Short Polish<->English translations

To be honest the speech you've written is quite complicated for a novice speaker of Polish. You'd really need to write it down and read it which would be a bit much really especially as you'd be stumbling over the pronunciation. So I would suggest:

Wie Pan, kocham Kasią bardzo. Chciałbym prosić o rękę Pana/Państwa córki. Czy mogę?

That basically translates as "You know I love Kasia very much. I would like to ask for your daughter's hand. May I?" Pana if it's just him you're talking to, Państwa if it's the mother and father.

Then after the hugs and kisses etc and the tears of joy and the vodka, you can say "Jutro, zapytam ją" I will ask her tomorrow.

Now I'm not a native Polish speaker so there may be errors there or it may not be the 'correct' way but it'll do the job! Hope that helps. Good luck - let us know how it goes.

Okay, I just looked up a couple of Polish (in Polish) forums where people discuss this very issue.

There is very broad agreement that this is not necessary or even advisable at present. Some random comments (all by Polish women) give you the general idea (nb my translations are free and idiomatic and not literal)

"a bym się czuła niczym sprzedawana za kozę" (I would feel like I'd been traded for a goat)

"Sama bym sie ze wstydu spaliła gdyby mój mąz odstawił szopke przed rodzicami, a oni by go śmiechem zabili. " (For myself, I'd die of shame of my husband put on a show like that before my parents and they would die laughing)

"Lepiej ich nie proś o rękę córki, bo co zrobisz jak się nie zgodzą?" (Better not ask for their daughter's hand, what are you gonna do if they say no?"

"ale jakby facet poprosił mnie o rękę przy rodzinie poczulabym się zażenowana i zawstydzona...to jednak dosyć intymna chwila." (But if some guy proposed to me in front of my family I'd feel embarrassed and ashamed - it's supposed to be an intimate moment"

"osobiście spaliłabym się ze wstydu gdyby chłopak chciał kląkać przed moim ojcem... masakra i porażka." (personally I'd die of shame if my boyfriend wanted to kneel in front of my father, what an epic fail)

etc etc etc

My advice: Ask Kasia and after she says yes, ask how you should inform her parents (or ask for their blessing) including something that you can say in Polish.

It sounds really nice to me (except it should be "Kasię" which is the accusative of "Kasia").


Asking parents for their blessing may these days seem in Poland some Anglo-saxon way of doing things known mostly from American films. But since he is foreigner, it makes sense and may be truly welcomed and accepted by all the parties involved

The critical thing is to _not_ spring this on Kasia in front of her parents.

He doesn't know them, she does. If she wants to marry him she'll know the best way to tell them (which might include having him "officially" ask them in Polish).

That's true. Maybe Kasia does not want to marry him at all, so she would feel very embarrased ...

I knew I'd make a mistake somewhere! Nigdy, nigdy will I ever understand Polish grammar but never mind. Thank you very much for your kind words and your help Ziem.


Well he said he wanted to get the Dad on his own so I don't think he was planning to.

I would agree that it's very old fashioned to ask the parents first. Some women would really be annoyed to think that you'd discussed a very personal thing like that with the family and as Ziem says what if she doesn't want to marry him. I think the normal way nowadays is for the couple to announce the good news together. However, for some reason men who are involved with a Polish woman, seem to come over all minor European Princeling, bowing and heel clicking and 'küss die hand bitte gnädiges Frau" vibe. But,if he wants to do it that way, let him.

But you did not make a mistake with "prosić o rękę". "Ręka" is as feminine a noun as "Kasia" and the former was also put in the accusative.

Prosić (kogo, co?) : Kasię (accusative)
Prosić o (kogo? co?) : rękę (accusative)

As an addendum (and some consolation) for you, I shall add that Polish grammar has been somewhat simplified over the ages. We do not have the dual number any more!

ręka - ręce - ręki : [singular - dual - plural]
noga - nodze - nogi : [singular - dual - plural]

Polish, like German and other inflected European languages, is ever so precise, albeit far from "logical"!
I stopped trying to find or translate the "logic" of other languages umpteen years back, as I saw I wouldn't
get anywhere, and so merely began to accept their vaguries and simply chalked it all up to cultural difference:-)

An unusually nuanced language, Polish, I find.

How would I say the following in Polish?...

- Did you have a good weekend?
- How was your weekend?
- Did you have a good day?
- How was your day?

Thanks!

Czy spedziles (-as) dobry weekend?/ Czy.....................przyjemny weekend?
Jak spedziles (-as) weekend?
Czy miales (-as) mily dzien?

You're asking here no doubt for "literal" rather than "sense" translations which reflect the Polish mindset.
As in many European languages, such Anglo-Saxon type questions can rarely be rendered as such , except perhaps figuratively,
as small talk is usually far less common in those countries than it is here in the US, maybe in the UK as well:-)

Tried my best!

Merged:

HELP NEED A LETTER TRANSLATED.

I was born in Poland but adopted out at 12 years old. I've since forgotten most of the language. I recently got in touch with my biological father who does not speak English. He sent me a letter that I would love to read. Can someone help me and translate it for me please?

How can I say ''She cheated me'' as Polish? and how can I say that with Polish name? For example ''Iza cheated me'' ... p.s: I love Iza Lach :)

Thank you

"Ona moze mnie wkrecac." comes to mind, but it might not be as idiomatically vernacular in the same way a native Pole would say it.