Classifieds / I look for a Polish girl, I am Arab [10]

Trolling and probably doesn't even speak German:-)

Yet Chancellor Merkel has the gall (or better still, the sheer naivete) to wonder why O' why are many of her fellow countrymen opting for AfD.

Perhaps the alternative looks better than the reality!

Language / How long to to learn Polish? In hours? [64]

In the end, most likely my Polish alternates easily between grammatically impaired, though understandable, and grammatically faultless.
Probably, as with you in English, it depends on the time of day.

Appreciate the feedback:-) "Ćwiczenie czyni mistrza", as I never tire of saying.

Language / How long to to learn Polish? In hours? [64]

Cuts both ways there, Atch!

How about my example in reverse, whereby all too many Poles are "satisfied" with their level of English, operating though under the mistaken belief that good enough in English is good enough in general, sometimes deriding foreigners for trying to learn Polish as a language they could never possible know on an educated aka "intelligible" plane. Outsiders' mistakes in Polish are [un-]forgivably amusing, whereas Poles' errors in English don't really count because English is the (international) language meant to be mangled etc..-))

Rather like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? Guess I'm simply sick and tired of the double standard mentality.

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

Daj ać ja pobruszę, a ty poczywaj = You rest, and I'll grind.

The oldest known phrase in Polish. Curiously, apropos of absolutely nothing, the oldest extant excerpt from Hungarian, is "Hallodi beszel" or "A Funeral Sermon" (probably meaning "eulogy")!

:-)

Language / How long to to learn Polish? In hours? [64]

Ah, and there's the rub! To communicate on a BASIC level need not necessarily equate to communicating on a culturally, idiomatically NATURAL or fluent level:-)

For the latter, more hours would well be needed than there are in a day (..perhaps, an average lifetime)LOL

Realistically, your estimate might work at a tourist or visitor level, but not too much more. Depends on your expectations! Getting a room at a hotel, maybe even engaging in "light" conversation over a beer, going sightseeing etc. is a far different kettle of fish from being able to attend one of the better Polish universities, hear a target-language lecture on Mickiewicz, enjoy a Polish classic film without subtitles etc.. and be able to discuss it cogently IN POLISH among educated native speakers at a high class cocktail party!

Far too often, we all tend to confuse ease in communication with natural fluency, pleasing to a native speaker of the language we're studying. Many Poles have to be sure studied English at university many years, have gone on study trips to the States or the UK and believe themselves to be totally aka far exceeding merely "adequate" in English.

Except for only one person I've known for years, the others failed, many miserably, arrogantly insisting that "minor mistakes" are unimportant.....

If a Pole were to ask me for an honest assessment of my Polish skills, I'd respond that I'm an advanced "beginner" in the language, yet am always open to learn more, and I'd be right.

Language / How long to to learn Polish? In hours? [64]

I'd even go further by saying that at least as many, if not much, much more:-) While everybody learns differently, there's usually no substitute for being in the native environment where the target language is spoken aka the country itself!

Tough putting arbitrary time limits on language learning, as this type of learning differs sharply from, say, accounting, AC-repair and the like, the latter being primarily mechanical skills which can, indeed often must, be learned by rote memorization of certain fixed formulae.

Language doesn't function the same, one of the reasons why the yardstick remains different for Poles (or other Europeans) being forced to learn years of English in state-sponsored schools where the instructor typically is a Polish-native speaker, as opposed to Anglophones who VOLUNTARILY are learning Polish, for example, and insist on a target-language native speaker, NOT a Brit or an American, except for an honest to gosh bilingual speaker.

Language / How long to to learn Polish? In hours? [64]

If one doesn't really want to learn, noone can help them. If someone really WANTS to learn, noone can stop them:-) Simple as that.

News / Poland, still corrupt, but not as bad as Czech/Hungary & Italy [36]

The Black Market is alive and well and what worked in former Communist times, works just as well today right here in the States:-)

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

'Morning, Koora!

Figure you've given some casual thought to what we were talking about last evening:-)
Often, Polish "arrogance" is merely a mask to hide feelings of deep-seated insecurity from centuries of being deemed "dumb", weak or inadequate by their stronger and more powerful neighbors aka Germany and Russia.

Being constantly looked down upon leaves its mark on a person/nation.

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

Most likely the same thing that brought you, Koora; the desire to exchange information about the Polish culture, history, and language:-)

G'night!

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

There's plenty more where that came from, Koora, don't you worry a might:-))

Apropos humor, Poles have a quick sense of humor, only it's more jagged, political, satirical, and more than a wee bit on the mordant side, contrasted with the more American-style Australian varietyLOL

The Pole's wit shines through his cabaret, a sure source of self defense during the Nazi era as well as much later on in Gomułka's reign!

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

....although slightly less than entirely accurate regarding the French at any rate:-) There was the little period from 1942-1944, Vichy, stuff like that)))))

No seriously, laughter is to be sure often the best medicine (and far less costly than yoga, I'd wager).
LOL

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

I can only share with others that which I've experienced! Knowledge acquired through reading alone in the end is desecated and useless:-)

The Poles can be a tough bunch, both the men as well as the women. Centuries of living under the gun barrel as it were of the Czars, later the jack boot of the Nazis, later still, the deprivation under the Communists, has left its mark on Poland, much as the lack thereof has certainly brought itself to bear on the French and the English.

