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

I don't know how does it work in SKM. In "normal" trains it's impossible because while buying the ticket you have to say when it is supposed to be valid. Maybe in SKM it's different.

If you use SKM regularly, you can always buy a monthly pass.

BTW, the surcharge for a dog in SKM is only 1 PLN:
skm.pkp.pl/taryfy-i-przepisy/tabele-oplat

Language / A Polish sentence which is hard to speak in Poland (about a "worm") [5]

A longer version is:
Chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie w Szczebrzeszynie, a Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.

A beetle sounds in the reed in Szczebrzeszyn (name of a town) and Szczebrzeszyn is famous of it.

Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warsaw [99]


You're right.


Have you tried with another train?

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


Removing Ó and Ż would also be not a good idea. The language would loose any logic.

Jeden lód - dwa lody; jeden lud - dwa ludy. There is no difference in the pronounciation of the basic forms (although in the past it was, ó evolved form a long o). But there is a difference in the declination.

Now the length of vowel pronounciation is not important in Polish, and it's why Poles have problems with this in foreign languages (not only English - e.g. German too). Like beach - b i t c h (I don't know why the forum censors this word - doesn't it have a neutral meaning of a female dog apart form the vulgar one?).


1. Many languages have their own letters added to the Latin alphabet and it's not a problem for them.
2. It's not easy to change people's habits.
3. Polish letters, unlike for example German ones, have such an advantage that they can be typed without any problems with a standard English-language keyboard. It's enough to set a proper keyboard layout in the OS (which can be still used for English without any changes).

A problem happens only when some programs map some key combinations like Alt + a letter to the app's functions. It's not often, programmers are usually aware of the fact that Alt is used to type some local letters, but it happens for example with some software added to Radeon GPU drivers and sometimes leads to strange problems.

A common problem in Windows XP is also accidental pressing the Ctrl+Shift combination, which in Polish version of the OS with the default settings caused the change of the layout to the "typewriter" one (in typewriters in Poland another keyboard layout was used - one based on the German QWERTZ - and Windows has a compatible keyboard layout for those learnt to write on a typewriter with a touch and type method).

Concerning the topic, it might be a good idea to look for language errors in my post.

USA, Canada / Tracking a package through the Polish Postal system sent from US [57]

By which company was it sent?

USA, Canada / Tracking a package through the Polish Postal system sent from US [57]

Isn't Tbilisi the capital city of Georgia?

I don't know where are you checking the status of the parcel, but here:

tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction.action?tRef=fullpage&tLc=1&text28777=&tLabels=CV032964187US

it is written: "Tbilisi, Georgia", not "Tbilisi, US". What's more, there is quite a detailed description of what is happening with it now:


So you should ask the Georgia Post, what's up.

USA, Canada / Tracking a package through the Polish Postal system sent from US [57]

As far as I understand this tracking system, it was departed from the Tbilisi airport. So it must have already reached Georgia.

Travel / About tram tickets (Poznan) [22]

According to this:
peka.poznan.pl/web/portal/student
peka.poznan.pl/documents/10180/0b8cab71-fc41-4607-bed2-53ae6bb6f052
- yes, you can. To be clear - you have to buy a ticket, but you don't need a PEKA card. A ticket will be encoded on your student card instead.

About the WBK bank logo - the student ID of your university can be used as a payment card.

samorzad.amu.edu.pl/sprawy-studenckie/smartcard
bzwbk.pl/santanderuniversidades-pl/smartcard/smartcard.html

To use this feature you have to sign a special agreement with the WBK bank.

I don't really understand how it exactly works - whether you open a bank account this way, you have to already have their account, or it's just a pre-paid card.

Language / Instrumental and byc - Polish grammar issue [46]

Interesuję się historią Polski.

But it's just a construction that must be remembered. In German it's yet different: Ich interessiere mich für polnische Geschichte. Something like "I interest myself for Polish history". Interestingly, the Polish version translated literally would be something like this: "I interest myself with the history of Poland" - so similar to the German one :)

Although the Germans have also a version resembling the English one: Ich bin interessiert an polnischer Geschichte. Translating very literally into English: "I am interested on Polish history".

