Language / Do you think there is something like Warsaw accent ? [29]

(0:43) A ja, jeżely Pan pozwoly, z przyjemnością.

youtube.com/watch?v=VQopO2jF6HU

This is a sample of Warsaw accent :-)

Cinek

Language / mój - moja [28]


I just found another two: 'gość' and (the city of) 'Brześć'.
There's also 'jegomość', but the rule of the game was 'not male by definition', while 'jegomość' is male ;-) (the female equivalent would be 'jejmość').

Are there more?

Cinek

Language / Share Perfective and Imperfective Polish verbs [105]


Doesn't matter. You just want to have it read, today or in a year.

Cinek

Language / Not sure if I will be able to speak Polish [53]

Yes, this is Polish, but they are only TRYING to speak it I'd say. They are definitely not Polish, nor even understand what they are saying. I even think if the dialogue were written by a Polish native, e.g.:

Magda, Simon jest tutaj!

No native would say that. It shodul be like:

Magda, Simon przyszedł
or

Magda, Simon już jest.

Also, some sentences are not understandable for me at all (even though I'm a native speaker).

Cinek

Language / Polish Phonology. [14]

No. There's no difference in normal speaking. One could pronounce it a way to make the difference hearable, but it would not sound naturally.

Cinek

Language / A word about a dialect. [20]


I lived in Krajna region (south-east Pomorze) all my childchood. My wife is from Kujawy which borders with Krajna and my and her family homes are about 50km from each other, so not very far. I always thought that we were speaking standard Polish at home (at least compared to ppl living around), but still I can easily hear differences in the accent between my wife's family and my family speaking. The differences are subtle and mostly in pronouncing some vowels or using some words or sayings, but are very visible for me (and probably for all native speakers of Polish).

However I have no problems understainding them of course, as well as other, even distant
dialects (like Silesian or from Kresy).

Cinek

Language / Meaning of letters in online polish dictionary? [11]

Not sure what the letters stand for (probably just subsequent sections index) but they contain:

B tryb rozkazujący (imperative)

E imiesłów przymiotnikowy bierny (passive adjectival participle)

G imiesłów przymotnikowy czynny (active adjectival participle)

H czas przeszły i tryb przypuszczający (past tense and conditional mood)

J czas teraźniejszy (present tense)

e forma bezosobowa (no idea what can be the English name for this, even the Polish one is not precise because sometimes it includes participles too.)

j rzeczownik odczasownikowy (gerund)

(ręcznie dopisane) imiesłów przysłówkowy współczesny (contemporary adverbial participle)

Cinek

Language / mój - moja [28]


Not only -ość but just -ść, as well as -szcz (but where are some exceptions to this exception though ;-) ) Also sometimes similar endings, like -dź, -ź, -cz, -źń, -ć

female: wieść, pięść, część, złość, radość, boleść, kiść, wieść, powieść, piędź, więź, Bydgoszcz, Radogoszcz, zdobycz, słodycz, jaźń, bojaźń, rtęć, etc.

but:
male: chrząszcz, chrabąszcz, liść,

Language / Polish and Russian - learning by a beginner [30]


Why not Ukrainian?

I too was once learning two similar languages, English and German, and it was a great mistake. I was often saying und instead of and, where instead of wo etc. I heard that only little children are able to learn two at the same time, but it also takes longer time.

I advise you focusing on just one (the one you'll need more or you like more) for a few years and then start the other one. You won't need to learn what is aspect or what is gender of a verb again. Instead you'll just see the similarities and the differences to what you already know.

Cinek

Language / Your Funniest / Strangest / Sadest Moments with the Polish Language [63]

My English teacher told us once that he was watching TV and there was a commercial where a guy shouted: UWAGA! and he understood it as 'you fu..er'

Cinek

Language / TELEPHONE GENDER WOES? [11]

Use neutral language until the interlocutor says anything that reveals their gender (e.g wait for phrases like byłem/byłam etc.). I know that it may be difficult for a person not very fluent in the language.

