word usage, obstawać/odrzucać

i am doin a polish course, busuu.com. i have come across some words that according to my dictionary appear wrong.
the course says;
obstawać means argue, but my dictionary tells me that 'wykłócić' means to argue.
odrzucać means to decline, but my dictionary tells me that it should be 'odmawiać'

some explanation please.

chaza

obstawać przy swoim - is to hold to one's view/opinion/resolution not exactly to argue (not to allow oneself to be swayed over)

odrzucać can well mean do decline with certain words - odrzucać ofertę/propozycję/zaloty - decline an offer/courting

am i right in say then that 'obstawać' means to have abn oppinion, and wykłócić is more to argue.
and
odrzucać meand to 'throw out' and odmawiać is more to decline s/th.

chaza

odrzucać can have a couple of meanings - the 'literal' one (or rather etymological/gramatical) is to throw aside or throw away - but there is a 'figurative' meaning (perhaps a couple actually) as I have put before odrzucać propozycję - to decline an offer/proposal

remember: there is no one-on-one translating functions - one word in Polish can have a couple of meanings or uses which are translated as a couple of different words in English / the same is true in the opposite direction

so odmówić can be translated as to decline but it can also be sometimes translated as to refuse (in the same meaning in Polish) and can also have a completely different meaning in Polish that has nothing to do with to decline/refuse (odmówić modlitwę - to say a prayer)

NB - don't treat my words as absolute truth though

obstawać: obstawać does not mean to have an opinion (to have an opinion can be often translated as 'mieć zdanie') - obstawać przy swoim (literally more or less 'to stand by one's (resolve/opinion) = not to allow oneself to be swayed in his resolve/opinion

hope it is clear

often people use that expression to say that someone is obstinate and won't change his mind.

thanks gumishu
i hear what you say and understand. the difficulty i still seem to have, is when i read polish( which is still difficult), what i read and what it is supposed to mean dont make sense, for example;

'co sobie pan życzy' is supposed to say ' what would you like'
but when i read this sentense with the words i know, i wouls have said ' co był chciałbyś'
also
'czy podać coś jeszcze'= would you like anything else' i would say ' czy podobasz coś inny'
they are probably totally wrong, but jeszcze means yet/still,

i dont get it right now

chaza

It is the same expression in different situations

With


you can ask your partner what kind of drink she would like.


A waiter addresses cutomers in an expensive restaurant.


It is rubbish, indeed. Don`t depend so much on cheap electronic translators. Use your brain.

co byś chciał... or co chciałbyś... are also correct but might sound bit rude in some situations. A waiter in restaurant certainly would not say that. In restaurants and shops co sobie pan życzy is the proper expression. Remember also that when we are talking with stranger we use always in each sentence word pan (mister, sir) or pani (madam, miss, mrs), which takes a place of an object.


word like in Polish language is used in differently than in English. A word by word translation of: what do you like, what are you like, how do you look like have no sense in Polish language.


Probably less confusing translation for you and more literal would be: fetch you something more? Podawać means to fetch. But you don't say: do you want me to fetch you something else in English shops, do you?

proper Polish is actually czego Pan/i sobie życzy'?


co/czego byś chiał - can well be translated as what would you like as you put it - but it is informal register in Polish as pawian said - a waiter in Polish restaurant would however use much more formal register (Pan/Pani obligatory) and in this case 'czego Pan/Pani sobie życzy' is the best choice


jeszcze as as standalone word is translated as yet/still - but in a phrase 'coś jeszcze' it is often the conunterpart of English 'anything else' (Czy chciałby pan dodać coś jeszcze? Would you like to add anything/something else'