If you aren't a native speaker of a very exotic language, like for example Chinese, it's sometimes worth to look for similarities between Polish and the language you speak, or know as another foreign language.

Study / Free higher education in Poland? [8]

For Polish citizens it's free, but only full-time and you have to pay when you fail some courses. Foreigners from out of the EU have to pay. Unless you find some scholarships schemes, as jon357 mentioned.

Travel / Transport in Stargard Szczecinski for wedding [4]

Plenty of small ones: google.pl/search?q=us%C5%82ugi+autokarowe+szczecin - but maybe somebody will recommend something.

In terms of prices, you have to contact each individually.

News / Why no reprivatisation in Poland? Holocaust-era property ownership. [119]


If we are talking about the Holocaust - by which country were these homes taken? Turn to Germany, not Poland.

Food / Which Polish milk brand is closest to UK supermarket style milk? [31]

It's no problem to get sour milk leaving the one sold in bags for a longer time. Also the one sold in bottles will work, although slower. The milk sold in bags is also pasteurised, but it is somehow less processed from the one in bottles.

Language / obydwoma - obydwiema? [3]


In everyday speech it is allowable, but it shouldn't be used
sjp.pwn.pl/poradnia/haslo/te-czy-ta;2227.html
kul.pl/te-czy-ta,art_20689.html

It is a very common error among native speakers, so you are right it's likely to become a correct form in the future.

In terms of "obydwoma sprawami" - it's clear that it's an error, don't speak nor write like this. The media - and, especially, politicians - rarely bother of this. It is also common, for example, to say "w roku dwutysięcznym piętnastym" ("in the year two thousand fifteen"), although the correct version is "w roku dwa tysiące piętnastym", like we say "w roku tysiąc dziewięćset dziewięćdziesiątym ósmym" ("in the year nineteen ninety-eight") and not "w roku tysięcznym dziewięćsetnym dziewięćdziesiątym ósmym" nor "w roku tysiącdziewięćsetnym dziewięćdziesiątym ósmym" (in case of 19... there weren't any problems, they appeared with the new millenium).

Also weakly educated people may tend to omit this ć in the spelling of the numeral 90 (dziewięćdziesiąt) since it virtually doesn't appear in the pronunciation (it is normally pronounced as "dziewiędziesiąt"). Similar situations, where a letter from spelling is omitted in speaking for simplification, are the order of the day in English, but in Polish they are rare. For example in English "drawer" as a name of a part of a piece of furniture. As far as I know, the ending "er" shouldn't be pronounced (unless we mean a person who makes drawings). Could anyone explain why?

Law / New Poland law -- old car insurer obligated to continue insurance on a vehicle that is between renewals? [23]

Officially, deregistration is possible only by authorised car disassembly stations. Or when car is sold abroad (apropriate documentation must be presented).

Language / Does this phrase mean anything to you in Polish? "Up to you" while drinking. [17]

In terms of the meaning, the phrase "Na zdrowie" is usually said when somebody coughs. An equivalent of the English "Bless you".

Another, less popular usage, is by meals, as something like "Bon apetit". But in this case, there is another, much more popular one: "Smacznego".

Travel / Warsaw and nice cities in the neighborhood worth visit - travelling by train [6]

£owicz is right between £ódź and Warsaw. About 1-1,5 hour by train between £ódź and £owicz and the same between £owicz and Warsaw.

Language / Pronunciation of English abbreviations in Poland [12]

Sometimes even different native Poles pronounce one abbreviation differently.

Sometimes it is even more messy. There are names of international organisations, countries and other establishments that have their abbreviations in Polish, from the Polish translation of the name. For example United Nations are in Poland known as ONZ - Organizacja Narodów Zjednoczonych. The country of South Africa is called in Polish RPA - Republika Południowej Afryki.

Some of the abbreviations - I mean those pronounced in the Polish way - are pronounced letter by letter (ONZ - o-en-zet, USB - oo-es-beh, PKP - peh-ka-peh), others like a word (for example NATO - pronounced just as "nahtoh"). A strange example is AIDS - I have read somewhere that in English it is pronounced letter by letter (although I am not sure if they were right), while in Polish it is pronounced like a single English word ("eyds").

