GOL (goal), REMIS (draw), SPALONY (offside), THE MOST POPULAR FOOTBALL TERMS IN POLISH

With Euro 2016 in progress we simply can’t ignore it and not post an entry about football. All the more so because this topic is heatedly discussed in virtually each Polish class in our school these days (more on summer Polish courses here). Let’s get you ready then for your next get-together with Polish friends at a pub. In square brackets you will find the nominative of the footbal terms used in the text.

PIŁKA NOŻNA – BASIC VOCABULARY IN POLISH 
That’s right. Piłka nożna (football)  is almost like a religion in Poland. You can grać w piłkę (play football) on boisko (pitch) or watch a mecz piłki nożnej na stadionie [stadion] (a football match at the stadium) together with other kibice (fans). During this match you should dopingować ulubioną drużynę [drużyna] (i.e. cheer for your favourite team), or kibicować (support) in other words. In this case you can ask a friend Komu kibicujesz? (who are you supporting?). A match lasts 90 minutes and is played by two teams of jedenastu zawodników/ piłkarzy/ graczy [zawodnik, piłkarz, gracz] (eleven footballers/players). One of them is the bramkarz (goalkeeper), who broni bramki [bramka] (defends the goal). The other players are napastnik (striker), whose role is to attack, obrońca (defender), who’s responsible for defending the penalty area of his team and pomocnik (midfielder), who’s playing in the central part of the field. Outside the field there is ławka rezerwowych (the substitutes‘ bench) and it’s the trener or selekcjoner (coach) who decides which of the players and when will substitute one of the playing colleagues.
The proper course of the game is monitored by a sędzia (referee), also known as the arbiter, who is assissted by assistant referees. The referee will call czas dodatkowy (extra time) if necessary.

                                   More vocabulary not only related to football you can find on our FB site

WHAT’S GOING ON ON THE PITCH? RZUTY, GOLE, KARTKI 
During a match players score goals (strzelić gola). A team may wygrać (win) or przegrać (lose): Włochy wygrały z Hiszpanią 2:0 (Italy won against Spain 2:0). When both teams score the same number of goals or don’t score any goals, the match ends in a draw (remis). And when the match is played o awans do ćwierćfinału lub półfinału (to get into quarterfinals or semifinals) and the 90-minute game ends in a goalless draw, dogrywka (overtime) is called. Should this part end in no goals scored, the players start rzuty karne [rzut karny] (penalty shoot-out). That’s what happened when Poland was playing against Switzerland.
If a player is fouled, the referee stops the game and then restarts it by letting the team that suffered take a rzut wolny (free kick). Rzut wolny is also called when the foul is committed within pole karne (penalty mark). It may also be ruled as a result of spalony (offside), i.e. a situation when a player who is on the side of the pitch of the opposite team is closer to the goal line of the rivals than the ball is and does not have at least two players of the opposite team in front of him. There is an international synonym of the word spalony – ofsajd. Another international word we can think of is korner, or, to use a Polish word, rzut rożny (corner kick).  For a foul or other unsportsmanlike conduct the referee may punish the player with a żółta or czerwona kartka (yellow or red card).

Naturally, we know that this entry does not exhaust the topic, but we hope it will prepare you better for the next match you go to see together with your Polish friends and may even encourage you to play a game of football with them on a real pitch. Have fun!