Life / Do expats living in Poland speak Polish? [233]

No, it is true - in Polish there are less words than in English (for example) - you only need to look at a Polish-English/English-Polish Dictionary to see that - the English-Polish section is much bigger! Looking at thing in a different way - Polish has many more forms/inflections/transformations/etc, in my opinion - ie. 17 different forms of the word for the number 2 (if i remember correctly!), whereas in English there are only 2 for 2 :P So, it all balances out... maybe, but English is well known for its wide range of, so called, synonyms!

I try my best to speak Polish - simply because I think it is rude to just 'expect' people to speak MY language in THEIR country. I think, even if you try and are not too successful, then its better than not trying at all...

Food / Can you do online food shopping in Poland? Supermarkets. [42]

I live in Poznan! Usually I get the bus, I have recently got a Maluch... which is the worst evil?? haha!!

UK, Ireland / Cheap calls to the UK from Poland [30]

Vonage - a company who you can use from your computer (but you plug in a proper handset) - they give you a UK phone number and you pay £6.99 a month for unlimited landline calls AND people can call you and pay the same as they would if they were calling a landline in the UK. It's great! I speak to my family back in the UK everyday.

If you haven't got a computer/internet at home you could also get a heyah simcard and sign up to the flat rate tariff (see heyah.pl/en) and it costs 44gr a minute to call the UK - landline or mobile.

Hope this info helps!

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Ok... now calm down everybody!!

Firstly, I would like to say, I am not saying in any way shape or form that driving an illegal car is ok, but I would like to make it very clear that Polish Police are well known for being corrupt and Poland would be a much better place without them... your tax money is going towards the wages for people that rather than uphold or reinforce the law are looking for anyway they can to put money into their own pockets and NOT to issue fines that ultimately would be put back into the Polish economy and work towards making the country a better place to live for not only Polish people but its foreign tax paying residents too.

Everybody knows that Poland is way behind in building up itself to european standards, which is one of the reasons that the Euro hasn't been intoduced yet and why it is lacking many things (such as translators - its a basic human right to be able to understand why their property is being taken away from them or why they are being arrested by Police - wouldn't you be scared if you were being arrested and they refused to get you a translator - Your GIRLFRIEND IS POLISH, MIKEY, WHICH IS WHY YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN ANY AKWARD OR UPSETTING SITUATIONS THAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!).

I have lived in Poland for 2.5 years and have had a few situations where:
a) The police have seen a british registered car and stopped me for no reason and wanted me to give them money (in Euros on one occasion - WTF??) when I was doing nothing wrong - and the car was legitimate, insured, tested with all its documents at the correct speed limit.

b) I was asked for ID while I was walking to a party with friends and they suspected we had open alcohol and as soon as they saw my British ID they wanted money

c) A Police guy wanted to ask me a questiona and as soon as he realised I didn't speak Polish a look of terror came accross his face and he more or less ran away

d) Police have stopped us and just acted like bastards to try to ruin our party, searching us one by one for narcotics and generally being a pain in the arse, when it was clear that we were just a group of young people chatting in the park.

I am happy to provide my ID to any police that ask for it, because I know I'm not a criminal - but I will not carry my passport because if someone pickpockets me or something then i am literally f**ked... I wouldnt be able to get back home to get a new one and its too much pi**ing around to go all the way to Warsaw. My driving license says EU on it, so why isn't it accepted.... ah.... I know, its a case of "We are in the EU" when grants are being offered and "This is not acceptable in Poland" when it suits them... now i see... the same thing about registering foreign cars - i guess its not profitable enough for corrupt Police.

Well, I would also like to say that its not often that I speak up against people on here, I would much rather do it in person... BUT jesus Mikey... you don't even have a driving license and you go outside to work 15 hours a week - all the rest of the time you hide behind your Polish girlfriend who helps you with everything! You have very little experience to speak of when it comes to being a foreigner alone in a country you don't know much about... it takes time to learn a language, even if you're trying. To be honest, I think some of the comments on here are right and others are wrong.

I live in Poland, I chose to live in Poland and I like living in Poland - BUT there are still things that need to be improved and all the educated Polish people that I have spoken to admit that too. It will take time, I know that - but it could be faster if some professions here weren't so corrupt - FACT!

I have experienced Police corruption, corruption in education, conductor corruption on trains and trams, local authority corruption - and I'm not Polish... but I've seen it! Money talks... so maybe if I gave everyone 100zl for agreeing with my point on this one then mine would be the most agreed with post on Polish forums??!

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


So you're comparing the polish police with people who work in the co-op?? You said it... not me...

AND by the way - who said that the UK was so wonderful? Not me! There are loads of problems there - do i live there? No, I don't - you know why? Well, that's a whole different topic now isn't it??

There are loads of stories in the news about corruption in Poland (this is called polishforums not englishforums!) and my point is - as Polish people you should understand that I am only speaking the truth and you shouldn't be so defensive. If the corruption stopped it would be a much beffer country for everyone - how is that offensive??

Also, I think that it is not really very constructive for you to start lashing out at other peoples countries when it is Poland which is in discussion here...

If you had some constructive criticism - fine... but you don't.

Oh and as for translators nd languages - I don't really care if people speak my language or not... but it is a fact that English is popular in Europe, as well as other countries in the world. If I was in trouble I would want a translator - as European citizens, at least, it is our right.

My Polish friends mother was really ill in England when she was visiting and the hospital provided her with a translator (which she didn't ask for, but got nevertheless) - I would hope that Poland would be as courteous... So far I did my best on my own... but actually it didn't do me much good as after a mis-translation by myself and my friend my chest infection turned into a bacterial infection and then to pneumonia.... oh well... I suppose it doesn't matter that I could have died.

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

I actually can't believe the height that this arguement has gone to - it should be a case of... "yeah, some Polish Police are bastards... but you were breaking the law" and end of story... jeeeeeeeeeessssssusssss!!

Actually "the boys in blue" now have community support officers which are of all nationalities - including Poland... so I guess they could easily find someone to speak one of the languages you mentioned...

I think you need to be open to new ideas. True the UK is perhaps too multicultural... so much so that we are losing our identity, but I'm open to new ideas. Maybe if Poland was more 'open' to new ideas then people wouldn't get so damn offended all the time.

P.S. Mikey, are you hiding now? Has Marta come to fight with you? :p hehe!

Just seen this:


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Harry... i kneel before you - what a cool Polish guy :)

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


I agree - i think we should have identity cards - its a really good idea. I have nothing to hide.

Anyway... I think this arguement is going a bit far - I have nothing against any nationality, only the idiots that treat other people unfairly. Its not about what country you're from.

About people not being able to communicate - remember, I lived in Gorzow Wlkp for 2 years and most of the people there could not speak English and I didn't expect them to - instead I did my best in Polish. BUT i would expect a translator if I was in a pickle and I don't think that that is so unreasonable.

Australia / I would love to meet Poles living in Sydney [56]

Any Polish meet ups in Sydney for late-2010?? I lived in Poland for 3 years with my other half and would be very interested in meeting POlish people (although I am British) :)

Australia / Polska Balanga! New Polish Party in Sydney [31]

Why is it $20 now? I lived in Poland for 3 years and miss it dearly... I hoped that I could experience a little bit of what I miss while in Sydney - but there is no way I am prepared to pay an increased price for something that everyone on here is giving bad opinions about! How disappointing!