Another example. Not an abbreviation, but interesting regardless of this. Woonerf. This is a Dutch word that describes a kind of a street. Recently such one has been built in £ódź. And many people, as well as the local media, pronounce this word in the English way, with "oo" like Polish "u". Which has nothing in common with the pronounciation from Dutch. Pronounciation of this word in the Polish way is virtually the same as the Dutch one :) But people tend to pronounce it in English because of this double "o".

Another very strange example. Państwowa Inspekcja Sanitarna (the State Sanitary Inspection) is almost never abbreviated to PIS, but to Sanepid. At least by people in everyday speach. Probably because the abbreviation PIS refers also to a political party.

There are also abbreviation pronounced in Polish like in the source language. For example TGV (I mean French fast trains).

Language / Pronunciation of English abbreviations in Poland [12]


But maybe this institution got the name "Państwowa Inspekcja Sanitarna" after 2001, the name was different before and explained well the word Sanepid?


But for example, I often hear the name WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego) pronounced like the English word "word". Which doesn't mean that it's correct, but it's how people speak.

It wouldn't be probably so if "Word" wasn't also a name of a popular computer application :)

To be strict, the Polish pronunciation of the name of the text processor isn't ideally correct in English ("w" is pronounced in English way, but "o" in the Polish manner), and it's also how Polish people often pronounce that abbreviation.

Language / Pronunciation of English abbreviations in Poland [12]


Of course. Although most of the changes in languages come just from the people's ignorance :)


Doesn't it depend on the "version" of English which is used? In the "standard" British English - yes, but I am not sure about the American one. Don't they do with "r" more or less the same as us?

Life / Did you already bless your Święconka? [31]

Even within Poland some details are different in different regions.

The quote in the first post says:


In my area it is never boxwood, but cowberry (borówka). Another symbol known in the whole country are willow catkins (bazie, kotki).

What are the most important items in the basket?
- eggs, often painted
- salt and pepper
- bread
- a lamb made of sugar, although locally ones made of bread are also popular (believing Polish Wikipedia, they were made of bread in the past)

- everything that is going to be eaten on the Easter breakfast - ham, cheese, sausage, cakes
- also some more commercial Easter symbols, like chocolate hare or chicks
- cowberry leaves, willow catkins
- other decorations

What is also important to mention - I don't know how it looks like in another countries, but I think it might be also a typical Polish tradition - our Easter palms have almost nothing in common with palm tree leaves, with which Jesus entering Jerusalem was greeted.

See: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palma_wielkanocna

In some areas contests are organized for the longest and the most beautiful palm:
dzienniklodzki.pl/artykul/3803869,niedziela-palmowa-w-lowiczu-diecezjalny-konkurs-biskupa-lowickiego-zdjecia,id,t.html

Life / No Easter Bunnies in Poland? [7]

As Easter isn't so commercial as Christmas, the western Easter traditions don't attack Poland so much. There is, for example, at least in most of the country regions, no tradition of the Bunny bringing gifts, and giving gifts for Easter at all. Although I can hear from time to time in TV commercials about giving somebody the advertised product as a present for Easter. But the Easter Bunny as a symbol exists in Poland - with the difference that it's not a rabbit, but a hare (zajączek wielkanocny). For example you can buy a chocolate one in every shop, like a chocolate Santa Claus for Chritsmas.

According to Polish Wikipedia: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaj%C4%85c_wielkanocny
this tradition is cultivated in Silesia and Wielkopolska (Greater Poland), where the rabbit brings small gifts.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1033]

Ćwiczenia as a type of classes at university are tutorials.

Zaliczenie - maybe a final test. If you mean a kind of a test or exam. Credit or pass would be just the fact that the course is passed.

Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warsaw [99]

The best is to take a train. Book the ticket as early as possible, then you will pay 50 zł only for the fastest trains (2.5 h). You can do it online on intercity.pl/en

Life / Polish ID number - Numer Dowodu Osobistego required in Poland [7]

Maybe just don't do it online, but go to their service point? If they cannot do it on computer, let them fill in all the documents manually, on paper.

Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warsaw [99]


Warsaw-Cracow, ticket for tomorrow: 150 PLN in the 2nd class of the fastest type of train (EIP), 60 PLN in the 2nd class of the TLK train (slower and less comfortable, although some of them are not much slower than EIP).

June 14th - 42 PLN for TLK, 49 PLN for EIP. Both 2nd class.

EIPs are therfore about 3 times cheaper, TLKs are 30% cheaper.

See: bilet.intercity.pl

Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warsaw [99]

If you buy a ticket enough time in advance, then EIP is almost as cheap as TLK (which is also cheaper than, let's say, a day before the journey). With time the price difference grows :)

EIP are modern Pendolino vehicles, in TLK you can meet old-fashioned carriages with dirty toilets (although modern ones also happen). But I wouldn't say it's much worse. It's still a train and provides some comfort.

I think you should manage to catch the train. If you buy a ticket in a window at the station, then if you don't manage to catch the train, you can always change the reservation - even on the board, with the help of the conductor. In case of tickets bought online it's much more problematic. You have to buy a new one, cancel your ticket on the webpage and then send a complaint to get the money back.

Go to the PKP IC website and check the price of a ticket for today - the price of a ticket bought in a window at the station will be the same.

It is possible to buy a ticket on the bus in Warsaw. But it's a bit tricky. According to what I've read, in some buses there are ticket vending machines that accept only coins, in others they accept only payment by card. If there is no vending machine, the tickets should be sold by the driver, but they aren't obliged to sell tickets if they are delayed or if you don't have the exact amount of money, equal to the ticket price. I don't know how it is in Warsaw, but in £ódź it also often happens that the driver has no tickets because he has run out of them.

Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warsaw [99]

One tip - if you reach the station just before the departure of this TLK and it's impossible to buy the ticket in a window and manage to catch the train, just board it immediately. You can buy a ticket from the conductor, paying only 10 PLN (if I remember well, but for sure it's something around this) extra.

But this doesn't apply to EIP, for them this extra price is something like 100 PLN, or even a few hundreds :) For any other train category in Poland (EIC, IC, TLK, trains of other companies) you can always do like I've written.


If you take the train from airport, then you can catch one that leaves it at 18:50. And then change thains not at Warszawa Centralna but at Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West). You will have 15 minutes for the train change, and a whole hour for the whole airport stuff.



Schematic how to get to the train station:

You will find a ZTM ticket machine over there, where you can buy a 20-minute ticket for 3.40 PLN and it seems to be the cheapest option for the train. In a KM train (green one, like the one found by me) you must enter it with the first door counting from the front and give it to the conductor to let him validate it. In SKM trains (red ones, if you are at the airport train station earlier and you catch an earlier train there) you just validate it in a punching device.

It depends on from where are you coming, but if from Schengen area, then there is no passport control, so it's faster.

Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warsaw [99]

So maybe your friend could buy a train ticket for you at the ticket window at the station earlier? Then, unlike in case of buying it online, there is no problem with changing the train for which the ticket is sold, even when you are already on the train (I am not sure how it is with EIP, then it's better to do it at the ticket office).

If you have to go through Warszawa Centralna then you would have to choose such a connection:



(Warszawa Śródmieście /Warsaw Downtown/ is almost the same station as Warszawa Centralna, they are connected via an underground tunnel)

But in such a situation there is virtually no difference between the train from the airport and the bus 175, the bus is even better in that the bus stop is much closer to the exit from the terminal than the train station.

Maybe you could rearrange the meeting with your friend so that he would wait for you at Warszawa Zachodnia? It's smaller, so it would be easier to find each other, and it is very simple to get from Warszawa Centralna to Warszawa Zachodnia.

Study / Studying in University of Lodz as an Indian student? What's the city like - is it safe here? [56]

There is a lot of foreign students in £ódź and I wouldn't say it's unsafe for them. Of course it's always better to avoid some city areas at night, but I think it is valid everywhere in the world.