POLISH CHRISTMAS EVE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

WIGILIA MEANS A VIGIL
During the time before Christmas, students of the Polish language courses for foreigners often ask about the Polish Christmas customs and traditions. There are so many of them and they are so interesting that it can take more than one lesson to describe them.
In Poland, the Christmas time begins with the Christmas Eve supper. The name Wigilia is derived from the Latin word vigilia, which means keeping vigil at night, standing guard. During this day it is important to show kindness to each other, since, according to the Polish tradition, it will guarantee us a good ambience throughout the next year.

POLISH RECIPE FOR PROSPERITY
It is considered a good idea to put one scale from the Christmas Eve carp into your wallet. This will bring you prosperity and secure abundance.
Beautifully decorated Christmas tree - choinka -  (do you know that Poland is one of the largest manufacturers of glass Christmas ornaments?) symbolises the tree of life and placing gifts under it is in Polish tradition a sign of goodness and sharing the joy. Following Polish custom, we begin the Christmas Eve supper with the appearance of the first star in the sky. In this way we make a reference to the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to newborn Christ to the three Magi of the East.

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COLOURED [COMMUNION] WAFERS
Before we sit down at the table, in Poland we share wafers with each other (it’s baked from white flour and water without any yeast). The breaking of this wafer signifies a sacrifice for others. This simple gesture brings people closer together and means that we want to share what we have with our loved ones. In the countryside, farmers share, additionally, a coloured wafer. A long time ago each animal species was given a wafer in a specific colour: there was red for horses, which would protect from evil and malediction, yellow for cows (with the addition of the rue plant), to prevent the milk from going bad, and the one with pepper added for dogs so that they would become yet better guardians of the household. Nowadays farmers usually share a green wafer with plant eating animals and the orange one with carnivore farm animals. As a rule, it takes place on Christmas Eve, but in some regions of Poland on Christmas Day or even Boxing Day.

SYMBOLS ON A CHRISTMAS EVE TABLE
To remind us about the place in which Christ was born, but also to ensure prosperity, we place a handful of hay on the Christmas Eve table. We cover the table with a white tablecloth (the symbol of purity) and on top of it we set a candle (the symbol of Christ himself) and one spare set of dinnerware. This set is meant for an unannounced guest and it is also a token of remembrance about our loved ones that are far way or those that passed away forever. And of course, the 12 dishes, about which you can read here.

CHRISTMAS CAROLLING IN POLISH
At Christmas we cannot miss singing carols together. Polish Christmas carols are regarded the most beautiful in the world. Ask your teacher for help and learn at least one verse of a Polish carol for this Christmas:

                                                 Bóg się rodzi, moc truchleje,
                                              God is born, the power shakens,
                                                 Pan niebiosów obnażony!
                                             The Lord of Heavens lies naked!
                                                Ogień krzepnie, blask ciemnieje,
                                                    Fire stalls, light darkens,
                                                  Ma granice Nieskończony.
                                                  The Eternity has now limits.
                                                  Wzgardzony, okryty chwałą,
                                                 Scorned, showered with praise,
                                                Śmiertelny Król nad wiekami!
                                                   Mortal King over the ages!
                                                   A Słowo Ciałem się stało
                                                  The Word was made Flesh
                                                   I mieszkało między nami.
                                             And made his dwelling among us.

                               Franciszek Karpiński: Bóg się rodzi/God is Being Born

ĆWICZYĆ, UPRAWIAĆ I PRAKTYKOWAĆ OR ON SPORT IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE

ĆWICZENIA Z JĘZYKA POLSKIEGO (POLISH LANGUAGE EXERCISES)
Sport is one of the most popular topics among the participants of our Polish language courses. Within its context, however, several verbs appear, which often causes confusion. The students are already familiar with the verb ćwiczyć (to exercise/work out) and they know that one can ćwiczyć at a gym or a fitness club, but this word may also be used with regard to the issues related to the work of the brain. Therefore, we can ćwiczyć mówienie po polsku (practise speaking Polish), ćwiczyć gramatykę
robiąc ćwiczenia gramatyczne (practise grammar through doing grammar exercises) lub ćwiczyć rozwiązywanie zadań matematycznych (practise solving mathematical problems, e.g. before an exam). However, when we talk about specific sport disciplines (sailing, basketball, volleyball, skating etc.) we need another verb.

JAKI SPORT UPRAWIASZ? WHAT CAN YOU UPRAWIAĆ IN POLISH?
First of all, in Polish we never do sports (nie robimy sportu), but we cultivate / practise it (uprawiamy go). We use the same form when referring to specific disciplines when we want to emphasise that they are present in our lives on a regular basis. Obviously, you can say that you play basketball (gramy w koszykówkę) but if you spend half of your spare time on a basketball court, saying uprawiam koszykówkę (I practise / cultivate basketball) is more adequate (gram w siatkówkę - uprawiam siatkówkę; pływam - uprawiam pływanie; jeżdżę na nartach - uprawiam narciarstwo, żegluję - uprawiam żeglarstwo etc.). In the Polish language you can also uprawiać jogę, pilates, body balance, lekkoatletykę, but also...seks. You can check here for the other contexts in which you can use this verb and for its inflection.

VERBS PRAKTYKOWAĆ AND TRENOWAĆ IN A POLISH LESSON
When talking about sport, foreigners learning Polish ask about the verbs trenować (to train) and praktykować (to practise). Both of these forms are very easy to memorise, they have similarly-sounding equivalents in other languages, and as a consequence, they are particularly commonly used by the foreigners. Well … here is where a problem comes in, since in the Polish language these verbs can be used only in strictly defined contexts. We can trenować do triathlonu, maratonu, trenować boks lub karate – that is intensively practise (ćwiczyć), because the specificity of the sport or the fact that we are (semi) professionals requires it.
In the Polish language we practise (praktykujemy) yoga, Zen, Buddhism or any other religion – this verb thus relates to activities staying rather within the spiritual sphere, it indicates exercise but at the mental level (by saying ćwiczę jogę we concentrate on the aspect of performing physical exercise and not on the spiritual sphere).

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In summary, to have a good command of the Polish language it is necessary to dużo ćwiczyć (practise a lot) and here uprawianie sportu (doing / cultivating sports) in a group with Polish colleagues can turn out really helpful. Furthermore, sportowe treningi (sports trainings) should be supported by praktyka medytacji (meditation practice) so that our brains will be ready to absorb a greater amount of knowledge during the Polish language courses.

CO MOŻE MORZE? - HOMONYMS OF POLISH LANGUAGE

ONE OR TWO WORDS?
Everybody who has been learning Polish, whether during a group course (you can learn more abort courses for foreigners here), or in individual lessons, must have noticed that there are words in Polish that sound or are spelled the same but have a different meaning. Obviously, we are talking about homonyms that can sometimes amuse students but at other times simply confuse them.

MAMY MAMY – REPETITION OR A DIFFERENT MEANING?
Let us take a closer look at the word mamy, which in the Polish language is the 1st person of plural form of the verb mieć in the present tense and looks quite innocent. What does then mamy mamy mean then? Is it just an erroneous repetition or a piece of information stating that we have mothers? Mamy is also a plural form of the noun mama (mother).
Thanks to homonyms one can state while playing cards with friends: nie dam dam, that is I’m not going to give away the queens (in Polish, the playing card called queen is referred to as a lady i.e. dama). The word dam denotes here both the 1st person singular form of the verb dać (to give) in the future tense and the genitive plural form of the noun dama (literally a lady; in cards, meaning a queen). Here we are dealing with the similarity between two distinct forms resulting from inflection of two different words.

