Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

It's not a case of usurping, DE. Some use lunch and some use dinner. For me as a Scot, I can say that we'd use lunch for a pub lunch (sth you tend to go out for) and dinner for sth prepared at home but, then again, that's not black and white either. Dinner has replaced supper? I don't buy that at all. Supper and tea have been mainstream for a long time.

Language / Which language is easier for Poles? [43]

So much depends on factors such as resistance, exposure and desire. A lot of Silesian words are completely different asides from the vowel changes I outlined above. Many times I've stumped my wife by using Gwara but I'm sure she'd understand some Ukrainian verbs which can be similar. Trust me, some Silesian is very different from standard Polish.

UK, Ireland / Do Poles and EU Citizens exploit the British welfare state [129]

You can still be a man and talk about things too, delph. Or am I wrong? ;)

Love / Affairs don't pay - Poles say [11]

Absolutely right, Wrocław. As I always say, balance is key. Longevity does tend to be valued here but we have to remember which groups polls focus in on. I've never been a fan of polls for many reasons. First and foremost, they are misleading (just think Mori and Gallup around the time when Thatcher got her landslide). It's peoples' attempt to simplify things but painting some degree of inaccuracy and falsehood in so doing.

I wonder how many of the 72% that said complications arise have actually been unfaithful.

Travel / Watch out for airport personnel stealing stuff on regional Polish airports. [64]

But the proximate cause might be easy to find ;)

UK, Ireland / Do Poles and EU Citizens exploit the British welfare state [129]

WB, let the man speak. Everyone has their story to tell and the Mods can step in at any time. I know what he is talking about with regards to skimping on payments. Also with shampoos and other stuff (I know this well). Don't knock the man for speaking some truth. Just let it stay that way without him overgeneralising. Poles exploit the welfare state to some extent but, then again, so do many others.

Love / Affairs don't pay - Poles say [11]

Where is the effort to change things? Marriage is a contract entered into for better or for worse. It's not like trying out a new car by taking it for a test drive/spin. You build up to that position. Yes, there are troughs as well as peaks in life but communication helps marriages through that process. Yes, the temptation may exist to try sth new but consider carefully what you are doing. Marriage is a sacrifice and you are no longer in the position where you can play around on nights out. 44% pointed to boredom? That doesn't surprise me. Some Poles could really do with spicing up their lives and that comes from changing their outlook first and foremost. While it's by no means for me how to tell people how they should and shouldn't be, they might have more fulfilling relationships if they found hobbies which maintained their interest. Cheating is really shallow and invariably leads to complications. IMHO, the cons of doing so tend to vastly outweight the pros.

UK, Ireland / Do Poles and EU Citizens exploit the British welfare state [129]

Closed communist government? That's absolute garbage, wolf! PO have increased the gap between the rich and the poor, they are no communists.

Quite a few did extort money right enough and I've heard Poles admit it firsthand. Why? Because they told me that they felt Britain owed them for the betrayal from WW2.

I also take your point about the Polish government needing to hike up salaries. Yes, they are incrementally rising as GUS stats show but nowhere near in line with inflation. Poland is a credit culture to an extent. Yes, like many others but debt levels may be high if people don't have the means to pay off various things.

Travel / Watch out for airport personnel stealing stuff on regional Polish airports. [64]

Fair point! However, wouldn't there be a declaration or is that me being naive again? ;)

Language / Which language is easier for Poles? [43]

So is Russian. I did some online tutorials and the similarity was remarkable. However, the question for me is, does Ukrainian have many false friends? I know Russian has a fair few.

Travel / Watch out for airport personnel stealing stuff on regional Polish airports. [64]

You'd have to see who came into the shop more, Brits or Poles.

Language / Which language is easier for Poles? [43]

Why is Russian that much more difficult than Ukrainian? They both use Cyrillic and are sufficiently different.

Kashubian is very different. My friend's GF is from there and he asked me to guess what they were saying. I tried but, predictably enough, gave the answer he expected through thinking in Polish. The Kashubs meant sth entirely different.

Travel / Watch out for airport personnel stealing stuff on regional Polish airports. [64]

Some feel they have to steal and some feel they can get away with it. The justification likely lies in the perception that the government steals from them through high taxes and other unnecessary fees. Though I can't condone stealing, I understand why they do it. There is definitely a hard-done-by attitude amongst them.

Wolf, that's an observant comment. Now, I get on with many people here but the level of suspicion and pointing the finger at others is highly visible. Any honest Pole will tell you the same and it has nothing to do with being against anyone. It exists in high doses and they always want to catch you out in some way. It stems from dissatisfaction and is endemic.

I always put valuables in my backpack anyway. A Polish advice book recommended that I do the same. I wonder why? ;)

Language / Which language is easier for Poles? [43]

Silesian is not that hard as Greg has already said. It varies from Polish in the same way as my dialect does from English. The vowel sounds are simply different. Head becomes heid, masz becomes mosz etc etc. There are many more examples of this pattern.

Life / Reasons for moving to Poland [291]

Free astroturf pitches for those that like football :) It costs an arm and a leg in Scotland to play for just one hour at places like Goals or Barracudas. Sport on the mind, sport on the body :)

Genealogy / Ksenofont Malewana [10]

Ksenofont? Wow, in all my years of teaching here, I've never come across that name. I wish I could help but it is a highly obscure name. I'm sure Wrocław, a Moderator here, will offer you some pointers. He's quite resourceful.

Genealogy / Ksenofont Malewana [10]

Are you sure it isn't Ksenofobe? ;)

USA, Canada / Why are Polish restaurants not successful in the USA? [698]

Let's not forget that bigos is German-Lithuanian ;)

Travel / Whats your favourite Polish city and why? [132]

I need to see more of Poland before I can say but Wrocław is top of the pile so far. It has plenty stunning architecture and a nice rynek :)

News / Germany provoke Poland using Silesian question. Poland's attitude ? [124]

I don't think anything will change in the near future. Silesians can practise their various traditions and there is no need to make any changes.

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]

Like many politicians, he was an opportunist ;)

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]

Female employees? I don't know as I never saw him with them.

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]

He recognised that poorer people always played a role in Polish society and he never sought to marginalise like other politicians do. He probably also knew that entrepreneurs could take care of themselves so didn't really make provisions for them specifically. RIP

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]

They don't mind those countries, delph. They dislike Serbia. They can travel freely, ok, but I don't think they are too put out by not having that. They'd rather be true to themselves and not take from hands that have bitten them so nastily in the past. Now, I know that people should move on but Balkans folk tend not to be able to bury hatchets so well, esp given what happened there.

Life / Cost of raising a child in Poland [21]

Rising a child? Just lift them up from a chair, it's free ;)

Raising a child can be more expensive if you want the child to grow up to have the best chances in life.

Life / Struggling young Polish couple - try to solve their problem [176]

Tusk seems to be stripping away help for young couples. If he gets rid of Rodzina na Swoim without replacing it, he will show his true colours. The system of relief in Poland is awful.

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]

The Euro currency will get weaker rather than stronger. Serbia doesn't stand to gain that much by joining the EU. People like Madelaine Albright and George Soros would try and cripple Serbia if they joined the Euro club.

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]

No uglier than they already are.

Tadić is quite weak too, right? Both Europhobes in their own way.

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]

But without Tusk at the helm, yes?

Throwing acid in their eyes would be a cheap method for that, Crow :)

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]

A bit of Euroscepticism certainly helps. I mean, who wants to be blind?