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Level of English among the Poles? [64]
The answer to the question about the knowledge of English may tell you a lot about differnet nations. Norwegians' answer to the question 'Do you speak English?' is: 'A bit.', but when you start talking to them, you're amazed how fluent they are (no matter their age!). An average Pole says, often with great pride or slightly hurt, 'I do!', but in fact... they don't. They falter, make mistakes in elemental grammar, and their pronouncation leaves much to be desired. They hold native - in their view incomprehensible - pronouncation responsible for their problems in communication with native speakers of English.
But that's a huge generalisation and excludes a growing numer of Poles that have few problems communicating in English. The conclusion is: it depends. The only solution is to talk to the person in person - live conversation is a real test.