MOŻE ON MOŻE POJECHAĆ NAD MORZE
In the beginning some of you might be surprised by the information that the word może is the 3rd person singular form of the verb móc as well as a way to express uncertainty. Additionally, there comes yet another morze (this time spelled with rz), which means sea. We have here then as many as three words that sound the same and on top of that two of them are spelled identically, however, their meanings have nothing to do with each other. There are many such words in the Polish language. Sometimes two different verbs can have identically pronounced forms in different tenses:

Po podróży goście długo myli się przed kolacją
(the verb myć się – to wash oneself - in the past tense 3rd person plural form).
but
Saper myli się tylko jeden raz
(the verb mylić się – to make a mistake - in the present tense 3rd person singular form).

CONTEXT IS YOUR BEST FRIEND
To avoid making mistakes related to homonyms, when we have any doubts it is worth paying extra attention to the context. From the context we will know whether our interlocutor is using the word ranny meaning something that takes place in the morning hours:

Tuż po wschodzie słońca słuchałem śpiewu rannych ptaków
Or meaning “wounded”:
Kilka rannych ptaków czekało na pomoc lekarza.

To był duży bal charytatywny, w którym wzięło udział wielu znanych ludzi (bal – a big dance party, a ball).
To był duży bal drewna i ludzie nie mogli go podnieść bez pomocy maszyn (bal – a log of wood).

                                You can find more interesting facts about the Polish language on our FB profile. 

Ó – A SHORT STORY OF A CERTAIN POLISH LETTER

WHERE DID Ó COME FROM?
As early as during their first Polish language lessons, when working on the Polish alphabet, the course  participants are stunned by some of the Polish letters. However, none of these letters, neither vowels ą / ę, nor ć, dź, ś, ż, ź, absorb the foreigners as much as the small, beautiful and mysterious ó. What's the point of this letter, how do you pronounce it, and in which words does it occur? Ladies and gentlemen, the hero of today's episode is the letter Ó.

EVOLUTION OF Ó
In a nutshell, there used to exist short and long vowels in the Polish language. The letter were recorded with a characteristic, long dash above the a, e, i, u, and consequently also above o (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). While the other vowels disappeared over time, ó has remained as a sort of peculiar relic of the past. Still, there are a lot of words in Polish that have kept the historical spelling based on the old pronunciation (chór – choir, góra – mountain, król - king, mózg - brain, późno – late, źródło - water spring, ogórek - cucumber, etc.).

U OR Ó? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AND WHERE CAN WE ENCOUNTER Ó?
This is a very common question in a Polish language course. Students are concerned with the fact that we have two letters that sound the same. Is their pronunciation really the same? Are the u in Ursula (a Polish female name) and the ó in Józef (a Polish male name) pronounced in the same way? Well, yes! Nowadays, there is only a spelling difference between these letters. The letter ó occurs very often in word endings: - ów, - ówna, - ówka (Kraków – the city of Cracow, kreskówka - cartoon, lodówka – refrigerator, etc.). You will never see it at the end of a word, and very rarely at the beginning (ósma - eighth, ósemka – the number eight, ów – that one, ówczesny – of that time).

Do you like the letter Ó slightly more now?

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EXERCISE FOR YOUR TONGUE – POLISH TONGUE-TWISTERS

EVERY LANGUAGE HAS ITS DARK SIDE… OF PRONUNCIATION
When we begin our adventure with learning a foreign language, apart from practical phrases and expressions, we are bound to encounter tongue-twisters. Such combinations of words are usually very difficult to repeat and every language has that “something” that causes serious problems with pronunciation.
Among many of the foreigners learning Polish there is a widespread conviction that this language has very complex phonetics. Well, if you happen to overhear Polish people talking to each other on the streets, you might, indeed, conclude that they are making some sort of whistling and crackling sounds. The popular tongue-twisters that your Polish acquaintances tend to use to “frighten” the foreigners, only seem to prove that notion.

POLISH IS NOT AS HORRIBLE AS IT MAY SEEM
Don’t be scared, though! During a Polish language course, especially the one for beginners (if you are looking for a good course, you should definitely look here), you won’t need to repeat the famous verses about a beetle making sounds in the reeds in Szczebrzeszyn (pol. chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie w Szczebrzeszynie) or about the postmaster from Tczew dancing cha-cha (pol. poczmistrz z Tczewa tańczący cza-czę). In fact, tongue-twisters, in spite of their name, are not meant to twist or break your tongue, and even less so to discourage you from learning, but to practice what’s difficult and troublesome. That is why you shouldn’t be afraid of them. You simply need to get used to the sound of the language first, and then practise phrases and words which are of more practical use, such as Jak się pan nazywa? rather than the abovementioned chrząszcz or piegża (white-throated warbler). Only then, just for fun, can you try to repeat some of the Polish tongue-twisters. And there are quite a few of them.

A CHALLENGE NOT ONLY FOR A FOREIGNER
We shouldn’t forget that these tongue-twisters have appeared not without a reason and some of them are a great challenge even for the native Polish speakers. All consonant clusters that are pronounced with such beautiful whistling and whishing are not hard for native speakers to pronounce as long as they appear in separate words. However, when too many of such words come together, they Poles might “over-whish it” and instead of saying: Sasza szedł suchą szosą (Sasha was walking along a dry road), you’ll get something like: Szasza szedł szuszą szoszą.
It is just as hard to pronounce the words such as artyleria (artillery), artyleryjski (adjective derived from the noun artillery) or rewolwer (revolver). In the Polish language “r” and “l” are close in articulation point (by the way, artykulacja is another difficult word) and therefore it’s easy to make a mistake.

       More Polish tongue-twisters and interesting facts about the Polish language you can find on our FB profile

So, if any of your Polish acquaintances asks you to repeat: cesarz czesze cesarzową, a cesarzowa czesze cesarza (the emperor is combing the empress and the empress is combing the emperor), you can suggest that you will give it a try, but in exchange you should ask them to repeat: król Karol kupił królowej Karolinie korale koloru koralowego (king Karol has bought a bead necklace of coral colour for queen Karolina). You can rest assured that it’s not going to be an easy task.
Let’s not forget that most Poles have been learning these tongue-twisters all their lives. When they rattle them off without pausing for breath, you can be sure they have done it many times before.

And if you want to pleasantly surprise both the Poles and foreigners speaking Polish, it is enough, while spending time in your cosy domesticity, to memorize one of such tongue-twisters (in case of difficulties just ask your teacher for help), and then to show what you can do. And then, it will turn out that Polish is easy after all (and especially so, when you learn it at Po Polsku)!

MIGRATING "SIĘ", OR A VERY FLEXIBLE POLISH PHRASE :)

WHERE SHOULD SELF (SIĘ) FIND ITSELF? ;) 
A simple question with an equally simple answer it would seem, but then again very often asked during the Polish language courses. Students are quite concerned with the fact that they hear the reflexive pronoun się in different parts of a sentence. Is it possible that the position of this pronoun is … random? Well,… very often… it is. It mainly applies to questions. We can say jak się pani nazywa? and jak pani się nazywa? (literally how do you call yourself, lady/miss?) and still, both questions are correct! There is no difference between: jak się pan czuje? and  jak pan się czuje? (literally how do you feel yourself, sir/mister?); gdzie znajduje się centrum? and gdzie się znajduje centrum? (literally where does the centre find itself meaning where is the centre located); dlaczego się jeszcze nie umyłeś? and dlaczego nie umyłeś się jeszcze? (literally why haven’t you washed yourself yet); gdzie się tak przeziębiłeś? and gdzie tak się przeziębiłeś? (literally where have you caught yourself a cold).

