Language / When do I use certain characters? [33]


You probably know this already but every noun in Polish has a gender, male, female or neutral. The adjective has to agree with the noun so:

Mała torba (feminine)
Mały kubek (masculine)
Małe krzesło (neutral)

There is also something called noun cases which change the ending of the nouns and their accompanying adjectives depending on the structure of the sentence.

So for example:

Torba - bag, but 'I have a bag' becomes 'Mam torbę' and 'I have a little bag' will be 'Mam małą torebkę'.

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


I think it's the gradual recovery from having been a communist country and the shedding of the post-communist mentality for a healthier outlook.


Yes, that's the bottom line really. Having lived in Ireland yourself you may understand when I say that what bothers me is not living in Poland but the thoughts of dying here, away from my own people. Anyway, I'll be cremated so hopefully somebody will be left in my little circle of loved ones to take my ashes and scatter them on the Atlantic coastline, back to the sea where I grew up, where I belong.

Life / Poetry and Poets of Poland [58]


The term 'well read' does not require a hyphen.

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


But they're not - not if you don't have very expensive medical insurance. And don't call the ambulance - average cost is over a thousand dollars just to get to the hospital.

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


Oh Lenka - really! The UK has one of the most diverse and stunning architectural heritages in the world. Are you seriously suggesting that Poland's streets en masse, are older and more beautiful than those of the UK?


Maybe it's because you're getting older. You may not be in a position to move back now but you could retire back to Poland. Your UK pension etc. would support you quite well.


Well, we're talking about chavs in that case and you'll find them everywhere. They have their own dress code which varies in different places around the world.

Life / Poetry and Poets of Poland [58]


That's because you're not very well read.

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]

Well Lenka, you could start making plans to return permanently. Why not?


Oh come on now Lenka. Plenty of 'buraks' wandering around the place in Poland and at this time of year most men go the shops in shorts. Plenty of tats on view too :)

Off-Topic / Things We Love [257]


Have been part of Irish culture since ancient times and have served us well enough.


And I say to my people's masters: Beware
Beware of the thing that is coming, beware of the risen people
Who shall take what ye would not give.
Did ye think to conquer the people, or that law is stronger than life,
And than men's desire to be free?
We will try it out with you ye that have harried and held,
Ye that have bullied and bribed.
Tyrants... hypocrites... liars!

(Patrick Pearse)

Off-Topic / Things We Love [257]


You wouldn't like to be Irish Novi. You despise most of the things that we value. Words and poetry and weaving tapestries with language, we love that. It's a big part of the culture stemming from the old Bardic tradition.

On Raglan Road, on an autumn day
I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair
Would weave a snare
That I would one day rue
I saw the danger
And I passed
Along the enchanted way
And I said grief be a fallen leaf
At the dawning of the day

Raglan Road is an ordinary street in the centre of Dublin and yet Patrick Kavanagh romanticizes it in a way that touches all Dublin people, in fact all Irish people. When I was teaching in an inner city primary school, one of the stand out moments for me was hearing that poem, sung in its song form, by an eight year old local boy. His parents were heroin addicts and he lived with his grandparents. Lovely kid. He sang it at a teacher's retirement do and he sang his heart out with such reverence for the words and music, the song 'given' to him, as we say in Ireland, by his grandfather. The poetry, the music must pass on from generation to generation.

youtube.com/watch?v=FdHr6jdQyTM

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [659]


I suggest it's the farmer, knocking together the heads of incalcitrant farm labourers.

UK, Ireland / Should I worry going to Ireland as a Pole? [32]


You do have to exercise caution there. Even thirty years ago, I wouldn't walk down the main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, after ten o'clock at night. You would in a group, but not on your own. On the other hand I'd have no problem even now, walking down Grafton Street at eleven o'clock at night. Obviously it helps to know the city well. The city centre is generally quite safe during the day but at night you have to be very careful and even during the day there are streets you should avoid. Unfortunately tourists often forget when they're on holiday to take the kind of precautions they would at home. I once saw an elderly American man standing in the middle of the street with his wallet open, sorting through it. He was standing outside the Pro-Cathedral in Marlborough Street. The funny thing is he probably feels 'safe' because he's outside a church, the Department of Education offices are directly across from it and there's a priests' outfitters right next door. The buildings are old and gracious and the street looks pleasant but it's the north inner city which has a host of social problems. I went up to him and told him 'it's not wise to open your wallet in the middle of the street anywhere in the city centre but especially round here, this neigbourhood is not the safest' .


Ireland as a whole is very safe, much safer than the USA. Dublin has unique problems resulting from a huge underclass of teenage scumbags and a very weak response to them by the courts.

UK, Ireland / Polish Visa from London Embassy [9]


It's the Consulate you want, not the embassy. You can make the appointment online.

secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/placowki/105

Life / Are Polish Women very promiscuous towards foreigners and refugees? [197]


Excuse me, why are you bringing my name into this discussion? The thread is about Polish women; I'm not Polish and even if I were, I don't wish to have my name mentioned in this kind of context. Don't do it again please.

Life / Lost my Polish driving license. Can I get one from abroad? [5]

No. You have to apply in Poland.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1040]

Hope the OP comes back to thank you. You are a good soul Maf :)

Travel / The tick in Poland are very dangerous is it true? [27]


And now you have the same effect on us :)


Are you related to the Beverley Hillbillies? I was bitten, dear child, bitten.


You're most welcome. Don't worry darling, you'll be fine. but if you will be in Katowice during the winter, take note that the air pollution there is quite high from November to February. Polish cities have a higher level of air pollution than average for Europe.

