News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

@Ziemowit

Sadly so, and yet I would HOPE we'd challenge ourselves to do the right thing, even under such pressures to cave and do wrong!

Can all posters address the thread title please as I have just had to remove all the off topic posts regarding the Channel Islands

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]

Look up/google search Jedwabne and Kielce, buddy! If you know how to read, you'll understand perfectly:-) Once again, you're entitled to your own opinions, but NOT to your own factsLOL

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

I might ask you the same question there, Vox! Your ripostes are far more infantile; they defy both simple logic as well as historical fact:-)

You might want to consider to stop trolling!!

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

I agree. Sadly, this still isn't the case. While visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau only a few months ago, a relative of mine who speaks a little Polish merely asked a groundskeeper on the site of the concentration camp where the information office was, only to be met with "Why do you people always have to keep reminding us?!", whereupon my aunt barked back "Because you people will never let us forget!"

Tit for tat.

News / Germany provoke Poland using Silesian question. Poland's attitude ? [124]

Silesians are considered Germanic by other Poles, but Polish by the Germans:-)

Ahh, the cruel ironies ("lauter Treppenwitze") of history.

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]

Jedwabne was separate from Kielce! I and everyone here knows that. In the former, the Jews were burned in an abandoned farmhouse. In the latter, they were massacred.

Same difference:-)

Also, I'm not Poland bashing. I love Chopin and Moniuszko, as well as Mickiewicz same as the next person. I also see the horror behind the beauty!

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]

Shoe's on the other foot, sonny boy!! Your ignorance is frightening; your prejudice even more so:-)

News / Germany provoke Poland using Silesian question. Poland's attitude ? [124]

Then I guess I'm not the wood way, he-he:-) Thanks for the correction!
lol

See you didn't like the pun. Oh, well....

By the way however, apropos of the Polish-German dilemma, the late Guenter Grass considered himself a German, although according to today's geography, he of course was born in that-time Danzig, these days Gdańsk, making him geopolitically a Pole:-))

One of his parents was a Kaszub, the other, German. Perhaps " The Tin Drum" was closer to the truth after allLOL

Sorry, mods!

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]

It does, Vox!

Clearly you're more interested in trolling than in truth, so let's cut the garbage right here and now!
Noone's saying that NO Poles participated, only that the lie that Poland was exclusively victim of the Nazis no longer holds water any more, than the myth of little Switzerland as eternal Heidiland or the poor Austrians who couldn't help bur follow Hitler etc.. ad nauseum

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

Vox dear fellow, I think you might not have understood my last post! The point of the story is that the fact that places like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek and other camps still stand is precisely because far too many European gentiles (who also call themselves Christians, by the way) continue to remind Jews that they are not wanted in their country. When the man said that he was tired of being reminded about Auschwitz etc.., his own bigotry and that of others like him, doesn't permit the Jews of Europe to simply "move on". Herein lies the problem!

The nation which stands out in this sub-discussion is not Poland, but Hungary, whose Jobbik party scares the daylights out of me. Despite all the talk of Polish-Hungarian Friendship, Orban is far more xenophobic than nearly any Polish leader in recent memory.

Life / Where can I get a good American Haircut in Poznan? [18]

An American-"style" haircut as compared with a kancik.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

Your point being? That not all Poles were evil, anti-semitic thugs etc..?

I know that. So do all enlightened people.

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]

Job opportunities in Poland, I'd imagine, would still be in the area of I.T. Sweden too probably isn't that much different, as is Germany:-)

I also keep up with what's happening on the continent, and it seems that whenever a new start-up grabs the headlines, it's typically an information technology firm!

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

You bet! I simply advise most of them in Polish that they needn't butcher my language any more than I should or shouldn't be permitted to mutilate theirs!

They're frequently non-plused!
LOL

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

True, Wulkan! A crying shame therefore that not more of them admit it:-)
LOL

Language / Is math in Polish different than in English? [59]

I find this most enlightening. All I knew before checking out this thread was that in certain countries, counting begins with the thumb extended slightly, rather than than with the index finger. For instance, if I went to a pub in Germany and asked for one beer, but my thumb were still visible (as opposed to tucked neatly beneath the fist of my hand), I might instead be served two:-)

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

Correct, TheOther! The Golden Rule has always been "He who has the gold makes the rule!" - Randi Rhodes

@
Prime

"Simple"?? What makes English any simpler for a Pole, say, than Polish for a native English speaker?? It's just a matter of perception in end:-)

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

Maybe so, Crow. And maybe not:-) Often, at least with English, this perceived ease of acquisition creates a "tortoise - and - the - hare" symdrome, whereby the foreign English learner thinks the language ever so simple, he/she early on begins to rest on their laurels, making little concerted effort to mastering the more complicated aspects of English which raise it from a sort of cross-cultural baby talk and more on the level of intelligent, articulate (not necessarily academic) conversation!