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

And to you:-)

Don't be disheartened though, Koora! Learning to know the other is a shared process througout a span of time, sometimes years.
As I presume that your beau speaks English some, the main "barriers" will continue to be cultural rather than purely linguistic. Give him time to adjust to your more laid back lifestyle as he must give you space in order to adjust to his more judgemental manner.

Love / Australian woman connecting with a Polish man - a bit overwhelmed! [14]

Well Koora,

My experience with Polish people in general is that, yes, compared with most Anglos (among which I include folks from "Down Under", along with the States and the UK), they can indeed be "intense", almost keyed up, often opinionated to the extent I sometimes wonder whether or not they're simply doing it all for effect:-)

Being male, my encounters with Poles will have been chiefly with the opposite sex, but I have found on many separate occasions that a majority will seem to be making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill, where in the mainstream US culture, usually a simple yes or no would suffice beautifullyLOL

Then again, I've lived in many different European countries and find the Poles to be among the more passionate and forthright, similar to a lot of Germans, but less didactic and far less gesticulative than, say, the Italians or Spaniards whom I met when visiting those countries. A bulk of Swedes and especially Danes by comparison would appear positively lethargic.

Trying not to stereotype too much mere, but after all, most stereotypes ARE based on truth to some degree anyway!

Just puttin' in my two cents.

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

Guess I once again translated both too "literally" and above all, too hastilyLOL
Thanks.

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!

A curious parallel here with German, but no matter, you confirmed what I already hoped I knew:-)

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

Paweł obchodził Święto Wielkanocy w kościele. = Paul celebrated Easter in church.

Paweł obchodził pole. = Paul crossed [walked over or across] the field.

Both of the above substantially correct? Somehow can't imagine someone walking "around" a field, it wouldn't make either grammatical or even logical sense to me.

:-)

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

:-) I see now where "od" was incorrect and I also finally understand the structure itself! Many thanks, gang.
"Przez" because the action was performed "through" aka "by means of Jan", and not really "from" him.

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

A helpful explanation, thank you:-)

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

Brief comment here in the form of a question. Isn't it true that standard contemporary Polish tends to use the passive far less frequently than the active? Example: "Jan zgubił portefel." rather than "Portefel był zgubiony od Jana."

Secondly, the verb "obejść" vs. "obchodzić" continues to confuse me, both in usage as well as in translation. Does it mean "to go across" or "to go around"? Or does it also depend on the context?

A fascinating thread this!

Language / feminine/masculine/neuter - Polish Grammar Question [4]

...although there's always MASCULINE "gość" just to throw things even further out of kilter, not contradicting what I posted before, because " -ość" as a purely FEMININE suffix, e.g. "miłOŚĆ", "godnÓŚĆ", "wolnOŚĆ" etc. are nouns representing an abstract state, therefore, are ALWAYS going to be feminine:-) But then, what about feminine "kość".....

Motto of the saga: Just learn 'em individually by heart and don't necessarily ask "why"!

Language / feminine/masculine/neuter - Polish Grammar Question [4]

Not always so transparent to determine gender in Polish, as it has no articles like in French or German etc., and so the "sex" so to speak of a noun must always be determined by their endings, e.g. "-o" nouns such as "oko", "okno", "dziecko" etc. will ALWAYS be neuter, while some nouns ending in "-iedź" for instance, must be feminine (odpowiedź = answer) or masculine (niedźwiedź =bear), although I've yet to encounter such an ending in the neuter:-) "ość" nouns will always be feminine and, again, masculine nouns show more variety.

More or less, gender must be learned by example, each noun at a time!

Po polsku / Polskie filmy, seriale z polskimi napisami to learn Polish? [14]

Tak! Z polskimi napisami wreszcze WIDZĘ, nie tylko słucham, co aktorze mówią:-)

News / Should Poland's taxpayer money be used to finance illegal theatre productions? [53]

Doubtless those same little people who pay taxes, right? Sure your name ain't Leona Helmsley?
:-)

Po polsku / Polskie filmy, seriale z polskimi napisami to learn Polish? [14]

Metod jest dla mnie najlepszy! Czytajcie, co ludzie mówią:-)

Language / Polish pronounciation of: cz vs ć/ci, sz vs ś/si, ź vs ż and dż vs dź/dzi - how to make these sound diff [79]

As the question arose in a prior post, I was merely responding to said query.

Language / Polish pronounciation of: cz vs ć/ci, sz vs ś/si, ź vs ż and dż vs dź/dzi - how to make these sound diff [79]

Similarly, "gorzy" and "górze" sound like "gawzhuh", resp. "guuhzheh", both without audible "r-" sound whatsoever:-)

Language / I'm a Romanian trying to learn Polish [8]

Gumishu's a native Polish speaker, therefore, you can rely on her advice! The sounds in any Slavic language are essential at the very beginning.

Language / I'm a Romanian trying to learn Polish [8]

I would try watching Polish news with Polish subtitles! While you'd have to learn the basics well before, looking and watching can help in oral comprehension:-)