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Posts by strzyga  

Joined: 30 Apr 2008 / Female ♀
Last Post: 6 Nov 2012
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 2
Posts: Total: 990 / In This Archive: 757
From: Poland
Speaks Polish?: yes.

Displayed posts: 759 / page 12 of 26
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strzyga   
4 Dec 2011
Language / Word for 'deadline'? [14]

Doesn't termin means 'fixed date'? Close enough to deadline.

This too.
Termin oddania pracy, termin zakończenia robót, termin składania zgłoszeń - they're all deadlines.

This example I gave comes from 'Collins mini Polish dictionary'.

Dictionaries can err too :)

Cheers :)
strzyga   
4 Dec 2011
Language / Word for 'deadline'? [14]

What is the significance of the ' (apostrophe) in deadline'm?

The apostrophe is unecessary here. It should be "deadlinem".

When foreign names or words are used in Polish sentences, they usually get declined just like Polish words. Apostrophe is used when the word is ending with a vowel and the declension ending begins with a vowel too - then the apostrophe comes between the two vowels.

So it's: Snoopy, Snoopy'ego, Snoopy'emu...
but
Charles, Charlesa, Charlesowi etc. - without the apostrophe.

It's a bit more complicated (e.g. there's no apostrophe in Charleya or Charliego because of phonetic reasons), but the general rule is that of two vowels vs. a vowel and a consonant.

Nevertheless, many people are confused about it and they put apostrophes whenever a foreign word is declined, like in your example. Still it's an error.

Termin ostateczny

I'd say it's just termin. Termin ostateczny would be the ultimate deadline.

The translator applied the Polish miejscownik ending to the English word.

Nothing wrong with it. I mean, it's better to use a Polish word whenever an equivalent exists, , but if a foreign one is used, it should be declined, if possible. And deadline is very easy to decline, it would sound unnatural if left undeclined.

"Przed weekend'em muszę, zrobić pranie""Przed lunch'em spotykam się z Piotrem"

And these are examples of incorrect use. It should be "przed weekendem, przed lunchem". No apostrophes here.
strzyga   
4 Dec 2011
Language / How do I address a letter to a woman in Poland, [8]

How do I address a letter to a woman

It depends on th degree of formality and also if it's an e-mail or a paper letter.
Sz.P. is an abbreviation of Szanowna Pani, used on envelopes. It can be used in full form as a letter heading but it's very formal.

Szanowna Pani, (no name here)
xxxxxxxx

It's appropriate if you don't know her in person or if it's some kind of a business letter.

If you know her and you're on first name terms, then write:
Droga X

If it's an e-mail, you may start with Dzień dobry.
strzyga   
4 Dec 2011
Life / Question Of Religious Beliefs That Could Differ in Poland [33]

Basically I am wondering if I go there as a Wiccan, will I be hanged

Just don't share your beliefs with the nosy old lady who might be living next door and attends the Mass every morning.
Wicca, as well as yoga and contraceptives, is on the RC's black list, still lots of people in Poland practise yoga, use contraceptives and some of them are even Wiccans. Don't worry, you'll be safe in Kraków, nobody's going to burn you at a stake, unless you want to befriend orthodox Catholic circles.
strzyga   
3 Dec 2011
Language / Speaking with wrong Polish case endings? [94]

Is is cos Gdansk is a neuter noun and in the Genitive, therefore an -a ending?

nope, Gdańsk is masculine. Similar place names - Pińsk, Płońsk have the same declension pattern. I'm sorry I can't help you more, you need to look in your books for a declension pattern that would fit here. It's: M. Gdańsk, D. Gdańska, C. Gdańskowi, B. Gdańsk, N. Gdańskiem, Mc. Gdańsku.
strzyga   
2 Dec 2011
Language / Is this proper Polish grammar? If it is, can you explain how it is? [32]

the double L at the start is pronounced CHL, as in how polatsy pronounce CH

on ivona.com it sounds more like the polish SZ and the CH at the end almost the same as the polish CH. anyway they have some sounds similar to our consonant clusters. the intonation is different though.

Nice sounding language, I like it.
strzyga   
2 Dec 2011
Food / What kind of flour is wiejska and what is the name for rye flour [4]

rye flour

mąka żytnia

Maka z kloskiem and at the bottom of the bag is says wiejska.

It's brand name and wiejska means countryside.
Most probably it's regular wheat flour. Look for numbers signifying the type. 450, 500 and 550 are the most common, all-purpose types, the lower the number the more purified the flour. 650-750 is bread flour and 900-2000 whole grain.

oh, and for the starter, look for mąka żytnia chlebowa (type 750 - the same numbers apply). If you find mąka żytnia 1800 or 2000, it's whole grain and it will not start easily, it takes a lot more time.

You can also make a wheat flour starter and use it for rye and mixed breads.
strzyga   
2 Dec 2011
Language / Is this proper Polish grammar? If it is, can you explain how it is? [32]

LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH.

oh yes, thanks Pam, I knew there was such a name but was too lazy to google search it, and now I can listen to the pronunciation :) quite easy I guess, just a bit longish ;P

seriously, can you remember all the letters in this name? I guess it's possible when you are able to single out the individual words making up the whole, so can you understand Welsh?