But, politeness require introducing myself when starting a conversation, so you should expect the other side to introduce themselves (so you'll know the gender), or you can always ask "przepraszam, z kim rozmawiam?" (after you introduced yourself of course :-) )

Cinek

Language / Verb forms and conjugation [28]


If you're using Windows XP:
1. go to Control Panel, then click on Regional and language Options
2. click on Languages tab
3. Find Text Services and Input Languages and press Details button
4. Find Installed Services and press Add buton
5. Select Polish in Input language menu
6. Check Keyboard layout checkbox and select the Polish (Programmers) keyboard.
7. Find Preferences below, and press Language Bar
8. Make sure that "Show the language bar on the desktop" is checked

From now on you can switch between English and Polish keyboard by clicking on the language bar. You can also minimize the bar to be only an icon on your task bar.

The Polish letters can be typed in by pressing the RIGHT ALT and the letter to modify e.g.:

right alt + c = ć
right alt + shift + N = Ń
etc.
the only exception is:
right alt + x = ź

Beware! If you're using alt + key kombinations as you keyboard shortcuts, they wont work with the right alt any more (only with the left alt).

Hope it helps.

Cinek

Language / POLISH ETHNIC PEJORATIVES [23]


Also SZKOP.

Cinek

Language / MLEĆ VERB - EVEN NATIVE POLES MUCK UP THIS [6]

There are two different (imperfective) words that mean the same:
mleć and mielić

mleć:

czas teraźniejszy :
ja mielę
ty mielesz
on miele
my mielemy
wy mielecie
oni mielą;

czas przeszły:
ja mełłem
ty mełłeś
on mełł
my mełliśmy
wy mełliście
oni mełli

mielić:

czas teraźniejszy:
ja mielę
ty mielisz
on mieli
my mielimy
wy mielicie
oni mielą

czas przeszły:
ja mieliłem
ty mieliłeś
on mielił (-a, -o)
my mieliliśmy
wy mieliliście
oni mielili

The perfective forms can be created by adding the appropriate prefix (like z-, prze-, wy-, po- etc.) to any of them.

Cinek

Language / Declension of "-ość" - miłość / zieleń [19]


I'd say that now every one would avoid using it at all. This is one of those examples that are used so seldom that most people are not sure what is the correct form.

"Zieleni" is the correct form, but people just dont 'feel' it, because they don't need to use such word in everyday speech. On the other hand, they do use vocative of words like kobieto, dziewczyno, etc. so when they see words like 'zieleń' they're trying to apply the same rules they're used to.

Therefore, monsters like 'zielenio' are born.

Cinek

Language / What is this type of word called and others like it? uwydatniając [14]


Przeczytawszy jej list, zadzwoniłem bezpośrednio do swojej matki.

cinek

Language / What is this type of word called and others like it? uwydatniając [14]


What is strange (at least for me), Poles tend to avoid using participles in coloquial language. Very often we use descriptive (and more verbose) expressions instead.

E.g

Idąc do domu spotkałem kolegę.
in typical coloquial lagnuage would be:
Gdy szedłem do domu, spotkałem kumpla.

It's even more visible with using past adverbial participle (imiesłów przysłówkowy uprzedni)
e.g.
Przyszedłszy do domu zjadłem obiad.
often expressed as:
Jak przyszedłem do domu, to zjadłem obiad.

However, using participles (properly) in official language is elegnat and usually confirms higher education of the speaker.
Using them (too much) in coloquial speaking may be taken as weird or even snobbish.

Cinek

Language / WACEK, BAŚKA, OTHERS? [6]


I've never heard Baśka as a name of a body part. It must be of regional or even more limited use.

Cinek

Language / VERB GENDER OF ABBREVIATIONS PZPR, PiS, PZU, PKO &C. [4]

What Pio wrote it right, but in coloquial language we tend to use the gender according to how the abbreviations sound (not to what they actually mean). So it is common to hear phrases like: PiS był, PZPR był, PKO było, PZU było, NATO było etc.

Cinek

Language / Actual vs Frequentative verbs: mieć and miewać [4]


'Mieć' can be translated as 'to have' or 'to have had' and naturally connects with word like teraz (now), zawsze (always), od wczoraj (since yesterday), od dwóch dni (for two days). It implies that something happens continuously (no matter if only now or a whole year).

e.g.
Mam ból głowy (I have a headache).
Od tygodnia mam nową prace. (I have had a new job for a week).

'Miewać' can be also translated as 'to have' but it connects with words like 'od czasu do czasu' (from time to time), czasami (sometimes), w deszczowe dni (on rainy days).