POSITION OF SIĘ IN A POLISH SENTENCE. ARE THERE ANY RULES?
Yes, there are rules. In principle, we should use się neither at the beginning of a sentence nor after a preposition. Accordingly, the question z się czego pan śmieje? doesn’t make sense. Instead, it should sound z czego się pan śmieje? or z czego pan się śmieje? (meaning what are you laughing at, sir/mister?). In affirmative sentences it’s best to position się just behind the verb (Obejrzałam się za siebie – I looked behind; Rozgadał się strasznie – He rambled on and on; Nasłuchał się głupot – He heard a lot of nonsense; Umówiła się ze mną na dworcu – She arranged to meet me at the station etc.). The pronoun się can be found at the end of a sentence if this sentence consists of a predicate only, for instance: Napijesz się? (Do you care for a drink?); Rozpadało się (It started to rain); Wypogodziło się (It [the sky] cleared up); Odsuń się (literally Back yourself off); Pogodziliśmy się (We made it up); Pokłóciliśmy się (We had a row).

SIĘ AND COLLOQUIAL POLISH PHRASES
It might happen that you hear się at…the beginning of a sentence. If you want to emphasise that a situation is very complicated and that it’s going to be hard to deal with it, you can say Się porobiło (literally It has done itself); someone’s ridiculous comment we disapprove of we can sum up (with a dose of sarcasm) Się wypowiedział (literally He expressed himself); to vigorously express your engagement and pride in something, we can use a phrase Się pomaga! (literally It helps itself! meaning I’m helping here). However, from point of view of grammar, these phrases are incorrect and they are chiefly used in informal, spoken language. Time will tell if such expressions will be incorporated into the Polish language for good, or if they are just a passing fad.

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WHAT DOES THE POLISH GOLDEN AUTUMN HAVE TO DO WITH APPLES?

WHAT IS ‘BABIE LATO’ ACTUALLY?
The summer is gone, the hot days have passed. The time of Indian summer or babie lato and Polish golden autumn has come, but still, the sun keeps reminding us of the summer holidays. The days are still warm, the sky is blue and the foliage of the trees is slowly turning golden, red, and brown. This is also the moment when many foreigners decide to attend a course of Polish . Rested after the summer holidays, encouraged by the language progress made during the intensive summer lessons, they enroll on regular courses and over the next few months, regularly, two or three times a week, they are going to explore the secrets of the Polish language (more information on that you can find on our FB profile).

SWEET SECRET
This is also a period when the most popular Polish pie – apple pie or szarlotka - tastes perhaps the best. Why best? Because it is made with apples that are very juicy and sweet at the beginning of autumn, and therefore ideal for making a szarlotka. And you really don’t need to be a master chef to be able to make it. A good recipe will suffice. How many recipes are there? As many as there are cookery books or perhaps even more, since everybody who cooks and bakes from time to time has their own sweet secret.
The most important thing, however, is to use high quality flour, butter, eggs and only a small amount of sugar, and of course, lots and lots of apples (preferably the Polish ones). Often, at this time of year, this popular pie is made with fresh and not roasted apples. The deliciously sweet smell of apples, cut or grated, sprinkled with sugar, vanilla or cinnamon will waft across the house.

                      Nothing will give you as much energy to learn Polish as a piece of sweet szarlotka :)

POLISH RECIPE FOR HOW TO PRESERVE A PIECE OF SUMMER FOR THE WINTER
Many provident fans of szarlotka prepare the supplies of sweet, roasted apples for the wintertime, so during cold winter evenings, while doing their Polish language homework, they can nibble on their favourite pie and recall the sunny summertime for at least a moment.

Enjoy :)

CHLEB I BUŁKA (bread and bread roll), OR POLISH IDIOMS AND BAKERY PRODUCTS

SHOPPING IN POLISH CLASSES 
Students of Polish very often ask not only how to do the shopping in Polish (check here for more on that), but also what to call some basic foodstuffs. One of the nouns that are taught at the very beginning within this vocabulary range is chleb (bread). Later, during the course you will find out in what idioms this noun is used. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.

LEARNING POLISH. CIĘŻKI KAWAŁEK CHLEBA?! 
When we’re talking about people who go abroad to look for better job opportunities, we say that they wyjeżdżają za chlebem (that is to improve the standard and conditions of their lives). Living far from home and friends, in new environment, must be ciężki kawałek chleba (literally: a tough piece of bread; a hard way to make a living). This idiom may refer not only to the issue of labour migration, but any activity or task that is difficult for you or involves mental or physical effort. One of the advantages of such travel is the possibility to get to know new cultures  and customs, and after some time the traveller can say that he or she z niejednego pieca chleb jadł (literally: has eaten bread from more than one oven; he/she has seen quite a few things), i.e. they have a lot of life experience.
Just as the expression ciężki kawałek chleba this idiom does not only refer to travel experience.  Anyone who has a wealth of experience in any area of life may say z niejednego pieca chleb jadłam/jadłem. And gaining new experience is chleb powszedni for people like that (i.e. nothing unusual, something common, natural).
We can encounter obstacles in every part of our lives (our relationship, work, hobby, project), and then we can comment, discouraged: z tej mąki chleba nie będzie (literally: one can’t make bread with this flour), i.e. it’s a fruitless effort, with no chance of success.

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POLISH COURSE. BUŁKA Z MASŁEM?
When we are not frightened by the obstacles and believe that we’ll overcome them easily, we say it’s bułka z masłem (literally: a roll with butter; a piece of cake), which means it’s easy, not too complicated. Reading a crime story in Polish may turn out to be bułka z masłem. If the crime story is popular we can imagine it rozszedł się jak świeże bułeczki (sold like hot cakes), i.e. it sold very well. And if the author of the book complains about the loss of privacy as a result of their success, we can state that they chciał(a)by on/ona zjeść ciasto i mieć ciastko (would like to have their cake and eat it, too), which means they want things that can’t possibly go together, they exlude each other.
As you can see, we use the names of foodstuffs to say something more than just describe what we had for breakfast.

POLISH ACCENT AT THE END OF THE WORLD

SCHOOLS ABROAD NAMED AFTER POLISH PEOPLE
More and more frequently we choose to spend our holiday at distant destinations. We are not only driven by the fashion for trips to exotic, isolated islands or unexplored lands, but also by the desire to get to know other cultures, languages and people. As the Polish saying goes podróże kształcą, i.e. travel broadens the mind (and you can enrol on a course of Polish during the holiday )
Distant, unknown countries may surprise us in many ways. It might turn out that while being a few thousand kilometres away we will come across some streets named after Polish people, or monuments erected to commemorate them by the inhabitans of those distant countries, or even species of animals and plants having the names of the Poles who discovered them.

POLISH BOTANIST IN THE CAUCASUS
If you go to Georgia and visit Lagodekhi National Park, right at the entrance you’ll see a plaque commemorating Ludwik Młokosiewicz. He was a Polish botanist known for exploring the fauna and flora of the Caucasus, who found himself in the region of today’s Kakheti. He was the first one to notice that many species inhabiting the area were unique, indigentous to that particular region. He spared no effort and as a result it was decided that those species would be protected and a national park was created. If you tell the museum employees that you come from Poland, they will definitely treat you with great respect and encourage you to visit the local Polish community. While there you should also try to spot the Caucasian grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi) and Caucasian peony (Paeonia mlokosewitschii).

