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.

POLISH VALENTINE’S DAY. VALENTINE’S DAY ALL YEAR

Although Valentine’s Day was yesterday, we came to the conclusion that our mini-glossary of words related to emotions might still be useful. Especially with spring approaching... Today we are going to show you how to express your feelings in Polish without exaggeration and pretentiousness. Let’s start with THAT WORD...

KOCHAM CIĘ (I love you),

which is unique and used on special occasions. It is used to declare LOVE (MIŁOŚĆ) to people close to us. This word is powerfull! In Polish you don’t really say „kocham tę książkę“ (I love this book), "kocham ten film" (I love this film). This kind of confessions sound overenthusiastic, artificial and pretentious. If you want to emphasize that we like something (or someone) very very much you can use the verb...

UWIELBIAM  ( I love, adore)

książki tego autora (books by this author), muzykę klasyczną (classical music), grać w tenisa (playing tennis), Cię za to jaki jesteś/ jaka jesteś (you for who you are). As you can see, this verb refers to both hobbies and people. Not only will this verb allow you to express your strong feelings for someone but also comment enthusiastically about your favourite activities.

                                check our FB page for interesting Polish vocabulary

But let’s get back to emotions. If you don’t feel deep affection for someone but simply have a liking for them, or when you are not that passionate about your hobbies, the word LUBIĘ (I like) is enough. Unlike in some other languages (e.g. French or Russian), this word in Polish is perfectly neutral. LUBIĘ Agnieszkę, Marcina, kino amerykańskie, uprawiać sport, pić zimne piwo etc. (I like Agnieszka, Marcin, American cinema, doing sport, drinking cold beer, etc.). If Agnieszka or Marcin become more than just friends to you and you will ask them out for a romantic dinner, you can then say

PODOBASZ MI SIĘ (I like),

podobają mi się Twoje oczy,podobają mi się Twoje włosy i podoba mi się, jak i co do mnie mówisz (I like your eyes, I like your hair and I like the way you talk to me). However, you should be careful when using this verb since it may cause misunderstanding. Check here for more on that.

Once you have won the heart of your Polish beloved, you may want to look for a Polish course so as to learn how to say more nice things.

CLASSROOM, COURSE AND LESSON, OR LEARNING THE POLISH LANGUAGE

POLISH LANGUAGE LESSONS IN SPRING
Spring is an awakening after winter, it means new energy and new plans. Among resolutions there start to appear things like going on a diet, doing sports or starting a Polish course at a good language school. After such a beginning we can proudly say later that we are attending a polish language course or we can excuse ourselves saying: nie mogę się spotkać, bo mam klasę polskiego. Wait a minute!!! Klasę języka polskiego? Yes, this mistake is made quite often. Let us make it clear, step by step, what the difference between klasa - kurs – lekcja is.

INTERESTING LESSONS AND COURSES IN BUSINESS POLISH
Klasa, simply means a room where a lesson (e.g. of the Polish language) takes place or a group of people of (more or less) the same age learning together for several years in the same primary school, gymnasium or high school. That is actually why we say mam zjazd mojej klasy maturalnej. As for the first context, it appears most frequently in sentences like: jestem już w klasie; czekam na ciebie w klasie; wejdź do klasy, w klasie było 10 uczniów. Lekcja is just a single unit (that usually lasts 45 or 60 minutes) which is part of a course. Kurs can be an individual or a group one. We have  intensive courses or regular ones, standard or concentrated on a specialist vocabulary (e.g., business Polish). Every time, however, it refers to a total of lessons which have a concrete goal, duration and frequency.

We say therefore: chodzę na kurs (języka) polskiego; mam kurs (języka) polskiego; mam lekcje (języka) polskiego; uczęszczam na kurs (języka) polskiego; miałam interesującą lekcję o narzędniku; zrobiłem kurs "Polski w biznesie" w Po Polsku. 

      You can get familiar with our materials during the courses, but for the time being test your Polish on our FB profile. 

A FEW WORDS ABOUT RZECZY IN POLISH LANGUAGE

RZECZ IN POLISH LANGUAGE MEANS MORE THAN JUST A MATERIAL OBJECT
Today it’s going to be brief and do rzeczy (to the point), because I will tell you about the word rzecz.
The majority of foreigners learning Polish (If you are looking for an interesting Polish language course here, you will find some useful information.) get to know this word quite early on. It denotes an object and it’s very easy to translate it into another foreign language (die Sache in German, thing in English, or вещь in Russian). We say moje rzeczy (here, we usually use the plural form) when we refer to objects belonging to us. However, in Polish rzecz appears in contexts which go beyond this first, elementary meaning. In fact, we can often hear that someone has dużo rzeczy do zrobienia, that is someone has to tackle many issues or tasks (the word sprawy is also popular in Polish and one can use the expression zająć się wieloma sprawami in the same context).

Would you like to practise Polish language in an easy and pleasant way? Have a look at our FB profile.

WHO IS TALKING DO RZECZY?
If during a discussion about a certain topic someone starts digressing and drifting away from the original subject of the conversation, it’s enough to say: Do rzeczy, proszę and our interlocutor will quickly return to the interrupted thread. Mówić do rzeczy conveys as much as talking sense and straight to the point. Someone, who mówi od rzeczy, says something unrelated to the subject matter and often what is said doesn’t make sense. Yet, when that someone realises it and we begin to hear meaningful and interesting words, we can comment: Teraz mówisz do rzeczy. Likewise, we can describe sensible people, good ideas and anything that makes sense as będące do rzeczy, while when we want to express the contrary, we describe these people, ideas and issues as będące od rzeczy.