It implies that something happens only ocasionally (not necesserilly now, but it has happened already and is expected to happen again).
e.g.
Czasami miewam trudne zadania do wykonania (I have hard tasks to do sometimes).
W deszczowe dni miewam bóle głowy (On rainy days I happen to have headache).

Hope it helps you a little.

Cinek

Language / I'm learning Polish using the Michel Thomas Method [9]


I think it's not a good mesurement. Children learn in totally different way than adults. e.g. 2 yo kid understands almost everything his mother is saying to him while may not be able to say a word himself. On the other hand, adults usually start with translating from their mother tongue and it takes some time to switch to thinking in a new language.

If you have already learned some grammar and vocabulary you're gonna have a good oportunity to practice it 'in the filed' and you may do really big progress.

But if you're completely blank, being here may not help you at all unless you take lessons to help you to start with the basics, or have someone to talk and explain everything (like mother to her child).

Cinek

Language / Diminutive first names [18]

I'd say that diminutives sound natural with some names and don't with others.
Eg.
Tomek, Wojtek, Kuba, Witek, Zosia, Kasia, Ola can usually be used for everyone who you just got to know, while using diminutives for:

Marcin, Mariusz, Robert, Jacek, Marta, £ukasz etc. usually will require a little closer relationship.

It may also depend on your and the other person's age.

(Mar)Cinek

Language / WHY NA WĘGRZECH ET AL? [6]


Actually, we say 'w Słowacji' more often than 'na Słowacji', at least where I live (Bydgoszcz).
Regarding Węgry, it may be because it was a part of Cesarstwo Austro-Węgierskie.
From what I remember, 'w Litwie' was also used by Sienkiewicz and in other XIX cent. literature.
So those rules are not so strict.

Cinek

Language / Parę - two or a few? [26]


Zeszły means last in contexts like 'last month', last Monday' etc.
Przeszły means 'soemathing that was in the past and does not exist any longer', however it's hardly ever used today (except the name of past tense 'czas przeszły').

It's also a form of 'przejść' (i.e. 3rd p pl. non-masc. past tense).

Cinek

Work / Would it be hard to work in Poland if I don't speak Polish? [17]


Try one of the telecom or computer equipment manufactures that have their divisions in Poland (like Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia-Siemens, Intel etc.). Their staff usually speaks English well so you at least shoudn't have problems communicating in work ;-) But be prepared that they pay less than e.g. in US (this is why they moved their business here), and if you really want to keep friendly and close relationship with co-workers you should learn Polish quickly, because not many people would like speak only English when drinking beer after work ;-)

Cinek

Language / Example sentences for different cases. [42]


Don't try to count them, just try to distinguish one from the other: -y is a typical ending of masculine adjectives in Polish, so it follows adjective's declension pattern even though it is a noun.

It works the same way for many others. e.g.:

woźny, oddźwierny, koniuszy, leśniczy, etc.

As and exercise you can try write all przypadki of them ;-)

Cinek

Language / Hussar-the word, is it originally Polish? [10]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Hussars

Language / Formal "you" and Informal "you" : which is which? [46]


Ojcu, Ojciec = Father

I think it's also in English that people refer priests as 'fathers' (even though catholic priests usualy are not fathers ;-) ) In polish you could just also use 'ksiądz' (= priest) instead of Pan or Ty when addressing a priest.

So the alternative versions would be:

Pamiętam o Ojcu - to a priest (not sure if this can be used for any priest, I've no experience in that area)

Pamietam o Księdzu - to a priest (should be generally ok)
Pamiętam o Panu - formal, to any (male) person but a priest, mum, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, and many others who you shoudl address using words of the relationship between you and them.

Pamiętam o Tobie - informal, to any close person

Cinek

Language / Formal "you" and Informal "you" : which is which? [46]


Not true. Plural was also used this way a few years ago, aspecially when word like "towarzysz" or "obywatel" were in common use during comunism. Sentences like:

Co u was słychać towarzyszu?
or
Zatrzymajcie się obywatelu!. Poproszę wasz dowód osobisty.

are very common in movies from that time. Just watch any commedy by Stanisław Bareja from that time, you'll hear many examples.

Also, my grandmother also used plural when addressing her mother (I heard it many times when I was a small boy), so it was in use in everyday language of ordinary people not so ago.

Cinek

Language / SLANG FOR INEBRIATION IN POLISH? [32]

No. It means the same as pojebany (crazy, mental).