In Lagodekhi National Park there is also a stone commemorating Ludwik Młokosiewicz (check out FB profile for more interesting facts about well-known Polish people)


A CHILEAN CITIZEN SPEAKING POLISH
If one day you are in the streets of a Chilean city, walking and speaking Polish, don’t be surprised when smiling Chileans approach to speak to you. Why? We owe it to Ignacy Domeyko. In almost every city you can find a street, square or school named after him. He was a Polish engineer and geologist, born in the early 19th century. Not only did he discover rich deposits of copper in Chile and teach the people of Chile how to benefit from that, but also reformed the local education system. Moreover, Domeyko started the struggle against illiteracy and thanks to him the University of Santiago became one of the leading universities in the country. Ignacy was granted Chilean citizenship for his contribution. He lived there until he died, but he never forgot his mother tongue.


HEADING FOR THE MOUNTAINS
While staying in Peru you’ll find out that a Pole, Enrest Malinowski, is one of their national heroes. He was the one who brought sailors…to work in the mountains. Sounds ridiculous? Only at first. He was an engineer who designed Ferrocarril Central del Perú (one of the Trans-Andean Railways) and oversaw the construction process. The railway linked the two parts of Peru that had been separated before. The sailors could climb ropes easily, which was an invaluable skill under the circumstances, since the tracks were put high in the mountains. Malinowski personally helped the workmen, he worked with them all the time and endured the same hardships as they did, despite the fact that he had a fancy apartment in the capital city and could have stayed there.
Thanks to him, the highest railway in the world was built (the highest bridge is as high as 80m!), and it’s used to transport goods and raw materials.

As you can see, even very far from Poland, a Pole does not necessarily need to feel like a foreigner at all:)

POLISH IDIOMS WITH FRUIT

IDIOMS IN POLISH CLASSES
Summer’s here, which means a great variety of fruit and vegetables offered at stands (check here for more information on the names of places where we can do the shopping). During your courses of Polish not only can you learn where the names of Polish vegetables and fruit come from, but you can also find out what the most widely used idioms connected with them are. Let’s have a closer look at the  „fruit“ ones.

POLISH EXPRESSIONS WITH NAMES OF FRUIT
What fruit do you see in this picture?

more on learnig Polish here

Yes, they are śliwki (plums)! There is a popular idiom with this fruit: wpaść jak śliwka w kompot (literally: to fall like a plum into compote), i.e. to find yourself in a difficult and awkward situation, which very often is of your own making (similar to be in a jam).
And what about this fruit?

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Right! They are maliny (raspberries), the fruit everybody loves. And the idiom wpuścić kogoś w maliny (literally: to let someone go into raspberry bushes) means to deceive or fool someone, to deliberately mislead them (similar to spring a trap).
Pear (gruszka)

is another tasty fruit, and it appears in two common idioms: obiecywać gruszki na wierzbie (literally: promise someone pears on a willow tree; promise someone the moon), which means to promise someone something impossible to do, and nie zasypiać gruszek w popiele (literally: do not fall asleep while pears are in the ash; seize the opportunity), that is to try not to miss the opportunity or chance to do something by procrastinating, to try to be up-to-date.
The most famous Polish fruit ...

apple (jabłko), appears in the expression niedaleko pada jabłko od jabłoni (the apple doesn’t fall/never falls far from the tree), which we use to say, often with irony, to emphasise the resemblance in personality or behaviour patterns between a parent and their child.

Conclusions? Nie zasypiajcie gruszek w popiele (do not pass up the opportunity) and practise Polish idioms! If you don’t do that you can wpaść jak śliwka w kompot (be in a jam, in trouble), and those who say that knowledge is not important simply wpuszczają was w maliny (they’re trying to fool you) :)
And one more thing, eat fruit! They are really healthy.

SUMMER POLISH COURSES – HOLIDAY ADVENTURE :)

SUMMER COURSE OF POLISH OR LYING ON THE BEACH?

Holiday time. Wherever we look, we see advertisements of travel agencies, golden sand on the seashore and exotic places, so it’s no surprise that many people are tempted to spend their holiday in those places. Foreigners are faced with a dilemma, too: sunny beach holiday or a course of Polish? If you decide to attend a summer intensive course of Polish (for more information on courses at Po Polsku check here), you definitely won’t regret it.

                            Summer Polish courses (at Po Polsku) are a real language adventure for foreigners:)

LEARN AND PRACTICE
Why is it a good idea to spend part of your holiday learning Polish in Poland?
First of all, you’re learning the language, its conjugations and declension, and at the same time you can use the learnt expressions and phrases on the spot. After a class on ordering a meal at a restaurant you can take a sit in one of the numerous restaurant or cafe gardens, in Nowy Świat in Warsaw, for instance, and test your knowledge of Polish. It’s much better than any homework, however interesting it would be :)
Secondly, the courses are usually run in the morning. After that you have time to go to a museum, cinema, concert or see the city, e.g. Warsaw, together with your teacher, classmates or on your own, as you wish.

WEEKEND TRIPS IN POLAND
Thirdly, you can spend a weekend in one of the Polish regions famous for their tourist attractions. Your teacher will definitely recommend some interesting places to you if you ask for advice. Should you want to learn more about the Baltic seaside or Warmia and Masuria, here is where you can find more information on those.
Fourthly, nowhere else will you be able to try such delicious Polish cuisine, rich in original dishes, both simple and more sophisticated ones.
Fifthly, Poland and Polish people are known for their hospitality and cordiality. You will be able to find out for yourself whether it is true, or just a nice stereotype. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.

We hope we have managed to encourage you to enrol on a summer Polish course.

MAJOR TOURISM SPOT ON THE MAP OF POLAND

COURSE OF POLISH OF A WEEKEND ESCAPE?
With days getting longer and warmer we are more and more tempted to take some rest in the bosom of nature or go away and leave the city rather than learn, although there should always be time and energy for an interesting Polish course ;-)
If you ask your Polish friends or the foreigners living in Poland where to spend the weekend of part of your holidays, Warmia i Mazury (Warmia and Masuria) will definitely be among the proposed destinations.
Many cities and regions have been trying to win the title of the Summer Capital of Poland, and this competition will probably never end. However, Warmia and Masuria has always been a major tourism spot on the map of Poland.
This region is called the Land of a Thousand Lakes and takes its name after the enormous number of lakes (it boasts over 2000 of them!), which made it a perfect place to spend free time.

POLISH TOURIST PARADISE
Water sports enthusiasts definitely won’t get bored in Warmia and Masuria. They can sail across the largest lakes, go kayaking, diving, go on a short cruise by boat or take a slow paddle boat ride.
If you like cycling, this region offers a range of routes of varying levels of difficulty, from short trips to multi-day tours across the land of Warmia and Masuria.
Those who dream of doing nothing can enjoy the beaches at the warm and clean lakes.
And if someone is craving for international sports experience, they should go to Stare Jabłonki and see the beach valeyball tournament.

