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Posts by ArcticPaul  

Joined: 7 Apr 2008 / Male ♂
Last Post: 31 Jan 2009
Threads: Total: 38 / In This Archive: 34
Posts: Total: 233 / In This Archive: 183
From: Wakefield, England, U.K.
Speaks Polish?: A few words (but I keep trying!).
Interests: History, Reading, Organised Crime, Travelling, Film/TV and attempting to learn Polish.

Displayed posts: 217 / page 5 of 8
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ArcticPaul   
29 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

Still a beginner.
I'v got my head around masc/fem/neut in Nominative and Instrumental....then accusative comes out of nowhere!

I'm reviewing everything, at the moment, by taking a look at my completed assignments and starting using HURRA books 1.
ArcticPaul   
29 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

Incidentally, as a German speaker, I feel I am a relative intermediate in Polish. Were the tables turned, however, I hardly think I could've mastered English as a foreigner quite so easily.

Even though we (English and German) share a common parent language and have much in common?

During my short stays in Spain I have found it easy to learn basic phrases and gather an understanding of how to ask simple questions and understand the answers. I cannot say the same for my first few months attempting to learn Polish. In fact I am only just starting to feel any optimism about actually being able to succeed at this language and If I had known just how difficult it would be I doubt I would have even started trying to learn.

...I'm glad I did though.
ArcticPaul   
29 Jul 2008
News / 7 Poles in a Fiat Uno? [38]

"Floor shifter"? Is that American for 'gear stick'?
ArcticPaul   
29 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

I found the pages where the first three (most used) patterns are discussed. Very useful info. In fact, I'd go so far as to state that '301' is just as necessary to beginner students of Polish as a decent dictionary.

I'm only at the stage of needing present tense so it's goimg to be fun learning all these verbs again for past, future expressions.

It's a challenge I enjoy but, damn, I'd be intermediate if I'd opted for Spanish or Italian!
They'll seen easy after I'v mastered a language as complex as Polish.
ArcticPaul   
29 Jul 2008
Work / Americans teaching english...your help please! [51]

I'm a Brit but I sometimes find American English more explicit in it's meaning.

And the World knows American expressions by virtue of its film industry. If I were to start writing posts in phonetic Yorkshire no one would have a clue what I was saying.
ArcticPaul   
28 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

Today, 08:57 Report #7

According to '301 Polish Verbs': 'siedzIEć','czytAć', 'myślEć', 'iŚć', 'byWać', 'usiĄć',
'znaleZC', 'przedstaWIć' and 'żYć' as template conjugation patterns. That makes,
according to the authors, nine different forms!-:) LOL

Where in '301' does it say this?
ArcticPaul   
28 Jul 2008
News / 7 Poles in a Fiat Uno? [38]

Its fashionable to car share so Poles must be the most fashionable minority group in the UK.
ArcticPaul   
28 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

It seems no-one has got round to dealing with any other classes for conjugating verbs

Maybe, Osiol, you could list some of these 'other classes'?
ArcticPaul   
27 Jul 2008
Life / Poznan. The most hated city in Poland? [21]

I have worked with people from Białystok to Zakopane, from Rzesow to Gdansk to Swednica and they all seem to agree that the inhabitants of Poznan are snobs.

At first I thought this may be a rural prejudics against a cultural center but I now know people from Torun and Krakow who share the same, low opinion of the residents of Poznan.
ArcticPaul   
27 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

It is useful but I already know the 'class 1' conjugation (-m, -sz)
I'm more interested in learning the other major verb patterns/forms.

As yet I only need the first 6 (ja, ty, on/ona/ono, my, wy, one/oni)
Trying to learn more, at this point, would be an unnecessary complication.
ArcticPaul   
27 Jul 2008
Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]

How many different forms do verbs take?
I'm aware of the -m, -sz conjugation
mam, masz, ma, mamy, macie, mają

and I'v come across jestem, jesteś, jest, jestemy, jestecie, są
Would this be -em, -eś, conjugation?
ArcticPaul   
26 Jul 2008
Language / Panowie, panie [4]

Am I correct in thinking thst 'panowie' is the plural of 'pan'?
'Panie' is the plural of 'pani'?
And 'państwo' translates as 'family'?
ArcticPaul   
26 Jul 2008
Language / Nations/Nationalities in Polish? [6]

Just like English.........

Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
English, Irish, Welsh
German, Czech, Slovak.

I know these from experience to the point of instinct. I'm unsure Polish will ever come so naturally but I can try to learn and remember.

Thanks.
ArcticPaul   
26 Jul 2008
Language / Nations/Nationalities in Polish? [6]

Francja. Francuz. On jest Francuzem. Francuzka. Ona jest Francuzką. Oni są Francuzami. One są Francuzkami.
Polski. Polak. On jest Polakiem. Polka. Ona jest Polką. Oni są ????????. One są ?????????.

Any rules or advice concerning when nationalities go plural will be very helpful.
ArcticPaul   
21 Jul 2008
UK, Ireland / Looking for Polish groups/clubs in central scotland [2]

In Stirling there is a travellers hostel called Willie wallace Independent Hostel, just round the corner there is an asian owned shop with polish language signs in the window. Most evenings groups of Poles gather to chat and drink a few bottles of the many varieties of Polish beer available to buy in the shop.

This may be a start to helping your fella find some mates.....or, radical idea, he could try and integrate into the society he's living in? English speaking friends don't ALL carry knives...even in Scotland.
ArcticPaul   
19 Jul 2008
Language / Pronouns, the meaning of "Wy"? [7]

Will someone please clarify the exact meaning of 'wy'?
I know that 'oni' = they (masc), and 'one' = they (fem).
ArcticPaul   
24 Jun 2008
Language / I want to learn polish from home.... [14]

Pimseurs is a great way to learn specific phrases
"Czy pani jestem Amerikaninem?" etc
But it's total lack of reading/writing/grammar will make anything more than parrot fashion speaking out of the question.
same with BYKI, Rosetta Stone and a mass of other self teaching guides.

They are great additions to a study programme BUT not sufficient alone.

If you really can't finance $30 per week for a SKYPE lesson then try doing a google of "University of Pittsburgh Polish language course"

Telefonika posted the http:// for the Pittsbrgh Uni (above).
It is by far the best resource I have seen.
ArcticPaul   
23 May 2008
Language / Adjective/Noun Order? [20]

Could you recommend some internet sites that would be the type of thing needed?
Sports not really my thing. World news and current affairs tend to interest me.

Are their any sites dedicated to learning Polish to children, or better still, adults that never learned properly and are now trying to learn to read as mature students?
ArcticPaul   
23 May 2008
Language / Accusative Case [44]

Thanks Michal.
And because they are neuter I need not change the form to accusative....
ArcticPaul   
23 May 2008
Language / Adjective/Noun Order? [20]

I think I need to expose myself to more examples of simple Polish sentences. That way I can learn to intuit when a word order is correct.

No idea, give an example. Does this again simply mean that the adjective must agree with the noun in gender and quantity?

No. Some adjectives follow the noun, some nouns follow the adjective BUT it's not due to the specific noun/adjective used but whether the adjective is describing an intrinsic quality of the noun or not.

I just wanted examples to help me better understand the difference.

Krzyszytof went someway to providing me with examples with his 'public library/ public confession' example.
ArcticPaul   
22 May 2008
Language / Accusative Case [44]

Merged: Adjective/Noun agreement in the accusative?

Insert the correct form of nouns and adjectives.
Oni mają...............[jajko, czekoladowy]
The noun, jajko (egg) is animate. Does this mean the adjective must agree in gender/case?
In Accusative Case can a noun be animate and the same sentences adjective be inanimate. Or must agreement be found for the entire sentence?
ArcticPaul   
21 May 2008
Language / Adjective/Noun Order? [20]

"...adjective precedes the noun if an intrinsic aspect"
Anyone who can explain this distiction and provide a few examples will be providing a service.