Language / Lubicie, pamiętacie, mówicie [5]

You answered your own question it seems. I don't know a lot of Polish, but the -cie conjugation is used for, as you said, addressing groups of people. At least that's how I'd use it

"Lubię czytać" - I like to swim
"Czy lubisz czytać?" - Do you like to swim? (one person, direct, informal)
"Czy pani lubi czytać?" - Do you like to swim? (one person, female, direct and formal)
"Czy lubicie czytać?" - "Do you like to swim? (addressed to a group of people)

Maybe someone will correct me though :)

Language / Lubicie, pamiętacie, mówicie [5]

Yeah I originally wrote 'Pływać' and decided to change it to one of the first verbs you learn, but forgot to change the description to read :P

Food / Polish roast pigeon anyone? [17]

As a type of bush-meat, pigeon with nettle is very delicious. I'm not sure about Polish hunting laws, but in the UK pigeons (as well as any other non-protected game) can only be hunted on private land with the owner's permission and may only be done so with certain methods. As far as I remember, snares are illegal, as are catapults and bows. On another note, I wouldn't touch a city pigeon with a barge pole, only wood pigeons.

Life / I hate Warsaw. The worst part about living here is the people who move here from small towns, villages.. [124]

It's interesting that you said Poznań was your favourite city and yet many of the things you listed are quite prevalent here, too. Staring, certainly, is high on my list of things that irritate me here, but I've learned that if you stare back for long enough, they'll break the contact. Continue to stare and you'll make them uncomfortable :) I have found that actually most people seem to be very 'accepting' of trying to speak Polish to them (although, in very 'busy' places, I tend to avoid it). That said, I've had terrible experiences with PKS drivers, apparently being unable to understand simple phrases (when I know for an absolute fact that what I say is understandable).

Dodging drunks is an all too familiar thing here also. Though I don't live in the best neighborhood, I experience it a lot in more affluent areas too. Ye olde drunken chavs with their hoods up in the doorway whether it's +30 or -30. Case in point: I was taking the trash out this morning. It was 4c and raining, yet four of them were blocking the entrance to my apartment building. So what did I do? I pushed the door open, pushed right through them with two ponging bags and laughed as they muttered a few comments. On the way back I smiled at them as I pushed through them again to get into the building. Most here tend to be all bark and no bite, show them you're not intimidated and they'll typically ignore you.

But hey, what can I say. We are the outsiders here, so we accept it or bugger off (that isn't to say we can't disagree or even hate some aspects, though).

Work / Looking To Move To Poland Within The Near Future. Teaching English or IT? [18]


Nonsense. As far as I know - and it could be different, depending on the institution offering the course - there are no formal academic prerequisites. That said, you'll find that many of those who take the CELTA have completed studies at least at an undergrad level, as many of those on the course are already teachers and just want the piece of paper to buff up their CV. You could always take an adult's evening class at a sixth-form college in, for example, English. At the very least you'd need only qualifications that would enable you to enter higher education (typically 3 A-levels, but in some subjects exceptions are made).

My advice is: ask yourself what you 'really' want to do with your future career, is it really teaching? Many have said so, only for it to turn out to be the sole (read: easiest) option for an Englishman without a solid foundation in the Polish language. Spare yourself that packet of stale crisps.

Work / Looking for job - English teaching positions available in Poland? [18]


With an advertisement like that, it's not surprising that he has stooped to 20zł an hour. Maybe you should contact him under guise and find out what 'qualification' he has.

"Qualified - Professional - Amazing". Anybody who describes themselves as 'amazing' is probably worth staying away from :) That said, he does state "lessons from 20zł" which could mean that's the lowest price for students who "block book".

Also, don't presume that because somebody advertises themselves at such a low price, that the local market is struggling. We've had people doing the same here in Poznań for years - usually as an 'attractive' means to get quick and easy beer money. However, there are still private students willing to pay 50zł an hour for a good tutor, although it seems that 40 is increasingly the going rate.

UK, Ireland / Learning Polish - Polish shops in England? [34]

I have to agree with one of the above sentiments, that it's almost a little silly. Chances are they'll be busy and won't have time to chit chat (nor would the people behind you be happy about it). If the store was empty, then sure, but you might just find yourself awkwardly standing in the store waiting for people to go. Wouldn't it also be kind of awkward if it turned out that the seller wasn't Polish? I don't really chat with my shopkeepers here in Poland. The most dialogue I ever get is "Hello. Would you like a bag? That's XX zł. Do you have X change? Here you go. Thanks and good day". When I first moved here, we had a store below us that had some very nice and friendly clerks, who we used to talk about the weather or goings-on while waiting for card payments, etc. It's since been taken over by a Żabka and the staff are a bunch of tosspots. Most of the time, they never respond to hello, rarely say thanks, and never say goodbye.

