Real Estate / Demand for apartments low in Poland's main cities [89]

Talk to me about Gdansk. Newly built blocks of flats have have down a little, but not in the Old Town. Care to talk about that?

Language / Help me figure out the spelling of these Polish names? [17]


maybe Boze moj? my God?

Travel / Tips/suggestions/do's and don't of going to Poland....? [55]



You do realize that you just contradicted yourself, don't you?

UK, Ireland / UK citizen visiting Poland - any restrictions on entering the country? [22]


That's what I meant.

pawian

Yes.

Language / A list of steps/rules on how to translate English into Polish? [22]


I know what you mean. Sometimes I'll get an sms in Polish from my teacher, and when I ask her why she wrote it it that way, she says it sounded good. Another friend who reads her text would say it in a different order. It can make me crazy, but that's Polish for you! :) Keep trying.

UK, Ireland / UK citizen visiting Poland - any restrictions on entering the country? [22]


Off topic I know, but we can use present continuous to talk about the future, either in the immediate or distant future. I'm meeting my friends in a cafe tomorrow. I'm going to France next summer.

Yes I'm a native speaker-American-and I teach English here. I know grammar.


True.

Travel / Tips/suggestions/do's and don't of going to Poland....? [55]


Go to a bookstore and buy Polish in 4 Weeks. Don't be intimidated by the amount of vocabulary in each lesson. Just take it at your own pace. The CD that comes with the book will help you with pronunciation.

Travel / Tips/suggestions/do's and don't of going to Poland....? [55]


do kwad nye

Is there some reason why you can't learn a little Polish where you are now, either from a book or on the internet? There are lots of resources available these days.

Travel / Tips/suggestions/do's and don't of going to Poland....? [55]


Dok£adnie! :) OP. that means exactly.

Classifieds / Where do you guys meet in Gdynia or Sopot? [20]


It's been closed for a while. If you're ever in Gdansk, go to Absinthe, the best pub in the Old Town.

Travel / Tips/suggestions/do's and don't of going to Poland....? [55]


This made me laugh. Did you mean chivalry? Good luck learning Polish. Why don't you just catch a cheap flight to Poland and spend a weekend here before you exhaust all your energy asking questions for the next two years?

Travel / Tips/suggestions/do's and don't of going to Poland....? [55]

OK. kurwa. it's pronounced as it looks, except the w is a v. Actually it's more like koor-va. it means hello. :). You'll hear it every day.

Travel / What are some of the "must do" activities when visiting Poland? [43]


Probably not more than -20C, maybe a balmy -10. You do the math.

Work / Native Speakers increasingly desperate? Polish and African teacher forcing down wages.. [27]

My grammer is dead. Sorry. Bad joke.


If you want a native speaker (American) who can explain grammar, sit in on my classes.


Mine too. I don't think anyone should be able to start a thread until they've registered, but admin doesn't agree with, so usually I ignore their threads, but I couldn't pass on this one.

Life / Polish general knowledge quiz.(for foreigners) [28]

18 out of 20 isn't bad. It would have been 19, but you say that for 8 the answer is the battle for Warsaw. My calendars always list it as the Assumption of Mary. I think I'm right on this one.

Language / How hard is it to learn Polish? [178]


I'm glad I studied Latin in high school. I understand declensions of nouns. Now the hard part is learning to use them in Polish. Google one beer, two beers, five beers. And which preposition takes which case. Keep trying. It'll be as clear as mud in, oh, maybe 20 years. :)

News / POLAND TO BECOME THE NEXT GREECE? [28]

Nor do I.

Language / Kurwa? at end of every sentence [51]


I think the nearest English equivalent is "f*!k you very much".

When I ask my students what the most important Polish word I should know is, they always mention the k word. It's not. Piwo is the most important word, but maybe with the k word after it? :)

Law / Staying in Schengen - are American exempt from the 90-days-in/90-days-out rule? [23]

That's my understanding of the rule as well. But since I've got my residency card and have only left Poland twice for brief visits to Germany in four years, I don't worry about it.

Polonia / What similarities would you say there are between Poles and Mexicans? [132]


What's to the east of Mexico besides an ocean?

Mexicans don't eat cabbage with their burritos.

Life / Vandalism on cars in Poland [64]

Poe. Did you contrast/compare him to Beaudelaire? They're of the same ilk.

Life / Vandalism on cars in Poland [64]


I have lived in Gdansk for four years, and I have seen it all too often. I love this city, but reality is what it is. Have you seen the grafitti here?

Life / Expats/Immigrants in Poland: Needy, Greedy or contributor. Which one are you? [118]


Students want to learn English in English. That's how I learned French. A good teacher knows how to explain it so students understand. You won't hear Polish in my classroom, except for an occasional word or two. Let's say we're talking about food. How would you describe cod? It's easier to have students look for it in a dictionary. Bingo. Instant understanding.

Life / Vandalism on cars in Poland [64]

Or in Gdansk.

Law / Staying in Schengen - are American exempt from the 90-days-in/90-days-out rule? [23]

Delph, it makes me laugh too, and I'm American. Idiots.

Life / How much money did you spend today in Poland and what did you spend it on? [33]


Are there no trams or buses near you, or did you just take a taxi for convenience?


I prefer beer, and I can't drink 50zl worth of beer in a pub. :)

I usually spend about 50zl a day, or less, although restaurants once or occasionally twice a week can bump that number up.


As an American, I always chuckle when I hear/read that. You know what I mean. A few years ago a British friend of mine asked me if he could pinch a fag. After a moment he smiled and said he guessed that was the wrong thing to say to a Yank. I just laughed and gave him a cigarette.

Law / Visa Stamp if you overstay (American with a Polish Wife) [29]


It's 45 days. I'm in the process of reapplying for my karta pobytu. After two visiits to the office they stamped my passport with a big red page saying I have permission to remain in Ploand until I receive my new card, and this was before a got the paper with their decision on it. In years past, it has taken up to four months before I got the actual card, so hang on to that decision paper.

Work / The demand for English language learning in Poland is at an all time low [41]


Which schools?

USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]


rybnik, I'm older than you and I also like to be prepared, but relax. You'll be fine. You don't have to worry about every small detail. One tip. Don't excange a lot of money at the airport because the rates are terrible. Go to a kntor once you're here, or bring a few zl with you. Is there a Cooks where you live?

Kantor*

Travel / The worst months for bike riding in Poland? [8]

I have a friend who rides 50 km a day to work, and then back home, every day of the year. I don't ride much in winter, which is pretty long in Poland. Why do you ask? Are you thinking about coming to Poland? Where are you from?