The BEST Guide to POLAND
Unanswered  |  Archives 
 
 
User: Guest

Posts by kaprys  

Joined: 23 Jul 2017 / Female ♀
Warnings: 1 - A
Last Post: 31 Jul 2021
Threads: 3
Posts: 2,245
From: Poland
Speaks Polish?: yes

Displayed posts: 2248 / page 5 of 75
sort: Oldest first   Latest first   |
kaprys   
23 Aug 2017
Life / Health cover for a married couple in Poland [70]

I have seen people with such a lifestyle in several countries.
Aren't we getting too philosophical?
You know what your options are. Nobody is trying to force you to do anything. It's your call.
kaprys   
23 Aug 2017
History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [582]

I don't think he is the only one. People make their choices. What about reformed Jews, wouldn't they accept him as 'technically' Jewish too because of his Christian mother? I think I read it is acceptable for reformed Jews. Not sure, though.

What I find interesting about him is his view on the scale of antisemitism in Poland. I wonder where it comes from and the only answer that comes to my mind is what happened to his family in 1968. He felt rejected by Poland, so he rejected Poland, too.
kaprys   
24 Aug 2017
History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [582]

@Lyzko
And when I think it is possible to have a sensible conversation with you ...

Whose parents were gassed by a nameless enemy? Who was tortured?

As for the first part of your post, do you actually know who kapos were?
Never have I come across anyone referring to kapos as poor ...
kaprys   
24 Aug 2017
Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1033]

Did he say it when he wanted to say good night?
hits die spatch sounds like idź daj spać - go (away) and let me sleep but I guess your grandpa was more possible to say idź już spać- go to sleep now.

Booby dahck - buzi dać? to give a kiss

Just a guess. I can't think of any rhyme containing these. Perhaps someone will have a better idea.
kaprys   
24 Aug 2017
Real Estate / Apartment Numbers in Poland [3]

I don't think that is possible especially that there are different types of blocks with a different number of floors or number of flats on a given floor.

If you know someone and they want to give you their address, they will.
kaprys   
25 Aug 2017
Life / From Sweden to Zakopane (permanently), possible? [23]

When in Zakopane, knowing 'general Polish' won't be really helpful anyway. They speak their own dialect. They're also used to tourists so they may know some basic English.

After all, Hylander has visited the place and managed to survive without knowing Polish.

If you want to rent a flat, make sure one of your Polish friends is around when you sign the contract etc so that you understand everything.

Good luck.
kaprys   
25 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

If a native speaker of Polish pronounces r the uvular way, they probably need a speech therapist.

K in także is actually pronounced as g - one of many examples of udzwiecznienie.

Pre-war Polish films shouldn't be your guide to how Polish words are pronounced nowadays.

Finally, if you start learning a foreign language as an adult, you won't get rid of your accent.
But that's ok. It's part of who you are.
kaprys   
26 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

@Lyzko
Actually, he does. He can't pronounce Polish 'r' properly. If you don't believe me, ask other native speakers of Polish.

As I stated above, if you start learning a foreign language as an adult, you speak with an accent. It doesn't matter if you're Polish/French learning English or Spanish/American learning Polish or Hungarian. You can work on it and some people sound better in a foreign language than their compatriots, but a native speaker of that language will be able to notice it is not their mother tongue.

As for pronounciation of words in any language (you mentioned Polish ę), a lot depends on whether you pronounce a single word or a phrase containing that word, sentence stress or position in the sentence.
kaprys   
26 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

And that is why a good language course should include recordings of native speakers.
What else can you do to teach any foreign language anywhere?
You can't expect hundreds of thousands of native speakers of English, French, German, Spanish etc to get a degree in foreign language teaching and leave their countries to teach their mother tongue worldwide. That would be impossible.

As for the teacher you were talking about, well ... someone decided to hire her. She must have had a job interview. Why did they decide to hire her if her English and her Polish accent were so terrible? It is them to blame ...
kaprys   
27 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

@Lyzko
Wasn't that in the US? It seems quite surprising that there is a problem with bribery when it comes to teaching positions in the US :S

I'm not really into Hollywood films (especially black and white) or films in general. If I watch something on TV, it's usually a sitcom. I don't really need subtitles unless they speak a dialect or something. For example, I found 'Billy Elliot' challenging at times. :p

Still English subtitles are better. There might be some mistakes in translation. That applies to Polish films, too. I remember watching some Polish films with subtitles on TV Polonia and they were usually terrible. Perhaps it's better now. I don't know really.
kaprys   
28 Aug 2017
Travel / Planning a trip to Poland - Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane and other places - winter, Christmas [56]

December 24th is Christmas Eve and the day when Poles have their Christmas dinner - still a working day, though.
25th and 26th are public holidays and many businesses close but I guess many restaurants will offer special Christmas dinners as more and more people choose to go away for Christmas. I would recommend booking something in advance.
kaprys   
29 Aug 2017
Travel / Planning a trip to Poland - Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane and other places - winter, Christmas [56]

If their boss wants them to work, they work. The same applies to police officers, bus drivers etc. They work even if that means working in the afternoon/evening on December 24th. In fact, it seems to be a good day to make some money for restaurant owners. And as for foreign tourists, it's an opportunity to taste traditional Polish dishes. I believe some places will be open. However, some places might be already full (or actually closed because of the date), so it's best to book something in advance. The op's hotel may offer a special Christmas menu, too.

