Language / The difference between lubić and podobać się in Polish? [4]

Could someone help me out with the difference between lubić and podobać się? (I hope I'm getting that right)

For example:

- Podobają mi się czarne buty.
- Mężczyzna lubi jabłka.

They seem kind of the same to me, not sure where the essential difference lies.

Thanks!

Life / cellphone: no data plan on Orange SIM card? [6]

We're looking at moving to Poland for a year and I want to get cellphones for us. It sounds like the best thing to do is buy the phones and the SIM cards in the U.S., but the Orange sim card doesn't have a data plan, nor does it work outside of Poland.

Anybody have any advice on a strategy? Can we buy them in the states and expect stuff to work, or should we try to buy them when we get to Poland? We'd like to be able to use them while travelling around the rest of Europe as well.

Language / Do I have these Polish word cases right? [16]

I hope this question isn't too basic for this forum, but Rosetta isn't much help with grammar so I'm trying to puzzle it out from a book. Could somebody just check that I've got the endings right on these? It's the feminine accusative case, singular and plural.

Duża piłka jest blisko domu.
Kobieta kupuje dużą piłkę.
Duży piłky są blisko domu.
Kobiety kupują duzy piłki.

Dobra czekolada jest czarna.
Kobieta ma czarną czekoladę.
Dobry czekolady są czarny.
Kobiety mają czarny czekolady.

A verification that I'm understanding the book right would be hugely helpful.

Language / Adjective endings and masculine-personal in the Polish language [22]

Trying to puzzle out adjective endings, I think I've got the rules figured out but I'm not finding enough examples to be sure. Could somebody tell me if I've got these right?

Inanimate:
1) Widzę czerwony dom.
2) Widzę czerwone domy.

Animate:
3) Widzę czerwonego kota.
4) Widzę czerwone koty.

Personal:
5) Widzę czerwonego ojca.
6) Widzę czerwonych ojca.

(Funny, I was unable to come up with an adjective that would apply well to all three classes of nouns, "czerwonego ojca" is kind of silly.)

Thanks!

Language / Polish past tense and masculine personal [4]

Can someone tell me if I've got this right? I'm learning this out of Swan's Grammar of Contemporary Polish. In the plural, everything gets the feminine ending unless it's specifically masculine personal, right?

Singular:
gender 'm':
gender 'm-animate':
gender 'm-personal':
Miałem kwiat. (Jestem mężczyzna)
Bob, miałeś kwiat.
Koń, miałeś kwiat.
Stoł miał kwiat.
Koń miał kwiat.
Bob miał kwiat.

gender 'f':
Miałam kwiat. (Jestem kobieta)
Alice, miałaś kwiat.
Ryba, miałaś kwiat.
Piłka miała kwiat.
Alice miała kwiat.

gender 'n':
Krzesło miało kwiat.

Plural:
gender 'm-personal':
Bob, mieliśmy kwiat. (Jestem mężczyzna czy kobieta)
Alice, mieliśmy kwiat. (Jestem mężczyzna)
Bob i Alice, mieliśmy kwiat.
Bob i Alice, mieliście kwiat.
Bob i Alice mieli kwiat.
Bob i Dave mieli kwiat.

gender 'm':
gender 'm-animate':
Stół i zegar miały kwiat.
Koń i kot miały kwiat.

gender 'f':
Alice, miałyśmy kwiat. (Jestem kobieta).
Alice i Eva, miałyście kwiat.
Alice i Eva miały kwiat.
Piłka i ryba miały kwiat.

gender 'n':
Krzesło i mydło miały kwiat.

(I used mieć as a generic example, but I don't think there's anything special about it here, right?)

Life / Where are the second-hand stores in Krakow? [14]

So where are the second-hand stores here (Krakow)? The Goodwills, the Salvation Armys? We just moved here, hoping to stay here for a year. We've got an apartment, but could use things like some furniture, blankets, cookware, maybe a used TV. In the states I could fit out our apartment in half an hour by walking down to the nearest Goodwil store, but I'm not seeing anything like that here, haven't seen any garage sales either. Where do the Poles get rid of their used stuff?

Language / zostać: to remain *and* to become? [3]

The fact that "zostawać/zostać" can mean both "to remain" and "to become" is giving me cognitive dissonance. Can anybody give some insight into the mental model Poles use when they use these words? And how they avoid ambiguity?

So if I say "Zostanę dobry w języku polskim" would that communicate that I am remaining good at Polish, or that I am becoming good at Polish?

Language / zraniłem się w + Polish accusative? [8]

Rosetta Stone is telling me to use "zraniłem się w" followed by a noun in the accusative/biernik. Is that right? Not the locative/miejscownik?

For instance, "Ona zraniła się w rękę." She hurt herself on the arm.

Wiktionary doesn't mention that:

w (with locative)
1. in
w (with accusative)
1, on (time/date)

That's correct? It's accusative and not "ręce"?