Language / Verbal nouns and past-tense adjectives from imperfective & perfective verbs..when to use which aspect? [48]

Aspects (as opposed to "tenses") requiring the "perfective" or "dokonany" reflect the ONE-TIME completion of an action.
Just briefly with yet another example sentence or two, if you walk into a restaurant, the waitress might well ask, "Czy moze Pan zobaczyc menu/jadlospis?" = Would you like to SEE the menu, sir?

In English, there's considerable leeway in this regard. Save for sarcasm, everybody understands perfectly that the waitress or whoever knows that one can "see" the menu, unless of course they're blind!:-) Therefore, there's no substantive difference between "Would you like to SEE....." vs. "Would you like to TAKE A LOOK AT....", or even "Would you care to GLANCE AT....." etc. The meaning is crystal clear unless the person spoken to is simply giving the wait staff a hard time.

Not so in Polish, where "Czy moze Pan widzic menu?", might indeed imply that the customer needs to "see" the menu as opposed to something else. It would be understood, but would definitely sound odd.

"widzic" (imperfective) means "to see", as in "to have the ability of sight"
"zobaczyc" (perfective) means "to take a look or glance at"

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1050]

I was being serious, pawian.

History / BARBAROUS / BARBARIC / BARBARIAN tribes in Poland [62]

Sometimes the truth is disquieting, Milo! Sorry you can't handle it. I thought a little more of you than all that:-)

@kaprys & Ironside,

Try to be politely objective for a change and credit me with a little common sense on this topic. After all, if I weren't sure of my statements, I'd scarcely post them on open forum now, would I!

Furthermore, what makes either of you all any more of an authority on the subject than I? You know about as much of my educational/academic background as I do of yours.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

I can concur only in the latter point, to which I will gladly concede some degree of merit, if only because Israel too takes tremendous issue with those Ultra-Lubovitch Orthodox who steadfastly refuse to fight for their country, hiding behind the cloak of religion to mask their overt pacifism.

News / A better Polish solution: aiding refugees in their home region [29]

The question is whether or not you relinquished your Polish citizenship:-)

History / BARBAROUS / BARBARIC / BARBARIAN tribes in Poland [62]

Yes there were.
One of the reasons many Poles, particularly from Northern Poland sometimes appear almost Germanic in facial structure has to do in part anyway with their early exposure to certain Germanic tribes.

While this hasn't all been proven one hundred percent in every instance, there is sufficient evidence nonetheless to conclude that early Polish inhabitants had definite, if not prolonged, contact with Germanic tribesmen.

Life / New born baby traditions in Poland [26]

I see, sort of the like what we would call a "bris". Name day was what I had in mind, kaprys.
Perhaps the distinction is more important in Poland than it is here in the States.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1050]

Curious as to how we would translate "lajdak".

News / A better Polish solution: aiding refugees in their home region [29]

Likely a cover story.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

The "balls" to be an idiot might well be guaranteed in the Constitution, however regardless of theory, in practical, civilized society, it's usually a masquerade for ill-developed man children who are addicted to their "boys toys" as surely as they probably are to alcohol or illicit drugs!

Life / New born baby traditions in Poland [26]

Thanks, kaprys!

Actually, it was a naming day which was being celebrated:-)

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Why, because maybe heaven forbid we here might learn something about self-improvement for a change??
We point our finger at Germany's Nazi past, yet we in the US can engage in a little self-reflection of our own?
We're not perfect either, believe me!

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Tacitus is correct!

Apart from that horrific school shooting over fifteen years ago in Erfurt, how many similar such incidents can you name having taken place in Germany??

In the US, it seems nearly every other week or so, some gun-nut goes off his head, the most recent being yesterday in Millwaukee.

Between 1964 (?) and 2005, The Federal Republic of Germany had basically TWO (2) mass shootings of the US variety:

Cologne in the mid-60's, an ex-Nazi school teacher began shooting inside his classroom, with resulting fatalities, if I recall.
Erfurt 2005, Robert Steinhausen opens fire on classmates and a teacher, killing the latter, before turning the gun on himself.

History / BARBAROUS / BARBARIC / BARBARIAN tribes in Poland [62]

"Man of Iron" was a popular favorite at one time. There was also "Sword & Fire", but I barely remember the original name any longer or who directed it.