                                  More pictures of Warmia and Masuria on our FB profile

WARMIA AND MASURIA’S CASTLE TRAIL
Warmia and Masuria, however, is not only all water and sports, but it’s also turbulent history expressed in its architecture.
This is where the most impressive system of medieval castles in Europe is located. Their condition varies, some of them have been restored and turned into museums or hotels, and thanks to that they have been restored to their former glory, others have fallen into ruin.
They are all worh visiting, both the castles and the ruins. You can spend the night with the ghosts that haunt them (the castle in Morąg offers such an attraction, for instance), and learn about their history. It’s a good idea to learn the history of the town nearby, which may now be tiny and unimportant, but several centuries ago it was an important political, defensive and cultural centre. The castles of Olsztyn, Frombork and Lidzbark Warmiński definitely deserve a mention. Obviously, the Malbork Castle is the most famous of them, but it is located in a completely different geographical region .
At the end of the trip you should go to one of the local restaurants and try some local specialties, among which the most popular are freshwater fish.
So, should you have no idea how to spend your next weekend, go to Warmia and Masuria, it will also be a great opportunity for you to use the expressions you’ve learned in your Polish courses.

KANIKUŁA (DOG DAYS), OR THE SUMMER WEATHER VOCABULARY IN POLISH

WHAT DOES SŁOŃCE (SUN) DO?
This post can’t be too long. In such heat (upały), when żar leje się z nieba (literally: heat is pouring from the sky), even the diligent participants of Polish courses need respite. These are the days when when the sun is not simply shining (świeci), or blazing down (grzeje literally: heating/spreading heat), but… schorching (praży). That’s right, the heat wave has been sweeping across Poland (przechodzi fala upałów). It’s the time once called kanikuła (dog days). Nowadays this word is hardly ever used, it’s been replaced by a more trivial word upał (heat).

HOW DOES THE VERB  POCIĆ SIĘ (TO SWEAT) CONJUGATE?
On such scorching days (upalne dni), when the temperature reaches 35C in the shade (w cieniu), we’re always looking for ways to keep cool (szukamy ochłody). How can we cool down (ochłodzić się)? Some people find relieve in the shade of trees (cień drzew), in a hammock, with a good book and a glass of lemonade or ice tea (mrożona herbata). Others, hoping for a breeze (bryza), go to the seaside and spend their time sunbathing on the beach and biorą morskie kąpiele (going in the water; literally: taking sea baths). Unfortunately, some people need to work. If they don’t have air conditioning, they are sweating (pocą się ) behind their desks, and even on their way to work, sweat (pot) running down their back. The only thing they can think of is a long cool shower (chłodny prysznic).
Sultry evenings (parne wieczory) only make things worse, since there seems to be no air to breathe, and humidity (wilgotność powietrza) is very high. It’s stuffy (duszno) everywhere, and those at the seaside, those who have just got out of their hammocks and those who have come back home after a long day at work, they all feel that, too.

                                             more Polish vocabulary on our FB profile

PROS AND CONS OF SUMMER
Hot summer days may be a pretty bad time also for farmers (persistent drought – susza – may damage the crops), and foresters (hot air, sun, spark and… fire in consequence). But let’s do not complain, because we all actually like the long summer days (letnie dni), outdoor events organised in the city in summertime, the abundance of blueberries, blackberries and chanterelle mashrooms in woods, ice-cream, which we can buy simply everywhere, and a cool breeze (chłodna bryza) in the sails when we’re sailing across the Masurian lakes. We’ll have something to remember and talk about during the looong, freezing and dark winter nights :)

NAMES OF VEGETABLES AND FRUIT IN POLISH

WHERE DOES THE WORD ZIEMNIAK (POTATO) COME FROM?

With spring in bloom it’s time to talk about fruit and vegetables, which effectively diversity our diet. Participants of Polish courses are pleased to hear that many of the names of fruit have been incorporated into the Polish language with virtually no changes: awokado, ananas, banan, figa, kaki, kiwi, just to name a few. However, as you can see, those are exotic fruit (from the Polish point of view), which are not grown in Poland. The well known and generally liked ziemniaki are a different case, though. Their Polish name is nothing other than the translated German "der erdapfel" (apple of the earth), or the French "pomme de terre". In both versions the noun ziemia (earth) appears. We’d like to remind you that depending on the part of Poland you are in, you eat ziemniaki  (nationwide), kartofle (the form often used in the south of Poland), or pyry (Wielkopolska or Silesia).

IMMIGRANTS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

Some of the vegetables are successfully grown in Poland now, and when using their names we don’t even realize how far they came here from. Who would have thought that melon is derived from the Greek "melopepon" (soft apple) and arbuz comes from the Turkish word "karpuz" (which was borrowed from the Persian language – "charpuz"). Bakłażan is a similar case, it is derived from the Turkish word "badenjan". It’s worth noting that in the past another word was used to name this tasty vegetable: oberżyna (from the Catalan "alberginia", which, in turn, was borrowed from the Arabic "al badinjan").

                                                  Test your Polish, check out our FB profile

ITALIAN FRIENDS, OR NAMES OF VEGETABLES OF ITALIAN ORIGIN

It is our Italian cousins , however, that make up the largest family. Students of Polish, especially those from Italy, are astonished to see how many Polish names of vegetables sound almost the same as their Italian equivalents. Kalafior – cavolfiore, fasola – fagioli, karczoch – carciofo, pomidor – pomodoro, szpinak – spinacio, cukinia – zucchina, brokuł – brocco, i.e. sprout, etc. We owe the existence of those words in Polish to an Italian aristocrat Bona Sforza, who became the queen of Poland in the 16th century, and introduced the custom of planting vegetables that had been unknown in Poland before. It soon turned out that they easily adapted to the cool climate we have here. And that is probably the reason why a bunch of vegetables (carrot, celery root, leek, parsley) used to make homemade broth is commonly known as ... włoszczyzna (from Włochy, Polish word for Italy).

INSTRUMENTAL, ONE OF THE MOST REGULAR CASES IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE

POLISH LANGUAGE AND DECLENSION – INSEPARABLE?

In our recent posts (if you don’t remember them, look here and here) we have said that the declension is not as terrible and scary as it may seem. We have shown that many words do not inflect. However, whether we want it or not,  declension plays a vital role in the Polish language and not only foreigners should get familiar with it if they want to speak correctly.

Today we would like to show you the instrumetal case in a nutshell J

It’s the most regular of the cases, very commonly used, so it appears quite early in courses of Polish as a foreign language.

POLISH INSTRUMENTAL CASE WITHOUT PREPOSITIONS

We use it when we want to say what our job is. We say: jestem nauczycielką, a on jest policjantem. Instrumental is also useful when we mention the functions (professional, in the society, etc.) people perform: ten pan jest nowym sąsiadem (this man is a new neighbour), ta pani jest moją matką (this lady is my mother), ten chłopiec jest moim dzieckiem (this boy is my child), a ci panowie są kierownikami działów (these men are department heads). As the name suggests, the instrumental case describes a tool, an instrument, which we use to perform a task, do a job, therefore we say: wyślę ci to mailem (I’ll sent it to you by email), naprawiłem młotkiem (I’ve repaired it with a hammer), strażacy ugasili pożar wodą (the firefighters put out the fire with water).

Thanks to the instrumental case we don’t need to bother about prepositions when we tell someone what means of transport we use, because we say jedziemy autobusem, taksówką, tramwajem, metrem...

