I feel there are at least a couple of posters here who would rip the sh!t out of my Polish if i got it wrong, even though I am a learner.
Nah, only Lyzko deserves that ;D
Most people here say my Polish is very good, but I know they are just being kind
We can always try you out in the "Po polsku" section of the forum :)
I know most many of the words in the polish language but I struggle to find them when making a sentence, and I don't always use them in the right context.
You could try to practice here on PF, I'm sure people would help you out.
Which is what I would have said - umyję naczynia, but this is obviously wrong.
Not really, people use this word too. I would say it's the case of coloquial Polish (umyję) vs. correct, "proper" Polish (pozmywam).
I have never attended schools and all that.
Wow, I have a sixth sense or sth :D
Is it wrong in the context of washing dishes?
"Pozmywać" is a word kind of "reserved" precisely for washing dishes, while you can use "umyć" for basically everything, except for laundry.
But it happens that people use "umyć" colloquially in case of washing dishes too.
What? that makes no sense.
You can use it in such cases:
-
Pomyję trochę naczyń, a potem obejrzę film. (I'll wash some dishes and then I'll watch a film.)
Lazy Husband :): -
Wiadomości się zaczęły! (The news are on!)
Wife: -
Zaraz przyjdę, pomyję tylko trochę naczyń! (I'll be right there, I'll just wash some dishes!)
It kind of implies a little that she won't wash all the dishes, just some, hence "pomyję" and not "umyję" ("u-" usually implies sth finished and "po-" the opposite). But one could use "umyję" in this context too (colloquially).
Again, it's coloquial Polish but it's possible to use it in this context.