You go to Poland, direction Warsaw, Lodz, Gdansk or Krakow ? Here is a lexicon of Polish expressions to remember before leaving!
Getting out of beaten paths and basic phrases of survival lexicon can always be interesting when travelling to a new country. By going to visit Poland, knowing some Polish expressions may be very useful, especially the most popular Polish phrases, to speak as a native. Or almost.
Having taken intensive Polish courses with a particular teacher, you will know the survival lexicon – hello, thank you, I would like a room, two beers please, three train tickets, etc. – but will you know the street? Here are some widespread Polish expressions and familiar to learn before leaving!
1. Basic expressions
Photo credit: Unsplash – Sylwia Bartyzel
– “ Dzień dobry! » : Hello! – “ Dobry wieczór! Good evening! – “ Cześć! » : Hi! – “ Do widzenia! » : Goodbye! – “ Jesteś w porządku? » : How are you? – “ Tak / Nie » : Yes / No – “ Przepraszam » / « Przepraszam! “: Please / Sorry! – “ Dziekuję » : Thank you – “ Zrozumialem » / « Nie rozumiem » : I understood / I don't understand. – “ Nie Wiem » : I don't know. – “ Przepraszam... » : Excuse me? – “ Bardzo mi przykro » : I'm sorry – “ Mam... » / « Nie mam... » : I... / I didn’t... – “ Nazywam się... » : My name is... – “ Pochodzę... » : I just... – “ Czy ktoś tu mówi ...? » : Does anyone talk... here? – “ Jestem francuzem – [yèsse-tème franne-tsou-zème] » / « Jestem francuzką – [yèsse-tème franne-tsou-scon] » : I am French / I'm French. – “ Gdzie jest...? » : Where is ...? – “ W prawo – [v’pra-vo] » / « W lewo – [v’lè-vo] » : Right / left – “ Bus – [aw-to-bousse] » / « Samolot – [sa-mo-lotte] « / Pociąg – [po-tchonque] » : Bus / Aeroplane / Train
2. No to strzemiennego!
We know the French expression “to be drunk as a Polish”. Well in Poland, we say as in France "Okay, one for the road!". At the bar, before we leave a friend's house, we get a last drink.
Example "Go on, you'll have a last drink! " No to strzemiennego! »
3. Patrzeć na coś przez różowe okulary
This Polish expression means "to see life in pink", "to see things on the right side", or "to look for positive". It’s a lot of words for a simple speech, but we could use it as follows: “Look the right side of things, you haven’t lost everything! »
4. Miec muchy w nosie
When you’re in an irritable mood and there’s nothing wrong with you, the French say “to get up from the wrong foot,” or “to get up from the left foot.” The Poles, they say "have flies in the nose."
Example “What happens to you, you have flies in your nose or what? "You're in a bad mood or what? »
5. Czuc do kogos miete
Czuc do kogos miete means "Ressenting mint to someone." What is this expression? Well, you may have already guessed, that means “to have the crush”, attraction. But this locution also works for a friendly relationship and evokes crochu atoms.
Example “I like her Maria, I have mint for her.”
6. Wypchac sie sianem
How to send a grammar in Polish? In the face of a delicate situation or a conversation that will embarrass us, one can sometimes get angry. So we say "Go and make you see" (to remain polite). The Poles say Wypchac sie sianem ", which means " Have some hay." Cute, right?
7. Juz po ptakach
Juz po ptakach is used in Poland to say "coming late", and means "coming after birds". In France, we often say "coming after the battle", "coming after the smoke of the candles". The Poles have a poetic equivalent to this expression: arriving after the birds.
Example "The train had already gone when I arrived" or "The conference had been over for ten minutes when I arrived" will say, juz po ptakach! »
8. Rzucac grochem o sciane
How do we regret that his remarks are ignored by his audience? The equivalent of “to fall into the ear of a deaf” is said rzucac grochem o sciane in Polish, and means "Jeter small peas against a wall". And yes, throwing peas against a wall doesn't make any noise at all!
9. Być nie w sosie
Feel sick. Don't be on his plate. Don't you feel good this morning? Byé nie w sosie ! There is not really a literal transcription to this Polish expression.
10. Biały kruk
This Polish expression serves to evoke something rare, not found. Perhaps our French equivalent would be “It’s like finding a needle in a hay boot ". Like finding a giant panda in Tibet, or a koala in Australia.
Example “I saw a tiger of Bengal in India! " Bialy kruk! »
11. Raz na ruski rok
Here is another example of Polish expression referring to rarity, but in the sense of frequency: raz na ruski rok. It is pronounced when something happens very rarely, like our phrase "every thirty-six of the month" in French.
12. Być świętszym od papieża
A little bonus for the road? A little more political, this one: byé świętszym od papieża means "to be more royalist than the king." This expression of Chateaubriand, meaning the fact of zeal to defend the interests of a person with all the more fierce than she would do, is found in Poland. On travel, the sentence byé świętszym od papieża will decide more on the tone of humor, with friends!
How to learn other expressions and vocabulary in Polish?
Learning is good, but it requires some assiduity. To do so, we have selected you some books to perfect your Polish practice, and thus work the language a little more every day:
- Polish right now! - Tak! - Polish Conversation Kit
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