Off-Topic / Europe according to Poles and other European nations [44]


Ruscy - the New Russians favourite holiday places (that's where they spend their hard earned billions of petrorubles)


The prototype is a character in a soap opera Klan. I loved that one too :)

Life / You are Polish if... [433]

and you're probably Polish if you agree to do it :)

News / Poland: In Top First 15 Countries in the WORLD by the number of CRIMES [286]

This one is an interesting case:
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdzisław_Marchwicki
It's still not certain if the right person was sentenced. Subject to many discussions and speculations for home-grown detectives.

mod edit :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdzis%C5%82aw_Marchwicki

Language / Declension of młody and stary [9]

I'd say, trust your instincts :)

Language / Declension of młody and stary [9]

młodzi, starzy
it's mixed, but personal

USA, Canada / What do the Poles hate and love about the U.S.? [170]


I've read that four times and still don't get it, what is the country that the Polish citizens don't have but keep talking about? And what's wrong with talking about a country that people don't have? And what's wrong with having the one they have? I didn't sleep last night so I may be a little on the slow side at the moment, could you be more clear please?

Life / Electronics in Poland - what kinds are popular? [20]


see here
ceneo.pl/Podzespoly_komputerowe

It's in Polish, but you should manage the navigation. Type in the symbols of the part you're looking for or just go through all of it. If you find any item of interest, click the orange "Porównaj ceny" tab on the right and there you have a list of shops and the prices.

The next click is "Idź do sklepu".

Life / Horribly cold in Krakow at the moment , how do you cope with such temperatures ? [124]

What happens around the world at wintertime

+ 20°C Greeks put on jumpers (provided that they can find them)
+ 15°C Jamaicans turn on the heating (provided that they have it)
+ 10°C Americans are shivering with cold. Russians are planting cucumbers at their dachas.
+ 5°C Your breath becomes visible. Italian cars don't start. Norwegians go for a swim in the lake.
0°C In America, water freezes. In Russia, water becomes denser.
- 5°C French cars won't start.
- 15°C Your cat is determined to sleep in your bed. Norwegians put on jumpers.
- 17.9°C House owners in Oslo turn on the heating. Russians make the last trip of the season to their dachas.
- 20°C American cars won't start.
- 25°C German cars won't start. All Jamaicans have died out.
- 30°C The authorities address the problem of the homeless. Your cat is sleeping in your pajamas.
- 35°C Too cold to think. Japanese cars won't start.
- 40°C You're planning to spend two weeks in a hot tub. Swedish cars won't start.
- 42°C All transport in Europe stops. Russians are eating icecream in the streets.
- 45°C All Greeks have died out. The authorities actually start doing something for the homeless.
- 50°C Your eyelids freeze when you try to wink. Alascans close the windows when having a bath.
- 60°C Polar bears go south.
- 70°C The hell freezes over.
- 73°C Finnish special services evacuate Santa Claus from Lapland. Russians put on ushankas.
- 80°C Russians don't take their gloves off even when pouring out vodka.
- 114°C Ethyl alcohol freezes down. Russians are pissed off.

Work / Polish translation Masters in Europe [27]

Oh, but I thought we were discussing the Polish education system here. Sorry, that was clearly my mistake. Another one was to expect a to-the-point answer to my arguments. Sorry for that too.

Work / Polish translation Masters in Europe [27]


Read my first post again and count the hours. Without the required minimum of hours these students would not be able to get their credentials, so they are certainly doing that.


The British infant school, age 4-6, is just mandatory kindergarten. Polish kids in kindergartens do the same stuff. OK, it's not mandatory, still most children attend it.

And the last year, for 6-year-olds, is compulsory - the so-called zerówka. So here's one year for you.


I don't know if they're more intelligent, but I suppose they do work more for one simple reason - they get homework assignments, which adds up to more hours of work a day than in the British system.


Please stop patronizing and putting words in my mouth. Where have I said anything about magister vs. Master's? But, FYI, you can't do a magister in four years unless you are doing an individualised study programme. Normally, it takes five years. And yes, I believe that what can be done in six years can be also done in five.

Work / Polish translation Masters in Europe [27]


In any case, they need to do the required number of hours in order to get the credentials, so it's just a matter of organisation. Of course if you study avg 10 hrs/week it's going to take more time than with 20 hrs/week.


Which is roughly an equivalent of our liceum, age 16-18. The only difference is that we don't name it upper education, i's still considered as secondary. So I don't see your point here.

News / Poland - Third World Country?? [300]


I believe the second world used to be the Communist block. So it looks like the Third World has moved to the second position now, unless you take into consideration Cuba and North Korea.

Work / Polish translation Masters in Europe [27]


Go to proz.com and search the forums, you'll find lots of useful information there.


I don't know how familiar you are with the organisation of extramural studies in Poland, but what you write here is not compatible with reality. I've had some classes with extramurals

so I know the schedule. Usually it was 3 pm - 9 pm on Friday, 8 am - 9 pm on Saturday and 8 am - 7 pm on Sunday. The academic year for extramurals started mid-September and ended on the first or second weekend of July, and sometimes they had classes two or three weeks in a row. Granted, the quality of education is still lower than with day studies, but it's not a joke either, unless the school itself is a joke, which happens. And it's not like there are no extramurals in the Western countries.