If you want to practise declension, not only the instrumental case, check out our FB profile

 PREPOSITION IS NOT ALIEN TO THE INSTRUMENTAL CASE

It does not mean, however, that the fifth case is not used with prepositions. Most of the time it combines with pod, z, nad, przed, za and między. When we’re doing something together with another person it’s the instrumental case that we need to use: idę z koleżanką, bawię się z dzieckiem, spotykam się z kolegami. Analogously, we use instrumental to emphasize that that something occurs together with something else: jem ciasto z owocami, lody z bitą śmietanę i piję kawę z mlekiem (I’m eating fruit pie, ice cream with whipped cream and drinking coffee with milk).

If we use pod, nad, przed, za and między to determine location of objects, we’ll need to use the instrumental case, too: jestem nad morzem, rzeką, jeziorem, leżę pod drzewami, parasolem (I’m at the seaside, river, lake, I’m lying under the trees, umbrella), and in my house lampa wisi nad stołem (the lamp is above the table), pies leży pod stołem (the dog is lying under the table), za stołem stoi krzesło (the chair is behind the table), między krzesłem a fotelem siedzi mój kot (my cat is sitting between the chair and the airmchair). J

DECLENSION

As you have probably noticed, the instrumental case has very regular endings: feminine nouns end in –ą, the masculine and neuter ones end in –em, and the plural forms end in –ami. You’ll probably ask whether there are any exceptions and won’t be surprised to hear that there are. But you’ll definitely be surprised by the small number of irregular instrumental forms, and you’ll memorise them easily: idę z przyjaciółmi, z dziećmi, i ludźmi, a w kieszeni mam portfel z pieniędzmi (I’m going with friends, children, people, and I have a wallet with money in my pocket).

We hope that after reading this post you’ll warm to the instrumental case .

INFLECTION OF NOUNS ENDING IN –UM

NOUNS OF LATIN ORIGIN IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE 
Recently we have talked about the nouns that are uninflected in Polish (check here for details), and now the good news continues. In the Polish language there is a large group of nouns of Latin origin ending in –um (by the way, remember that they are neuter gender), which do not inflect, either, BUT only in the singular form. Try to recall some of those words, you’ve had them in your Polish lessons... Do you know now? Yes, they are: muzeum, liceum, gimnazjum, akwarium, atrium, terytorium, kolokwium, technikum, etc. When in singular form, they do not inflect, so we can say: Idę do muzeum historycznego (I’m going to a historical museum)/ Dzięki muzeum historycznemu mogłam poznać historię miasta (Thanks to the historical museum I have learned the history of the city)/ Lubię to muzeum historyczne (I like this historical museum)/ Współpracujemy z tym muzeum historycznym (We cooperate with this historical museum)/Spotkamy się w muzeum historycznym (We’re going to meet at the historical museum).

                                     More Polish grammar and vocabulary you can find on our FB profile

DECLENSION OF PLURAL FORM OF NOUNS ENDING IN –UM
Unfortunately, it gets more complicated when we need to use those nouns in the plural form, but let’s not lose heart! You’ll see that it’s not as difficult as it seems. To są małę muzea (These are small museums)/ Nie wyobrażam sobie wakacji bez zwiedzamia małych muzeów (I can't imagine a holiday without visiting small museums) / Dzięki tym małym muzeom poznałam interesujące fakty (Thanks to these small museums I have learned some interesting facts) / Lubię małe muzea (I like small museums) / Współpracujemy z małymi muzeami (We cooperate with small museums) / Byliśmy w małych muzeach (We’ve been to small museums).
Easy, isn’t it? You definitely know all the above endings, they are the regular endings of the plural form of other nouns. Will you now think more warmly of the Polish declension?:)

TRAVELLING TO THE NORTH OF POLAND

WHICH REGION OF POLAND TO CHOOSE FOR A WEEKEND TRIP?
After the first majówka (we mentioned it in our post here), when it starts to get warmer and warmer and days are getting longer, staying at home for the weekend is a waste of time. Therefore, many foreigners ask their teachers in Polish classes where to go away for the weekend and what to see in Poland. Obviously, the first answer that springs to mind is „Everything!“, since Poland is a country that boasts beautiful cities,  forests, lakes, mountains and the sea...

LETS SPEAK POLISH IN TRÓJMIASTO (TRICITY)
It’s a good idea to visit Tricity in warm weather. The old city of Gdańsk is a must for every tourist, with its over a thousand years of history, which is closely connected with the fate of Poland. It is reflected in the architecture of the city. You definitely need to visit the Old Town, see St Mary’s Church (Bazylika Mariacka), Artus‘ Court, which reminds us about the wealth and might of Gdańsk. Another must-see is Żuraw (medieval port crane), and you should take a picture of the statue of Neptune. And in the summer you can do the shopping at St Dominic’s Fair (Jarmark Dominikański), sit in one of the cafe or restaurant gardens and order something to eat and drink in Polish (you can learn how to do that in the courses of Polish at Po Polsku).

WALKING AROUND GDYNIA
In Gdańsk take the SKM (Szybką Kolej Miejską, suburban train, which is the best means of transport in Tricity) and go to Gdynia. You’ll be delightd by the fountain in the very centre of the city. And after you’ve taken a photo there, definitely go to Akwarium, where you can see the inhabitants of waters from all over the world. Later, you should go for a walk along the beach and Bulwar Nadmorski (Seaside Boulevard), where you will enjoy a wonderful view of the sea and can feed the swans.

        Marina in Gdynia. If you want to get to know other beautiful places in Poland, check out our FB profile

SUNSET IN SOPOT
Finally, take the SKM again and go to Sopot to see the sunset, admire the beautiful yachts moored alonside the Sopot Marina. And those who like sea travel can take the evening cruise.
And after that you can share your impressions with your colleagues or the classmates from the course of Polish, speaking in Polish, of course.

PIJĘ KAKAO W CARACAS, OR ON UNINFLECTED NOUNS IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE

DOES THE NOUN KAKAO INFLECT?
We have good news for students of Polish struggling with declension! There are nouns in the Polish language that do not inflect! Those are loanwords that end in – ao, - oa, - i, -u, among which the most common ones are kakao, euro, awokado, alibi, salami, graffiti, kiwi. There are also some, such as boa, rodeo, makao, igloo, okapi, tabu, guru, emu, kakadu or karibu that do not appear that often in everyday conversations. As you can see, they are mostly names of exotic (from the Polish perspective) plants and animals, and their endings do not have analogical forms in Polish declensions. The word kakao is especially worth mentioning, since, unfortunately, the Poles quite often try to inflect it. Let us repeat: the noun kakao DOES NOT inflect (nie piję kakao, marzę o gorącym kakao, tiramisu z kakao etc.).

                                                    Test your Polish on our FB profile

UNINFLECTED WORDS BORROWED FROM FRENCH
The words borrowed from French stressed on the last syllable, such as jury, menu,tournée, attaché, atelier or etui make up a separate category of uninflected nouns. Consequently, we say: Rozmawiamy o menu na przyjęcie (We are discussing the menu for the reception); Przez wiele lat zasiadał w jury (He was a member of the jury for years); Napisaliśmy list do attaché wojskowego (We wrote a letter to the military attache); Pracuje w swoim małym atelier (He works in his small atelier); Wrócił z tournee dookoła świata (He has returned from the tour around the world); Okulary były w etui (The glasses were in the case).

