Language / Problems Polish People Have with Learning English [63]


add to that verb forms (he speak) and tenses, especially conditionals and past perfect

Travel / How much will taxi/bus or train from Gdansk airport to Slupsk cost? [16]


I did this on Monday. Cost was 3.60 zl.

Work / Language Teachers - do you feel respected in Poland? [86]


You're not older than I am and your monthly income is irrelevant to me. I don't post here very often because of the arguments that seem to flare up in threads over the simplest things. It's not like PF I knew when I joined. Oh well. Life is change.

Work / Language Teachers - do you feel respected in Poland? [86]

No, I mean I'm older than you are. That's all I said. None of the rest. I was merely disputing your statement about being older, which, unless you're 68, isn't true..

Life / Brazilian moving to Gdansk and need some help with finding a flat to rent and also a good school for daughters [33]


I'll answer most of your questions when you bother to register.

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [246]


Hot news. It's trestle in American English too, True English? I'm laughing my a$$ off at that.

Life / Brazilian moving to Gdansk and need some help with finding a flat to rent and also a good school for daughters [33]


Most of your questions have already been answered. There are a few artsy places in the Old Town-Kawiarnia Filmowa on GROBLA I acros the dtreet from Rossmann. Cafe Josef K on Piwna. and another film place on Dluga.

I don't know of any expat hangouts, thank God, but you can usually find the occasional native speaker in Absinthe. The American corner hosts meeings on Monday evenings, but I've never gone to one. Just drop into a few places and you'll probably find people who speak English.

When will you be in Gdansk?

Language / "Poles" or "Polish people" - which is better to use? [200]


A pole is an object. A Pole is a Polish person. It's a basic English rule denoting nationalities, and is in no way demeaning. Interestingly enough, the only word in English which changes its pronunciation when it changes from a small to a capital letter is polish. Polish is pronounced differently. . You did know that, didn't you?

Life / Life in Poland for American who likes women, beer, hates Tories and is concerned about the weather [19]

Another unregistered troll. Yawn.

Travel / Christmas Fair in Gdańsk - worth visiting? [6]

I've been living in Gdansk for seven years. The Christmas Fair is small and nothing special. Come to Gdansk to visit Gdansk. You'll only spend an hour or so at the Fair, but there are a lot of other things worth doing and seeing here.

Life / My experience in Poland 15 years ago as an American trying to live and work there. [149]

Everything DominicB said is true and I mean everything. I'm an American and having been living and working in Poland for 7+ years. I teach English and I'm doing better than most people I know here, including my Polish friends and that's because I'm good at what I do and I work hard. Your plan, such as it is, is simply unreasonable.

Law / Poland's green card for American, and citizenship question [16]


That happened to an American friend of mine who was trying to get a karta pobytu-residency card. He was self employed but couldn't get a work permit based on that. He finally left Poland after 18 months.

Another American wasn't so lucky. He was deported for working without a work permit. Both had their own companies here. It's not as easy or as logical as you think. Good luck.

Life / My experience in Poland 15 years ago as an American trying to live and work there. [149]

I still live and work in Gdansk.

Study / British Council CELTA in Krakow, how would you rate it? [60]

Is it the full time course or their online one?

Travel / Is there an event or where we can try out free food in Poland? [4]

I've never heard of one and I've been here for 7 1/2 years. Maybe somebody else knows.

News / SKM and surcharges - Fast Local Trains in Tri-City, Poland [25]


Because you can buy a ticket online with a smart phone, and many users will do that up to the point of pressing the buy button until they see a conductor on the train. Otherwise they ride for free. SKM is wise to this now and they can check the time of purchase. A friend of mine did this. Having purchased but not validated his ticket, he boarded, took a seat and then validated the ticket. A conductor saw him do it. Result-a 100 zl fine.

Do what Harry suggested. Buy a few tickets at a time. If you can't be bothered to validate one before boarding (I really can't believe that you're so resistant to this.) , walk to the front of the train and have it validated there.

You're making a mountain out of a molehill. Grow up, son.

Language / Problems Polish People Have with Learning English [63]

I have no idea what grammatics is.

The three most common mistakes made by Polish students are:

1. Articles

2. Verb tenses and forms.

3. Vocabulary

The two most mispronounced words are photography and photographer.

Food / WHAT DID YOU EAT FOR POLISH EASTER TODAY? [45]

Where in Gdansk did you buy the lamb?

Travel / Visiting Gdansk - looking for ex-pat bars... [21]

Not too many of us Americans in Gdansk, but you might try the American Corner on Monday nights.

Work / Language Teachers - do you feel respected in Poland? [86]

Harry's last sentence. +1

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

Register and I might answer your question.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

I don't think you'll ever find a job there that will guarantee you 40 hours a week. 20-25 is more likely. Of course, you can supplement that with private lessons, but those take time to build up. Nonetheless, I wish you good luck if you decide to try it.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

CMC, do you have any teaching certificate? CELTA is the gold standard here.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

Direct Method are pure crap, and if you list them on your CV, you'll be laughed out of any reputable school as soon as they read it. If you still plan to move to a larger city, you'll find that only CELTA will open doors for you.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

All the books recommended so far are very good. I'd like to add one more: How English Works, by Michael Swan. To be an efficient teacher, not only do you have to know grammar but you have to know how to teach it so that your Polish students can understand it. That's the trick.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

I wouldn't have to think at all. I'd just say no.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

DominicB, why did you tell Capetonian that it would be hard to build up a clientele of private students without being able to speak Polish? While I agree with you that it would be hard to do in his/her first year here, I don't see that speaking or not speaking Polish would make any difference. I don't speak Polish with my prospective students. They come to me for English lessons, not conversations in Polish. Just curious.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

My basic mistake? ? Not at all. In eight years here, I have only communicated with students or their parents who speak English. Handicap? Not at all. I have or have had many "high-quality" students. My Polish is good enough to communicate with any prospective students or their parents, but since I don't/won't teach children, that's a moot point. They come to me-I don't advertise-because they want to improve their English, not speak Polish. I don't have enough free time in my schedule to accommodate all the requests I have, and they have all come in English.

You're just wrong to maintain this position, even for the OP, who isn't going to get any private students in his first year.

Food / Where to go for the best steak in Warsaw? [77]

I went to Biedronka yesterday for the stek kruchy. They didn't have any so I bought two antrykot packaged by Beef Master. Thick and marbled, they were even better then the stek kruchy. Try, and enjoy.

Food / Where to go for the best steak in Warsaw? [77]

These steaks aren't from Poland. They're not chewy, just tender. I don't have a broiler in my oven so I pan fry them in butter over a little heat on the stove. Flavor to your taste. You'll like them.