Travel / The tick in Poland are very dangerous is it true? [27]

@susa82, I was bitten by a tick about three weeks ago and I'm still alive :)) If you get bitten the important thing is to remove it as soon as possible. I just used antiseptic gel on the place where I was bitten in case of infection and that was all. It was a bit red and itchy for a week or so afterwards. I was in the countryside when this happened but I've lived in Warsaw for eight years, regularly going to parks and the Botanic Gardens and have only been bitten by mosquitos up till now.

A good natural tick repellent is citronella oil. Use about 9 drops in 100ml of a base oil such as rapeseed or sunflower. It's also great against mosquitos. The only time I've been bitten is when I didn't use it. There are many natural oils that ticks don't like the smell of.

farmersalmanac.com/7-natural-tick-remedies-work-27452

Study / Jagiellonian vs University of Wrocław for a master's degree in English? [15]


Yeah, agree. I know a Polish guy who was doing English in Poznan university a couple of years ago. He was very fluent and had a perfectly nice, intelligible accent but he was told he had to have RP. Of course no instruction was provided in acquiring this accent. They were given an audio dictionary with British pronunciation (not exactly RP either, more general south east England) and left to their own devices, then scolded when the accent didn't come up to scratch.


The universities mentioned by the OP both give instruction through Polish, or at least they say they do.

Study / Jagiellonian vs University of Wrocław for a master's degree in English? [15]

If English is your first language it seems odd that you want to do an English masters in Poland especially as instruction is through the Polish language. Have you done your Bachelors already? If you want an English masters it would be better to study in a country where English is the native language, unless you want to teach English in the Polish education system. I believe the masters in Poland would qualify you to do that if you also have full proficiency in Polish.

Have you looked at the syllabus offered by each university?

Travel / ZAPROSZENIE? (visiting our Polish friend this summer) [8]



Anyway the post is 13 years old.

Life / What gifts to take? Presents customs in Poland. [167]


A very famous Scotch whiskey. Nice. In Ireland I used to get the odd bottle of wine but that was usually at Christmas. The parents (mostly the mothers) paid attention to the teachers' tastes, appearance etc. and tried to pick something they might like. Over the years I got some nice jewellery, scarves, lots of scented candles, perfume and homemade goodies like cookies and cakes :) I also got a truly hideous vase which I kept in the classroom on top of the piano.

Love / Cheating from spouses. Is cheating very common in Poland ? [116]


I know what you mean. Sometimes enthusiasm, coming from a man, can seem like aggression. The problem is that Polish culture is quite formal, when you don't know somebody well. You can be seen as odd or eccentric if you don't conform to expected, rather bland norms. Balls to the lot of them, I say!

Love / Cheating from spouses. Is cheating very common in Poland ? [116]


He could always try the matchmaking in Lisdoonvarna. It's worked for many a couple.

matchmakerireland.com/about

"The streets ring out with music and song, buzzing with dance, the craic and love for life. Bars and pubs headline some of the top names in country music, and from dance floor to cosy table, the little town of Lisdoonvarna in the west of Ireland is full of the promise and passion of 'meeting your match'. This is the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival - the biggest event of its kind in Europe and part of the rich tradition of rural Ireland. A chance to gather and celebrate life, love, good music and great times! "

@ Kashub, would you consider going to the Festival? Maybe not this year but what about next year? Write to Willie in the meantime and let him know you're on the lookout for a match as we'd say in Ireland. Willie the Matchmaker will find you a nice Catholic girl.

williedaly.com/

Off-Topic / Things We Love [257]


People here either seem to be one extreme or the other which reflects real life. You're either a reader or you're not.

Off-Topic / Things We Love [257]


Oh God, I hate that! One mans' meat is another man's poison as they say.


Now, that's interesting, seeing as you live in the UK. Which ones? Flavour, brands? I quite like Walkers cheese and onion. In Ireland I would eat Tayto (we invented flavoured crisps you know!). In Poland I can get Walkers at Dealz. If I can't get to Dealz for some reason I'll buy Lays either the cheese or the green onion ones. Can't understand why they don't do cheese AND onion!

Off-Topic / Things We Love [257]


Come to Ireland.

glendaloughhermitage.ie/

Off-Topic / Things We Love [257]


It's one of those 'I told you so' moments Alien. I predicted that interest would be limited. I'll come to the rescue:

Polish Easter. Here is a pic of my own table as I was laying it, couldn't get white eggs :(

• 
  EASTERSMALL.jpg
  

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]



Same sex marriage in Ireland required a change to the constitution as did the abortion law. That's why we had the referendums. Unlike Poland, the constitution of Ireland cannot be changed without public referendum.


They're not. You need to do some research on referendums.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


You can't put such vague, general questions to the public in a referendum because the answer forms the basis for changing the law. That's the whole purpose of a referendum, to give the people power and control over policy making. So what actually happens is that there is a national debate first in which a proposed new law is mooted. Wording is decided for the basis of that law or amendment to the existing law (in Ireland nowadays the people decide it through a Citizens' Assembly) and this is put to the public in the referendum to which they answer yes or no, depending on whether they agree with the proposal.

If you ask a general question such as your examples, that would actually give the government more power rather than giving the people more power, because it allows the government to create any new laws and policies in those areas that they desire, claiming they have been given the mandate to do so by the public. That's not good.

Off-Topic / Things People Say in Ireland - Even though Novichok thinks they can't. [66]


Not so. The man who was arrested for calling the police chief a coward and alleging that he was corrupt later took a case challenging the law and lost. A three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals issued a ruling rejecting the man's claims that the law violated his First Amendment rights and the law remains unchanged.

Anyway we clearly agree that under US law there is such a thing as defamation of character which means that you cannot make a defamatory statement about another person without consequences, regardless of your free speech rights. This is usually the case in developed nations. Why do you think that is?