Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really hates this. I hear it all the time, e.g. On TV shows, films, the radio and in general conversation.

I moved to Poland from the UK a few months ago. One of the main reasons I did this was to experience a new culture and also to learn the language. I think it annoys me because

a) When I try to speak Polish, people (especially the younger ones) simply reply to me in English. If I'm making the effort to learn and speak your language, at least have the decency to talk back to me in Polish. This is also very hypocritical because I often hear people complaining that foreigners (especially English) come to Poland and don't bother learning even basic Polish. You should be proud of your language, not butchering it with English words, which quite frankly sound so wrong when used in a Polish sentence.

b) I came here to experience a different culture. It saddens me when I see everything becoming Americanised. People say this is progress, I see it as the slow and gradual decline of a culture.


Maybe so, but when you already have a word in your own language for it, why replace it with an English word??

Law / Please help with applying for a Polish Social Security Number. [8]

I believe you mean the PESEL number. If you have registered your birth certificate then you should already have a PESEL number. You should contact the office where it was registered and ask them for it.

Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]


I do :-) , I often tell them, please speak Polish, I live here and must learn the language etc.. Sometimes it works, but more than often it works for a bit, and then the person simply wants to talk English again. Often we end up having a half/half conversation, with me speaking in Polish and them in English. It's fair game though, I understand people just want to practice their English as well.

The situation is quite different in Paris, I found French people there very proud and snobby about their language.

Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]


How about THEY learn English in their own time? I have no problem helping people learn English, my problem is "I ACTUALLY WANT TO SPEAK POLISH HERE, NOT ENGLISH". This is Poland after all, you know, the country that speaks Polish. How am I expected to learn Polish in my own time, when I have nobody to practice with? Oh yeah, forget it, I'll just expect everyone to speak English and then get called an ignorant c**t for not learning the language. In case you hadn't noticed, I need to speak Polish to live here comfortably. I don't see English used in government offices as you would for example in England. If the above mentioned people where in England and spoke to me in English with a strong Polish accent, the last thing I would do is reply in Polish, it's rude and doesn't help with your confidence in learning and speaking that language.


How about if I switched to Polish when you tried to talk to me? I know people can understand me, as I've already said, they answer my questions in English, i.e. They must of understood the question in the first-place. Polish (and English) people love complaining about foreigners in their country not using their language, and when I do use your language, you're not interested in helping me??

I could be an evil bastard and pretend the person talking to me in English is making absolutely no sense.

Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]


You know, the sad part about this statement is that it's true. In England, I lived with 3 Polish people, and everything had to be Polish. They had Polish satelite TV, they only shopped in the Polish shops, and would only speak in Polish. Funny thing is, when I went to Poland with them for a holiday, the second we got into Poland, they magically started speaking English (Why is that???)