Polonius3 1,000 | 12,446 6 Sep 2008 / #1Trying to write or speak Polish (pr for that matter any foreign langauge) on the basis of a dictionary definitions entails numerous pitfalls, especially when a given word has several means.One young Pole tried to impress an aunt in the USA by writing a letter in English which he began with the words "Road Madam" (Droga Pani).Do you know of any other such examples?
McCoy 27 | 1,269 6 Sep 2008 / #5dostatek - to shipzaraz -behind oncekielbaska - fang of basquewypierdalaj - you molo far away
osiol 55 | 3,922 6 Sep 2008 / #6moloHow does one molo? I'm not sure I've ever moloed in my entire life.
noname 7 Sep 2008 / #9can anyone point me in the right direction to learn "polish reporting language", please?Often I hear frazes such as: "on mial sie powiesic", On mial powiedziec", On mial jechac 100km/godz na drodze z nakazem 50" etc,czy "mial" znaczy purportedly?pozdrawiame
piotrn - | 9 7 Sep 2008 / #10The word "miał" has some meanings in Polish language.One of those meanings comes from the word "mieć" - "to have got", but it shows the past form of that verb, additionaly in the third person singular:On miał kota rok temu - He had a cat a year ago.But when there is a verb after "miał", it indicates:* that someone was supposed to do something but it wasn't done, or we still don't know if it was:[John had said "I'm going to hang myself, when she gets married", and she got, but he didn't hang himself]John miał się powiesić - John was supposed to hang himself.Adam miał powiedzieć Johnowi, żeby tego nie robił - Adam was supposed to tell John not to do it.** that someone is suspected of doing something, but we're not sure about it:[A car hit a tree, witnesses claim the car speed was 100km/h, radio news reports]Kierowca miał jechać z prędkością 100km/h, a następnie uderzyć w drzewo - The driver was probably driving 100km/h, and then hit a tree.BUT that sentence can also mean - The driver was supposed to drive 100km/h, and then hit a tree. (Like he was ordered to do it, simply "should do it")EASY: The ** example sentence can be simply replaced with: According to the witnesses, the driver was driving 100km/h...MOREOVER: Miał in the * and ** meanings also represents the past tense. We can use the present (and probably at the same time future) one:Ja mam dzisiaj ugotować obiad - I'm supposed to cook dinner today.Oni mają zająć się dzieckiem w sobotę - They are supposed to take care of the baby on Saturday.And in the very first meaning:Ty masz naprawdę piękną koszulę - You've got a really beautiful shirt.Oni mają dużo pieniędzy - They have a lot of money.That's what I think, or what I know, as a normal 18-years-old Polish language user.
osiol 55 | 3,922 7 Sep 2008 / #11That's what I think, or what I know, as a normal 18-years-old Polish language userYou had to say that, didn't you!Do cats say miał?
polishgirltx 7 Sep 2008 / #16both of my cats speak English and Polish... English is their native language, and i don't think Polish is too hard for them to learn...;P
Poor Edward 10 | 154 7 Sep 2008 / #17both of my cats speak English and PolishIm trying to teach my sisters dog to be bilingual I say "sit down" and it sits I say "usiąść" and it just stares at me. Stupid dog, it'll learn, I can, so theres no excuse. :)
Shawn_H 7 Sep 2008 / #18Stupid dog, it'll learnIs it an old dog? As you know, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
polishgirltx 7 Sep 2008 / #20Stupid dogcats are smarter that dogs (they just like to hide it, they are very humble animals) and got attitude... ;P
osiol 55 | 3,922 7 Sep 2008 / #21If I put a suit on, I'm smart. If I do a poo in a neighbour's garden, I'm not smart.I've never seen a dog in a suit, but you can clearly see from what I have typed here, that dogs are usually at least one up on cats.
piotrn - | 9 8 Sep 2008 / #22Yes, i had to say that :PEdward, try to teach him "siad" instead of "usiąść". It sounds better (no ą, ś, ć next to each others) and is more frequently used in Polish language as a "sit down" command. But be aware, and don't say "siad" to a person, it would sound you treat him like a dog.
osiol 55 | 3,922 9 Sep 2008 / #23"siad"I was frequently given commands such as siadaj, chodź and drink. Surely Polish people don't command their dogs in English to take alcoholic beverages.