I was trying out simpler ones like Llewellyn and even this I can't repeat, there's some strange sound at the beginning, the ll is not l at all. Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz is much simpler than that.
strzyga   
2 Dec 2011
Language / Is this proper Polish grammar? If it is, can you explain how it is? [32]

it just has virtually impossible pronunciation because of all the consonants....lol

I've just run "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz, Chrząszczyżewoszyce, powiat £ękołody" and a few suchlikes (Poczmistrz z Tczewa, rotmistrz z Czchowa") through a couple of languages on ivona.com and surprisingly, the Welsh renderings were closest to the Polish pronunciation, followed by Romanian and American Spanish. Shame there's no Gaelic yet, I'd like to check that.

Yet, the other way round doesn't seem to work - Welsh names are pronounced nothing like a Pole would try to pronounce them.
strzyga   
1 Dec 2011
Life / Are Poles winter lovers? [63]

I guess it is also an effect of the whole combination but has to do with gravity as well)

so what's the crucial factor, latitude or weight?
strzyga   
1 Dec 2011
Life / Are Poles winter lovers? [63]

The classic heels sound on the pavement reminds you that this is not Greece in winter

Don't Greek women wear high heels then?
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Life / Can many young Poles speak German? [72]

Russian became known as the language in which one spoke to one's farm animalsLOL

A certain Mr. Tolstoy must have had a lot of animals on his farm. Wonder where Dostoyevsky kept his cows though.
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Language / Personal Pronouns - Zaimki Osobowe [14]

Both 6 and 7 should be in the infinitive:

6. lubię spotykać się z wami (or: lubię się z wami spotykać, sounds better)
7. lubię spotykać się z tobą (lubię się z tobą spotykać)

You made a mistake (spotykam instead of spotykać) and nobody has spotted it, simply.

You've been through this already - time for a review ;)
Infinitive
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Language / Negation in Polish sentences [12]

However, yes, you can make the same expression in English, well a version of it, ebonics or redneck, pick yo' flavr

I know, I just don't feel I'm fluent enough in ebonics to give examples on my own. But your translation looks about perfect :)

Ebonics lesson just for you.. :-)

charming :) thanks again
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Language / Negation in Polish sentences [12]

I just could not stop myself from quoting this fine piece about double negation from Stanisław Lem, Cyberiada

yeah, that's a great story, the whole Klapaucjusz and Trurl series is so much fun and fantastic creative language.
Is the first part of it your translation?
Lem is tricky to translate. There are good translations of his books into German though, there was an Austrian translator who did most of his books and he loved her work. He had no such luck with English, though I quite like the fragment you quoted.
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Po polsku / Co powiedział o 4:38? [10]

Nie potrafię wszakże znaleźć bezokolicznika do "powinnam", zatem nie jest to chyba czasownik, tylko jakieś wyrażenie czasownikowe.

Racja. Mój słownik (Praktyczny sł. współczesnej polszczyzny) podaje, że to przymiotnik, który się nie stopniuje, za to w konstrukcjach składniowych bywa łączony z koćcówkami fleksyjnymi czasownika.

Znalazłam jeszcze coś takiego:
Istnieją w języku polskim orzeczenia, które zawierają nietypowe zwroty pełniące rolę form osobowych czasowników. Należą tu zwroty z powinien (plus bezokolicznik). Ich forma osobowa w czasie teraźniejszym ma odmianę jak czas przeszły (powinienem, powinnam, powinieneś, powinnaś, powinien, powinno, powinna; powinniśmy, powinnyśmy, powinniście, powinnyście, powinni, powinny), istnieje także inna forma, mająca odmianę jak dawny czas zaprzeszły (powinienem był, powinnam była, powinieneś był, powinnaś była, powinien był, powinno było, powinna była; powinniśmy byli, powinnyśmy były, powinniście byli, powinnyście były, powinni byli, powinny były).

free.of.pl/g/grzegorj/gram/pl/skladnia05.html
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Po polsku / Co powiedział o 4:38? [10]

Co powiedziała o 4:38?

rather: na 4:38.
O 4:38 sounds as if it was the time of the day (4.38 a.m. or p.m.).
strzyga   
30 Nov 2011
Language / Negation in Polish sentences [12]

Welcome to the double/triple/quadriple negation.
In Polish it's possible to negate a few elements of a sentence and it's still negation, just as Catsoldier says.
Just treat any number of negations as if it were a single one.
It's not maths and two minuses don't change into a plus (in English they do).

1. Nic nie wiem, on o tym nigdy nic nie mowi. (this sentence is very confusing to me!)

I know nothing, he never says anything about it.

See, in English it's possible to say:
I know nothing
or I don't know anything.
It's either-or.
In Polish it's both:
I don't know nothing.

The same with the second part of this sentence:
He never says anything about it, or: He doesn't ever say anything about it, or: He says nothing about it.
If you combine the three, you'll get: He never doesn't say nothing about it. That's exactly the Polish sentence (three negative elements).

2. On nigdy na nic nie ma czasu. (He never has time for anything. Is this correct?)3. Komu Staszek o tym mówił? (Who did Staszek speak to about it. correct?)4. Temu dziecku nikt nigdy niczym nie pomoga. (No one ever helps that child with anything. Correct?)

all correct

5. O czym dziadek dzieciom opowiadał? (Did the grandfather tell the child something? Is this correct?)

What did the grandfather tell the kids about?

6. Ta nauczycielka nie uczy żadnego z naszych dzieci.

This teacher doesn't teach any of our children.

7. Ktoś mi coś mówił o tych dzieciach. (Someone told me something about those kids. correct?)

yes

8. Może one wiedzą o kimś, kto wraca do Krakowa.

Maybe they know something about somebody who's coming/going back to Kraków (the meaning is more like: Maybe they heard of somebody who's coming/going back to Kraków).