Life / Horribly cold in Krakow at the moment , how do you cope with such temperatures ? [124]

So how's your Internet connection within the snowhole? Will we be getting Survival 101 Part Two?

Love / Polish Girls vs Russian Girls [813]


It still happens but rather with older men and in the countryside rather than in cities. Younger men don't do it anymore.I don't know if it's sexist, but I don't like it.

Language / Usage rules of ł in the Polish language [30]


pronounced a bit like "ow" in "grown"


no, practically you don't hear it anymore

USA, Canada / What do the Poles hate and love about the U.S.? [170]


This was changed in the 90's; no longer true.


This is history as well. Not with the current dollar; it's much better to work legally in Europe.


Strange. When in NY, I was the only person to stop and wait for the lights to change. I was getting strange looks and it took my American friends a lot of time to convince me that it's OK to cross on red when nothing's coming. I've always thought this to be an American thing; in Poland people just cross the street when there's no zebra or lights nearby, but at the lights they just stand and wait.

Maybe it's different in other parts of the US.


So how do you do it? :)

Life / Polish stereotypes of other nationalities!? [472]


I don't think we need to be told bad things about Russia, least of all by the Americans.

Life / Horribly cold in Krakow at the moment , how do you cope with such temperatures ? [124]

Take care. I've just watched the news and last night three people died of cold in their own flats, 11 outside. This is no joke and next night is supposed to be as cold.

Life / Horribly cold in Krakow at the moment , how do you cope with such temperatures ? [124]

It was -22 in the morning. Now it's just -15. The inside of your nose freezes, but only a little. And that's in a city, not the countryside.

Anyway, Wildrover, it's good to hear from you. Glad you're still hanging on there.

Language / iec conjugation [47]


Everything is hard until it becomes easy :)


Szedłem drogą i wpadłem w dziurę. Wołałem o pomoc, ale nikt mnie nie słyszał.

Some hints:
English "up/down the road/street" translates just as "drogą/ulicą". We don't do the up/down stuff.

English "can hear, can see" etc. translates just as "widzieć, słyszeć" - we don't do the "can" stuff.


Dzień był pogodny, słońce gorące (or: grzało mocno), leżałem/położyłem się na plaży i spaliłem się.

One more thing that we don't do in Polish is the "get xxxed" stuff. The process of getting xxxed is usually included in the verb itself, here - spalić się.

What is "naz"?

You obviously still make mistakes, but the sentences are understandable.

Work / Polish qualifications, what are they worth ? [137]


I don't know about engineers, but doctors don't need to re-sit any exams, they just need to pass an appropriate English test. A dentist friend of mine is moving to the UK next month, she has a contract signed already. The only exam she had to pass was medical English test organized by some university. Her Polish qualifications were absolutely sufficient to register her with the NHS. Her general English is at decent communicative level. Still, it's a lot of paperwork.

Life / Horribly cold in Krakow at the moment , how do you cope with such temperatures ? [124]


Simple. We grow fur.

Zima, to zimno.

Language / Usage: Freedom in Polish and in English [30]


inteligentny inaczej

Language / iec conjugation [47]


I'm not sure about the present/past part.
Anyway, there are two verbs:
ubierać (imperfective) and ubrać (perfective)

and the participles:
ubierać - ubierający (active adj.) - ubierając (active adv,) - ubierany (passive)
ubrać - no active participle - ubrany (passive)

so yes, you've got the forms right, except for ubierany, which is spelled with one "n".

Language / Usage: Freedom in Polish and in English [30]


I'm from Poland, born, brought up and living here. Why do you think I'm not? :)


Or wolny/wolna again...


You're not mistaken.
I'm still puzzled by the relation between freedom and speed, or lack of it.

Language / iec conjugation [47]


yes


it would be perfective ubrać, as opposed to imperfective ubierać:

ubierz się
ubierzcie się
ubierzmy się...

With "się" it means: let's dress ourselves, let him dress himself etc.
Without się it's about dressing something/somebody else:
Dress the child - Ubierz dziecko
Put ornaments on the Christmas tree - Ubierz choinkę

Language / Usage: Freedom in Polish and in English [30]



Excuse me, is this seat free from marriage? :)


Then shouldn't the (in)famous Arbeit macht frei be rather Arbeit macht ungebunden?

Lots of fascinating stuff here.
If you add to this that "powolny" may also mean "obedient..." hmm.


Then I like it even more. I started to like it when I came across the word "armbandklokka" (spelling?) and I could immediately understand it. Though I suppose it's not all wine and roses.

Language / Usage: Freedom in Polish and in English [30]


Yes, I do. Not quite seriously though...


oh, right, that is "wolny" too.
Looks like Swedish is a very precise language.


Yes, it's the same stem "wol", related also to "wola" - will.
Wolny is an adjective and powoli is an adverb.
Wolny=powolny.
Wolno=powoli.