In order to master Polish, a lot more is required than merely manipulating street slang with a near-native accent! How about the stuff which conversely makes Polish a rich and textured tongue, e.g. Mickiewicz, Tuwim etc.. Necessary for everyday conversation??! Perhaps not for bare-bone basics. Yet, how boring would any communication be were it not peppered liberally with interesting phrases, saws and instances so as (horrors!!!) to make the speakers of that language sound half-way literate, rather than like a bunch of NeanderthalsLOL

Study / German v.s. Russian, language usefulness in Poland? [54]

Probably Russian is easier for Poles, and yet, German for outsiders is likely more widespread (although not as much as English):-)

Many Poles learn German and most in my experience speak/write it light years better than English!

Study / German v.s. Russian, language usefulness in Poland? [54]

Probably the only logical choice, Wulkan. It's really almost like German vs. Dutch. Netherlanders (except for the French-speaking, non-Flemish minority in Belgium) invariably switch, or at least, prefer to switch to English when addressing Germans, unless the German has a solid knowledge of Dutch, which is pretty unlikely:-))

Typically enough, the language with the greater speaker percentage, e.g. Russian, won't understand much of the neighboring language with the lesser speaker percentage, e.g. Polish. Same with Dutch and German!

Life / POLISH YOUTH compared to the youth in other Western countries? [57]

Well, the Polish parliament until recently featured a POLISH-SPEAKING black Nigerian, John Godson. So there you are!
Think you'll find that in such "havens" of diversity such as Germany, Sweden, even multi-culti France???

Study / German v.s. Russian, language usefulness in Poland? [54]

Apropos my most recent visit to the Netherlands, with my less than fluent Dutch I asked a fellow along the highway from my car window whether he knew where the nearest "uitvaart" is, as I'd missed the exit prior. Thinking "uitvaart" means the identical "Ausfahrt" (wyjazd) in German, the fellow looked at us as though we had two heads and walked on.

Instead of asking for the nearest exit, I was asking for the nearest "FUNERAL"!!!!
LOL

Same difference between Russian and Polish. If I "pukać" at the door in Poland, it's quite different from "pukat" at the door in Russia.

Only the nose knows best:-)))

Study / German v.s. Russian, language usefulness in Poland? [54]

Indeed, and to potential embarrassmentLOL

@Polonius, or Pol. "stały" vs. Czech "staly"...
Many Russian words though are not false friends in Polish, as they no longer have an equivalent in that language (if they ever had), e.g. "vremya" (Pol. "czas" > Old Polish "wręmie", and not extant!).

"Tjas" in Russian, of course, means "hour" (cf. Pol. "godzina" with "god" meaning "year in Russian) etc...

I heard from a Polish acquaintance that English has widely been gaining popularity, surpassing even German, among university students ( also for those planning on working in Germany)!!

When last in the Federal Republic, I sadly observed many a frustrated European foreigner, often young Poles, desparately trying to make themselves understood in German, finally throwing in the towel, as it were, and attempting English with their German interlocutor:-)

The results frequently left much to be desired.

Study / German v.s. Russian, language usefulness in Poland? [54]

Or vice versa with you teaching English if learners came here with some (similar) questions:-)

I also have Polish acquaintances who claim to speak fluent Russian:-) A Polish tourguide once told me that most Poles understand at least some Russian, though nobody speaks it (..on purposeLOL)!

Study / German v.s. Russian, language usefulness in Poland? [54]

..and quite another, to actually speak it fluently:-)

Language / The differences between these words: Oni plywaja / plyna / biegaja /biegna /chodza /ida [18]

Do yourself(-ves) a really big favor and BYPASS Rosetta Stone!! For the basics it's okay, for the finer points of basic grammar other than everyday conversation, it's not worth bupkis:-)

"iść" in Polish is what is know as a 'determinate' verb, "go" i.e. it indicates an action taking place at the moment, not necessarily on a daily basis. For instance, "Idę dziś popołudniu do szkoły." = I'm going (over) to school this afternoon. (..but I'm not necessarily attending the school).

"chodzić" in Polish is what is commonly referred to as an 'interative' verb and indicates either an action repeated on a daily basis or can be used for the English verb "come". For example: "Chodzę do szkoły." = I go to school (...and am a pupil). vs. "Antosiu, chodź tu!" = Hey, Tony! Come over here!

While there's a heck of a lot more to be said on this subject, Rosetta doesn't even come close. On the other hand, how many standard texts for both Poles or foreigners actually do?

Language / Slavic languages words similarities with Polish [238]

Hardly necessary, Vlad. Only one or two examples would suffice nicely:-)

Language / Slavic languages words similarities with Polish [238]

As with certain modern languages, related word stock often retains a slightly different, i.e. perhaps more formal, caste in some cases, or even an old-fashioned ring, c.f. Polish "mówić" vs. Ukrainian "mowit" etc...

Language / Slavic languages words similarities with Polish [238]

Another example may be "gwara" = dialect in Polish/"gwar" = noisy, distracting speaking vs. "govorit", the standard Russian word for "speak":-)

Language / Slavic languages words similarities with Polish [238]

Polish "lody" = ice-cream vs. Russian marazhenie(??) = ice-cream cf. "mrózić" (Pol.) to freeze......
"Mrózenie" = freezing (as a noun, NOTHING to do with ice-creamLOL)