UNINFLECTED NAMES OF CITIES AND COUNTRIES
Geography also pleasantly surprises us in terms of uninflected nouns, since there is a fairly large group of names of cities, countries and regions which are not subject to Polish declensions. Baku, Oslo, Caracas, Los Angeles, Ułan Bator, Kilimandżaro, Ohio, Bordeaux and Kongo are examples of those. So, the next time you eat awokado, perhaps somewhere in Baku, think warmly of the Polish declension :)

POLISH ANIMAL IDIOMS, OR WHAT’S YOUR HOBBYHORSE (konik)

IDIOMS AND KNOWING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
It’s no secret that  a language is not only vocabulary, conjugations (which are very important, as a seemingly small mistake in a verb form may change the meaning of an utterance, so if you re not sure how to conjugate a Polish verb, check it out here), or declensions. Idioms and proverbs are part of a language as well. The more of them we are familiar with, the better our command of the language is. Obviously, that is also the case of the Polish language.
Like any other language, Polish has its idioms, which sound ridiculous or weird when translated literally, but as soon as you learn what they really mean, they are very useful in everyday conversations.

WILCZY APETYT, OR HOW AND WHEN TO USE POLISH IDIOMS
Animal idioms make up a large part of idiomatic vocabulary of the Polish language, which proves the creativity of this language.
When Polish people want to say that someone is in very good health, they say: jest zdrów jak ryba(he’s as fit as a fiddle; literally: as healthy as a fish) or ma końskie zdrowie (he has the constitution of a horse).
The horse appears as well when we want to communicate that we are extremely hungry. In such a case we say that someone mógłby zjeść konia z kopytami. i.e. eat a lot (they’re so hungry they could eat a horse, literally: a horse with hooves, so the whole horse). Such a person ia also głodny jak wilk (as hungry as a bear; literally: as a wolf). And if we know someone who has a hearty appetite, we can say that he or she has wilczy apetyt (a ravenous, wolfish appetite).

IDIOMATIC AND DYPLOMATIC EXPRESSIONS TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S WEAKNESSES
Animals help us to describe our behaviour and personal qualities, too. If someone suddenly starts to behave oddly and unreasonably, fool around or even become aggressive, we say that he or she dostał małpiego rozumu (literally: got monkey brains).
Someone not too clever has ptasi móżdżek (has a bird brain).
A tight-fisted person ma węża w kieszeni (literally: has a snake in his or her pocket)
Someone shrewd and cunning may be called szczwany lis (sly/cunning as a fox; literally: a cunning fox)
And if you see someone crying over someone else’s misfortunes and you know that their tears are not sincere, you say that he or she płacze krokodylimi łzami (weeps crocodile tears).
Someone who is told that słoń nadepnął mu/jej na ucho (an elephant stepped on his/her ear) does not need to be taken to hospital, they are absolutely fine except for the fact that they are tone-deaf.
And when a message we get is illegible because of someone’s awful handwriting, we can honestly say that the author bazgrze jak kura pazurem (scribbles like a chicken with a claw).

                                                    Check out our FB profile for more Polish idioms

So, if learning Polish is your konik (hobbyhorse), you should definitely enrol on ne of our courses (more on the courses Po Polsku offers on our website), and you will learn lots of interesting idioms, proverbs, as well as everyday words :)

TARG, BAZAR, RYNEK, OR WHERE TO DO THE SHOPPING

SHOPPING AFTER A LESSON OF POLISH
Shopping is a great opportunity to practise the vocabulary you have learned in Polish courses (more on shopping in Polish here). But how to do that if we are surrounded by supermarkets, where we hardly need to communicate, and buying things online these days is... a piece of cake? The easiest way to do that is to go to a targ (market). But ... wait... targ or bazar? Well, it depends what part of Poland we are in. The inhabitants of southern Poland go to a targ, and the inhabitants of central Poland go to a bazar (in Cracow, for instance, they have Targ na Kleparzu and you can go to Bazar Różyckiego in Warsaw) Both words refer to a place where people buy and sell goods, mostly food, in the open air. The word bazar is derived from the Persian language and its variants are commonly used in many other languages, and in the Polish language it probably appeared  through Turkish. This noun is often used to describe a place here you can buy not only food but also clothes and other everyday objects.

WHERE DOES THE WORD TARG COME FROM?
Targ came into Polish from behind the southern border (our Czech neighbours use the word trh) and became the root of the verb targować się (negocjować cenę, to haggle over the price of something), component of the phrase pchli targ or targ staroci (flea market) and expressions targ rybny (fish market), targ warzywny (vegetable market) or targ koński (horse market), which you can encounter while reading a guidebook. Let us not forget about the plural form, targi, which refers to exhibitions, trade shows, fairs, e.g. targi książki (book fair), targi mieszkaniowe (housing fair), targi pracy (job fair) etc.

                         Targ or bazar? More on Polish vocabulary and grammar on our FB profile

„MARKET PROBLEMS“ OF STUDENTS OF POLISH
Polish people sometimes say Kupiłam te pomidory na rynku (I bought these tomatoes at the market), by which they confuse foreigners, who have heard the word many times before on holiday trips. In fact,  in the modern Polish language the noun rynek (market square) refers to the central, historical part of a town or city. Let us not forget, however, that in the old days it was in this part of town that people bought and sold goods (hence they have Rynek Solny, the salt market, in Wrocław). Later, the word rynek has taken on a broader meaning, and, the same as in other languages, it is now also an economic term, e.g. rynek pracy (job market), rynek nieruchomości (real estate market), rynek finansowy (financial market), wolny rynek (free market), czarny rynek (black market), etc.
Next time you go shopping, pay attention to what the locals call the place where you can not only do the shopping, but also practise your Polish.

THE MAY LONG WEEKEND, OR POLISH STYLE CELEBRATIONS

MAJÓWKA
When warm days come, and the Polish spring starts with an explosion of greenery and colourful flowers, it means that the May long weekend, commonly known as majówka, is fast approaching. Polish people usually spend that time outside, in the bosom of nature. How did the Polish come to have such a long weekend every year, which is also considered, both unofficially and officially, the kickoff of the summer tourist season? The question is frequenty asked by foreigners doing courses of Polish.

ACCUMULATION OF POLISH HOLIDAYS
We owe the May long weekend to „accumulation of holidays“. The first of them is Labour Day (aka International Workers‘ Day), celebrated on 1st May to commemorate the events of 1886 related to the strike in Chicago (when, among others, they advocated for the eight-hour work day :)). Before the political changes of 1989, Polish authorities used to organize formal parades, processions and demonstrations, which the citizens had to attend willy-nilly. Nowadays the most popular way of spending Labour Day is to go out of town, go cycling or visit beautiful tourist spots, which Poland has a lot of, because the Poles enjoy active leisure (and a trip to the mountains or Masuria with a group of Polish friends is a great opportunity to speak Polish).

THE FIRST CONSTITUTION IN EUROPE WAS WRITTEN IN POLISH! 
The second May holiday is the National Holiday of May 3rd, commonly knows as the May 3rd Constitution Day. It‘ s one of the most important national holidays in Poland. It commemorates the adoption of the act that regulated the Polish legal system by sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament)  in 1791. It was the first modern written constitution in Europe and the second (after the US) in the world.

The first constitution in Europe was drawn up in Poland on May 3rd 1791. More on important events in Poland and the Polish language on our FB profile

THE NATIONAL COLOURS OF POLAND
The second of May, in spite of appearance, is not an ordinary bridge connecting the two holidays (it is not, unfortunately, a statutory day off work, either). On this day we celebrate the Flag Day of the Republic of Poland. The date was not selected randomly. Labour Day and the May 3rd Constitution Day with the Day of the Flag between them is the perfect time to reflect upon the fate of Poland and its chequered history.
It’s an accepted custom to wear white and red bows on that day.