UK, Ireland / Learning Polish - Polish shops in England? [34]

I think that's a bit dramatic :P Maybe it's just my experience, but there's been quite a few times I've accidentally addressed people as 'ty' and conjugated verbs as such. e.g. when asking strangers for directions, I've said "przepraszam, czy wiesz ...". In fact, the majority of people, when stopping me on the street, address me as 'ty' and they are not necessarily older (though I've been called Pan by many old folks, which sounds odd)

UK, Ireland / Learning Polish - Polish shops in England? [34]


You're a little mistaken. I'm entering my fourth year of living in Poland - I'm quite well aware of the customs. The "rule" as it goes - informal/younger/same age: ty, formal/older: pan(i). My experience is quite contradictory, as the older people almost always address me as 'pan', despite being in my mid 20s. Conversely, the younger generation and, in particular, those who are clearly younger than I am, address me as 'ty' far more than they address me as 'pan'. Deduce from that observation what you will. Comparing it to English is erroneous because the style of addressing someone simply doesn't exist in a similar manner in English. Of course, we have polite and formal titles (Sir, Madam and so forth) but their use is entirely different. "Excuse me Sir, do you have the time?" sounds rather peculiar, does it not? It's odd because the lack of such a system in English means it shouldn't really phase me in Polish in terms of how people address me. That said, I still find it rather rude when people say "co?" instead of "słucham?" or address me as 'ty' when younger, unfamiliar, or asking me for assistance. I was buying a latte in McDonalds before work this morning; the conversation went something like: (me): Dzień dobry, poproszę kawa latte. (the guy): "co?" (me): "co? nie słyszałeś, czy nie rozumiesz? Powiedziałem kawa latte". Address as you are addressed :)

UK, Ireland / Learning Polish - Polish shops in England? [34]


I guess it's changed a lot since I lived there, then :) Although, I lived in Arizona - two worlds from Chicago. In the UK, it's quite uncommon to hear on the streets. In fact, I'd go a step further and say it's often used in an unpleasant manner.


Absolutely right. I've been buying coffee there almost every day for the last three years. It was empty inside - if I walk in, smile, say hello and place an order, I expect to hear "hello, sorry - what was that?" or some derivation. Not "what?" in a rude way.

Study / My experience in Poland (Poznan) as a student who recently moved from Syria [117]

Get some manly stubble. I've never once been asked for ID for either tobacco or alcohol (though, admittedly, I rarely buy alcohol since I don't drink). I was with my lady once and she was doing the ordering, including my tobacco, and she was asked for ID (but didn't have any since we'd only left the house to go to the shops), but once she started speaking to me in English, they just said forget it and gave it to us anyway.

Law / Which is the best city in Poland to open a kebab shop? [56]

Slightly OT, but we had a kebab stall here in Poznań by the music theatre. They made the most amazing kebabs, they were very cheap and the guy inside was always good fun (he spoke English, too). Sadly they vanished some time ago :(

Life / Cigarette prices in Poland [27]

I don't know about other airports in Poland as I've only flown from Poznań, but before the airport in Poznań was ...'rebuilt', there was an outdoor smoking area quite literally a 30 second walk from security. Given that it used to take about 5 minutes to get through security and another 10 to walk to the gate, you could have theoretically smoked 20 minutes before boarding. Since remodelling the airport and moving the security entrance to what seems like half a kilometer from the main entrance and then shoving most of the international flight boarding areas in a dodgy tent at the back of the airport, it's no longer possible.

That said, I remember Gatwick's hilarious little smoking "quarantine" zones in the middle of the main departure terminal, though I've not flown from there since 2005, so I don't know how it's changed. Egypt has very "lax" rules when it comes to smoking in the airport. Although I smoke, and in the larger airports it's a bit of an inconvenience, I'm glad that the airports are smoke free. The airport in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh were utterly dreadful.

Love / Polish friend cutting off contact indirectly - is this a cultural misunderstanding? [15]



Have a pint, gov'nor and chill out. A perfectly legitimate question for people without much cultural experience. You never know when you might offend someone's cultural sensitivities, but this person cares enough to try and find out if it is a cultural misunderstanding or not. In response to the OP, it sounds like an issue that's only going to be resolved through a more illuminating backstory or finding a way to get in contact with him.