History / BARBAROUS / BARBARIC / BARBARIAN tribes in Poland [62]

Well, "Polish" refers generally to one's nationality, whereas "Pole" might be simply enumerating various nationalities, for examples, Basia's a Pole, Daniella's a German, Chuck's an American, Byung Wuk's a Korean..... as opposed to denoting that person's heritage.

As you know, somebody can be from a country in the sense of having been born there, yet NOT be technically ethnically part of that country's heritage.

Polish means the language of Poland as used in English. Guess it's all really a question of both grammatical as well as generational usage. To my ears as an American native speaker, "Are you Polish?" sounds more acceptable then "Are you a Pole?"

:-)

Life / New born baby traditions in Poland [26]

Yes, I remember doing so some time back when visiting a young Polish couple having recently moved to New York upon the birth of their daughter:-)

"Z okazji Waszego imienia!", was how my salutation read at the top of the card I sent them.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

A gun, firearm, pistol or assault rifle, belongs one place and one place only: Locked inside a gun rack, either in the den out of harms way, or perhaps in the shed! Dad or mom should be the only ones with a key.

This might be considered the "East Coast elitist" way of handling gun violence. Maybe then there'd be less of it:-)

Rich,
Why label thinking people as "weasels"? Are you perhaps not projecting your own masculinity issues?
Notice I, Tacitus, Miloslaw and others here aren't out to prove on a regular basis what "tough guys" they are.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

It's worse:-)

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

You can't "legalize" crime, you can only punish it...swift and sure!

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

I am and yet try to connect with my neighbors in the Mid West.
Pity it doesn't cut both ways:-)

Life / New born baby traditions in Poland [26]

You mean there's a Saint Renata??
News to me:-)

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

If the tables were turned and it were the white, Christian, industrialized Europeans who were forced to migrate to foreign lands and face constant discrimination because of simply who they were, how do you think any normal, frustrated human being would react?

You're simply rationalizing your own incorrigible prejudices.

Concerning your last comment, there were as many instances of same as there were flagrant exceptions to the "rule".

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Remembering the simple truth that if people didn't have the guns in their hands, guess what, they wouldn't go off!
"Guns don't kill people, PEOPLE....." If the people didn't reach for their semi-automatics, it's a lot easier to stop a knife or a club than it is a Saturday Night special:-)

Can't blame the rank-and-file American. Much of the middle of the country still needs to develop and finally see herself as connected to both coasts.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

The broad swath of Middle America appears to me as an American to be mired in her Wild West past, often to the detriment of effecting positive change. The "What was good enough for Daniel Boone, what was good enough for the Duke's good enough for me"-mentality is merely sign of our thickheadedness and inflexibility.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

I suppose no homegrown, ethnic Poles commit violent crimes, right?
:-)

Same fallacious reasonings as I can remember when I was a teen, back in the late '70's. "Let the blacks and the PRs in and crime will rise in the burbs!"

In fact, often just the opposite was the case. Need I remind you further that gang violence in the '50's was usually committed by local white Christian boys with too much dead time on their hands 'cuz mom and dad were sleepin' at the switch.

Life / New born baby traditions in Poland [26]

I think that Poland is one of the countries which has a "Naming Day" instead of the traditional "Birth Day", in the sense of counting the year of conception as the date of one's birth. Is that correct more or less?

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Rich, 'fraid we gotcha this time!

How can you argue that Poles don't understand "American"-style freedom, when in fact our freedoms have been ever so slowly whittled away not much past 9/11?

cms neuf's on the money.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Not sure I get the analogy, Rich. Perhaps I'm just slow.

Love / Polish girls and contraceptives [68]

Will wonders never cease.

Life / Tips / Help on moving to Poland from Australia [2]

First tip I would give would be to secure some sort of firm employment before undertaking any lengthy sojourn to Poland!

Although learning the local lingo's a no-brainer (furthermore, Polish gradually gets much easier the more you stick with it, the opposite of English:-)),

the country can seem a booby trap of hidden fees from shady business people, so I've read, fly-by-night language schools, often frighteningly low salaries for equivalent positions back home etc. Therefore, it's most important, certainly just as important, to have at least the promise of a job and a contractual offer of money, prior to heading off half-cocked.

Six-months may seem like a short period, but, as someone who spent his twenties in Europe for nearly the same amount of time, it really isn't and so try to get both work along with survival language skills together first.

Best of luck!