you hated, and then another 10 b.itching about it.

News / The new Polish Minister of Finance is British [29]


Poland was once a part of a "slavdom". The result was that Polish language was banned from schools and all kids had to learn Russian instead, so thanks, but no, thanks.

Instead of that flag and gene waving, why don't we just get up in the morning, go to work like we should, take care of our kids and not step on people's toes. If all of us do it then the will be no need for all the doms (or subs)

History / Polish Jews - they changed their Jewish surnames to Polish [532]


You might also add that it is not an American forum, nor Canadian, British, German etc. And yet you spend so much time writing about all the above.

Live what you preach, or preach what you live.

Language / Common neuter case nouns please [12]

złoto - gold (noun)
srebro - silver (noun)
powietrze - air
zjaście - event (usually carries negative connotation)
siano - hay
miano - label (but rather one that you asign to people/object but not a sticker)
swięto -holiday

Law / Plan to start a Film School in Poland [10]


True. We sometimes think of education as a two hour, once a week event lasting for about 4 months, but if you really think about it a whole semester is really 20 to 40 hours in class per subject

Law / Plan to start a Film School in Poland [10]

that must be a tiny camera.

Food / Easy Polish foods to cook [4]

Try bigos. It basically cooks itself : en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Bigos, although it's not for those who hold their breath while waiting for dinner.

Note on mushrooms: best if you don;t use the white things they sell in regular stores. Go to a Polish store and ask for mushrooms for bigos, ideally "prawdziwki" and they will be dried.

polishforums.com/bigos_recipe-8_1227_0.html

Language / Common neuter case nouns please [12]

a few more:

ciało (body)
słowo (word)
dno (bottom)
drzewo (tree)
drewno (wood)
danie (dish, meal)
gówno (sh.it)
łajno (sh.it, excrement, vulger depending on context)
niebo (sky, heaven)
piekło (hell)
prawo (law)
sito (sieve)
prosię (pig, usually young but not piglet)
ramię - shoulder
rondo (round-about, circle)
pisklę (baby bird, very young person)