As for restaurants in Kazimierz, I doubt all the staff there are actually Jewish.
kaprys   
29 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

It's great to hear all American schools, even in small towns, can have their language teachers checked by native speakers of a given language sent to them from the local consulate. ;)

We don't have that in Poland, for sure.
It's even more amazing to hear that you know all American foreign language teachers and can assure us none of them speak the language they teach without the American accent.

Why do these kids speak German with such a strong American accent (even though their German teacher is obviously fantastic?)
youtube.com/watch?v=X67xPm0SUzA
kaprys   
29 Aug 2017
Travel / Planning a trip to Poland - Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane and other places - winter, Christmas [56]

The thing is that he can have pierogi or kosher food all year long - even the following day. But he'll have a chance to taste a full Polish Christmas Eve dinner only then. Even if he hates it - I agree some tastes might seem weird to non Poles, like dried forest mushrooms- it's good to try some local food.

When I went to Malta I met a guy who had visited Poland. He said he liked pierogi and barszcz. And their cuisine is really different.

Kazimierz is great. I really like it. He says he wants to spend several days in Kraków and the Jewish district is a must, IMHO.

But I still think he should try traditional Christmas food on Christmas Eve even if he chooses a restaurant in Kazimierz.
kaprys   
30 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

@Lyzko
And how can you judge his knowledge of grammar? He might have just seemed knowledgeable to someone who knows nothing about the language, like he didn't have to consult the coursebook. But wait: doesn't it sound like that Polish teacher whose lesson, you claim, you have observed.

And do you really not see how arrogant you sound? Self esteem is great but there is nothing wrong with being humble. Common sense is great, too. You can't possibly know every single US language teacher or assess their command of the target language. Not to mention Polish language teachers. Or bribery in Poland. For goodness sake, you have spent several hours in Poland twenty years ago. You really don't know Poland. Get off your high horse.

As for language teaching anywhere, people speak with an accent and sometimes make mistakes - that's normal. Even if they have a chance to consult a native speaker of the second language. Native speakers make mistakes, too. Some find it hard to see the difference between 'your' and 'you're', 'może' and 'morze' etc. There are good and bad teachers and students everywhere.

As for what this thread is about (as some people might actually be interested in learning Polish) if you want to learn Polish, you need to be dilligent and patient. Don't get discouraged when you make a mistake. They're part of the learning process. Don't get annoyed when someone corrects you. Read a lot. Watch films in Polish. Watch videos on youtube. Preferably about something you're interested in. Listen to songs in Polish. If someone doesn't understand you, rephrase what you want to say. As with any other foreign language.
kaprys   
30 Aug 2017
Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/kameczura.html

According to this site, there are only 78 people named Kameczura in Poland. Twenty-nine of them live in Kraków.
I'm afraid , I haven't found any information about the meaning of the name.
kaprys   
30 Aug 2017
Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

I agree with mafketis. It might be of some foreign origin but with a Polonised spelling like Szulc comes from German Schultz or Czamer comes from Scottish Chalmers. Or it was originally spelled in a different alphabet like the cyrilic.

You may try looking for the name on Facebook or Linkedin and message people with this name. Perhaps they know the origin of the name.
kaprys   
30 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

The king doth keep his revels here to-night.
Take heed the queen come not within his sight.

A fortnight later, by excellent good fortune, the doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to some five or six old cronies ...

I bet these will make my English sound more natural.

It's 'Zmruż oczy' and there is nothing wrong about the language used in the film. It sounds natural. Actors like Zamachowski and Chyra are amongs the best actors of their generation.

I'm not sure why I'm writing this. After all, some find it hard to understand my English.
kaprys   
30 Aug 2017
Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

I've actually got more results for Kameczura on Facebook.

Czura/ciura was a Cossack's servant.
Csura in Hungarian is translated to 'barn'
There was albo a Slavic deity called 'chur' (pronounced 'czur')

Kame may be derived from kamień - stone

But these are just guesses. The surname does sound mysterious.

I found a post in Polish (from 2009) whose author was looking for the family of Elizabeth Kruk nee Kameczura. Any relative of yours?
kaprys   
31 Aug 2017
Language / Where did you start or the best techniques for learning Polish. [85]

First you stated that the level of language had deteriorated and then mentioned 'Zmruz oczy' as opposed to 'Popiół i diament'. If you hadn't meant to complain about the language used in the film, perhaps you should have phrased it better.

I'm sick and tired of this 'discussion'. There are far too many digressions - just like in any discussion with you.

If anyone wants to practise their Polish, they should watch modern Polish films. They should also read modern Polish books. 'Pan Tadeusz' might be considered the greatest Polish epic poem but no one talks like this.
kaprys   
31 Aug 2017
Genealogy / Kameczura surname - any Polish people related? [30]

genealodzy.pl/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-3749-postorder-asc-start-1606.phtml

I can't message you so I'm pasting it here.

The forum is in Polish.
The user's name is Pacyna_Pawel.
You need to scroll down to see his post.
kaprys   
3 Sep 2017
Genealogy / Why are some Polish people dark complected, and others very light [511]

@romanian
Why so angry?
The reason why so many Poles think of Romanians as dark complected is the big number of Romanian Gypsies who came to Poland in the 1990s.

I have never been to Romania so it's hard to say. Several years ago I met a Romanian at a conference here in Poland. She was blonde with fair complexion. So I guess it all depends.

I wouldn't say Hungarians are very dark. The only Hungarian whose hair and complexion were slightly darker than an average Hungarian's was a woman whose family originated in Transylvania.