Now that you know „where the long weekend came from“, it’s time to visit one of numerous tourist spots in Poland. Have fun celebrating :)

ZAGRANICZNY KORESPONDENT, CZYLI O CUDZOZIEMCACH ZZA GRANICY I Z ZAGRANICY :) (Foreign correspondent, or on foreigners from behind the border and from abroad)

FOREIGNER IN POLISH
There is nothing more important for students of Polish than being able to say that they are foreigners. Jestem cudzoziemcem? Obcokrajowcem? Learners of Polish usually get confused by those two words.  Meanwhile, they both mean the same thing, which is a person from foreign land (cudzy – foreign, alien) or a foreign country  (obcokrajowiec). Interestingly, the word obcokrajowiec has only one form, masculine , so we say on/ona jest obcokrajowcem. The noun cudzoziemiec, on the other hand, has a feminine form as well, so we say on jest cudzoziemcem/ona jest cudzoziemką. Additionally, we can form an adjective from the latter: cudzoziemski, e.g. Legia Cudzoziemska  (Foreign Legion), cudzoziemski mąż (foreign husband), cudzoziemskie zwyczaje (foreign customs), which is not possible with the noun obcokrajowiec.

NOT IN POLAND, WHERE THEN? ZA GRANICĄ OR ZA GRANICĘ?
When you take a closer look at that phenomenon,  you’ll notice that bookshops have two different sections: literatura obca (i.e. books written by foreign authours, BUT translated into Polish) and literatura zagraniczna (i.e. books in their original language, e.g. written in English). But... another word has come up, which is quite difficult to use not only for foreigners, but also for native speakers of Polish. Zagraniczna literatura, zagraniczny kapitał, zagraniczny korespondent, Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) etc., are quite common adjectives formed from the noun zagranica, which means the land outside the territory of a particular country. There are two forms in the Polish language: zza granicy and z zagranicy. The space is in a different place, so it would seem that the difference is merely cosmetic, but... that’s not the case. If we say that Maciek wrócił zza granicy it’s his stay behind the border that we literally have in mind (e.g. Maciek works for the Polish border guard and therefore he often crosses the border). We have to admit, however, that a context like that is rather unusual in contrast to the sentence Maciek wrócił z zagranicy, in which case Maciek has returned from outside Poland (from abroad), e.g. he’s been on holiday in Spain, or on a business trip in the UK. Remember that when we’re going away, leaving Poland, we say Jadę/Wyjeżdżam/Wybieram się za granicę (I’m going abroad), so we use the accusative form. While when we are there, in which case we are referring to a state, we should use the construction Jestem/Mieszkam/Pracuję/Spędzam wakacje za granicą (I am/live/work/ I’m spending my holiday abroad), i.e. we need the instrumental form.

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UNUSUAL NAMES OF EATING PLACES IN POLISH

AFTER WINTER COURSES OF POLISH
The winter season is over and foreigners start to go away for weekends all over Poland in order to take a break from hustle and bustle of big cities. Such trips do not only offer opportunities to explore Poland, but also allow you to enlarge your Polish vocabulary. While travelling you might notice that, for instance, there are plenty of names, such as zajazd, gospoda, karczma and oberża instead of good old restaurants.

POLISH LEXICAL DILEMMAS: OBERŻA AND KARCZMA
Foreigners who are learning Polish and explore the secrets of Polish conjugations and vocabulary on a daily basis do not find it difficult to  understand the meaning of those words. However, after they return to class they always ask the same question: what is the DIFFERENCE between the two forms?
Let’s look at the facts. All the words – zajazd, gospoda, karczma and oberża (inn, tavern)– were initially used to call a place to eat near a road, where travellers could have something to eat and stay for the night. In times when people travelled on horseback or by carriage a lot, it was extremely important for such places to have horse stables. Nowadays there are no stables anymore, and the main purpose of such a place is to offer food. If you are tired from travelling and are looking for a place to stay for the night, you should rather go for zajazd. Most places with names like that provide their customers with accommodation as well as food.

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OBERŻA, KARCZMA, ZAJAZD, GOSPODA – ETYMOLOGY
All the confusion about the words zajazd, gospoda, karczma and oberża results from the fact that the Polish have adopted several forms of different origin to name the same  thing. Next to the Polish forms zajazd (which comes from the verb zajechać, i.e. stop by a place on the way somewhere), and gospoda (from the verb gościć, which means to host), there are loanwords, such as the word oberża (French auberge), or words that are derived from the Old Polish language – karczma. Because of its origin the last noun is quite easily recognized by Slavic students (in Czech it’s krčma), and it is probably derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *krčiti, i.e. to clear land, cut down trees. That is related to the fact that karczmy were often built on clearings (karczowiska), i.e. the places where the trees were cut down so as to prepare the infrastructure for construction of a karczma, for instance.

KARCZEMNA AWANTURA IN A KARCZMA
The noun karczma became so common in the Polish culture that the adjective karczemny, which means vulgar, coarse, loud, soon appeared. It is often used to describe a conflict and it collocates with the noun awantura (a row). Remember then not to get involved in karczemne awantury (blazing rows) during your trips in Poland, stay for the night at zajazd and eat at oberża :)

PROVERBS, OR A LESSON IN OPTIMISM FROM POLAND

POLISH PROVERBS
Proverbs are generally believed to be the wisdom of nations. Therefore, when they appear in lessons of Polish as a foreign language students learn much more than just their meanings. Not only do proverbs allow us to learn the language, its conjugations and declensions, but also the customs, culture and even... about the vagaries of the weather :)

POLISH PROVERBS ABOUT THE WEATHER 
Polish proverbs are no exception. We already mentioned one of them in our post of 26th February (W marcu jak w garncu literally: March is like a pot; similar to the English proverb: March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb). Another common proverb is Kwiecień plecień, co przeplata: trochę zimy, trochę lata (April the weaver, because interweaves a little bit of winter with a little bit of summer). It perfectly describes the changeable April weater, with beautiful summer sun on one day and snow on the following day.
There is one more popular saying referring to the climate: Idzie luty, szykuj buty (February is coming, get your shoes ready). It reminds us that the second month of the year is cold and severe (if you want to learn about the etymology of the names of the months in Polish, check out our post of 9th Sempember), so you should prepare the proper clothes and shoes so as not to catch a cold or fall ill.

                                      Proverbs allow (not only foreigners) to get to know Polish customs

WISDOM OF POLISH PROVERBS
Naturally, there are lots of proverbs that do not refer to the weather at all. Many foreigners must have heard their Polish colleagues say when in trouble: Co cię nie zabije, to cię wzmocni (What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger). These words give you hope that even the most serious problems may teach you a valuable lesson and broaden your experience. The proverb Nie ma tego złego, co by na dobre nie wyszło (Every cloud has a silver lining) has a similar meaning.
It is worth mentioning that there are many optimistic proverbs in Polish. Take Dla chcącego nie ma nic trudnego (Where there is a will there’s a way), for instance, which tells us that everyone who is motivated, ambitious and eager to work will definitely reach their goals.
Kuj żelazo póki gorące (Strike while the iron is hot) encourages us to act and take advantage of the situation. So, if you would like to learn more secrets of the Polish language, then strike while the iron is hot and enroll in a language course (more on courses here) or check out our FB profile.