WHAT ELSE IS GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT RZECZY IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE?
People that call a spade a spade, nazywają rzeczy po imieniu, and rzeczą oczywistą jest (there is no doubt about) that the communication with them is brief, succinct, but also difficult.

Polish has endowed rzecz with multiple meanings. This small word can stand for an object, a task, an activity or a subject of a conversation. Cała rzecz w tym (literally: the whole thing is, meaning: the point is) to remember to always use rzeczy do rzeczy :).

PARTIES AND BALLS, OR ON TERMINOLOGY FOR SOCIAL GATHERINGS IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE

NEW YEAR`S RESOLUTION – POLISH LANGUAGE LESSONS
The beginning of the year is a time not only to think of New Year’s resolutions (perhaps one of them will be a Polish language course), but also to take full advantage of carnival. It is also a good opportunity to discuss, in the framework of learning Polish, what all kinds of social gatherings are called in Polish. Let’s start with carnival.

BALLS, PARTIES, RECEPTIONS – HOW DO THEY DIFFER?
Bal is of course an elegant, very formal, social gathering with gourmet food and dancing and where you are obliged to follow a formal dress code. In contrast to the French language, the Polish bal refers only to formal social gatherings. If a gathering has an informal character: with casual clothes and quite spontaneous rules of functioning, it is just called impreza. Impreza – depending on what we are celebrating, has still other names, but more on that in a moment. However, not every formal gathering with music and elegant clothes is bal. If an event takes place at an embassy and the participating guests are officially invited and are required to wear formal gowns, there is music (but then again without dancing) and a glass of champagne (or good wine), it is called przyjęcie. Obviously, such a reception can take place at any other institution or a private house.

                                                  Test your Polish on our FB profile

NAMES FOR INFORMAL PARTIES (IMPREZY) - PARAPETÓWKI AND PĘPKOWE
Let’s return, however, to somewhat less formal gatherings. If a party (impreza) is organised on the night of the 31st of December and 1st of January, we call it sylwester (from saint Sylwester, whose name day falls on that night); we also have urodziny (when we celebrate the event of someone’s birth a given number of years ago) and imieniny. The latter type of a party is a Polish speciality. The older we get, the more we prefer to celebrate our imieniny instead of urodziny that expose our age:). We celebrate our imieniny on a day that in catholic calendar falls on the saint’s day whose name we bear. The celebration itself has no religious character whatsoever. Impreza on the occasion of moving to another house is called parapetówka (from the word parapet, presumably, to stress the fact that at the new place there are still many things missing and therefore the windowsill has a more important function than usual); impreza during which a fledgling father celebrates with his pals the birth of his child is called pępkowe (from the word pępek - a navel); pre-wedding parties for women and men are called  wieczór panieński (a hen night) and kawalerski (a stag night), respectively; a Christmas gathering is called opłatek  - a communion wafer (from the act of sharing a communion wafer with each other), and a get-together just before Easter is often called caressingly jajeczko - small egg (from the custom of sharing an with each other a boiled egg). Impreza taking place on the day of sint Andrew is a popular party called andrzejki (it’s an occasion for telling fortune, and for those who are more religious, it’s the last opportunity to dance before the approaching Advent), and the ostatki - literally it means remains or leftovers -  (or zapusty) is the last chance for some carnival fun before Lent (fasting period in preparation for Easter) comes.

As you can see, with or without religion in the background, there are a whole lot of opportunities for a pleasant celebration. Find the time for it between your Polish language lessons. All the best in the New Year!!!

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.

                                                    more vocabulary on our FB profile

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.

REST AFTER THE COURSE OF POLISH. THE BIESZCZADY MOUNTAINS.

BIESZCZADY: NOT ONLY POLISH WAS SPOKEN THERE

The summer’s coming to an end and you have deserved some rest after the course:) Before you start attending regular classes you can visit the parts of Poland that are not that  popular with foreigners. You must have been to the Tatra Mountains already, you might have been to the ski slopes of the Beskids. Have you heard of Bieszczady, the mountains in the south-east Poland, where the three borders come together: Polish, Slovakian and Ukraine? They’re the so-called Southern Bieszczady, the eastern part of which is in Ukraine.
The Bieszczady Mountains are lower than the Tatra Mountains, but they are known for their unique landscape: wild valleys, beech forests covering the mountain slopes and pastures, which are vast areas covered with grass, they look like huge meadows. When hiking in Bieszczady you will come across deserted villages, graveyards, Catholic and Orthodox churches, since the area is an ethnic and religious melting pot (Polish and Ukrainian people, Lemkos and Boykos).

                                        In such places you can practise not only the Polish language

CLIMB TO THE TOP: TARNICA

Go past Lake Solina (Jezioro Solińskie), do not stop there although it’s beautiful, and keep going until you reach Ustrzyki Dolne. This little place, which is something between a village and a small town, is a perfect starting spot to set off (ruszyć) to the highest peak of Bieszczady – Tarnica (1346 masl). On the way to the top beware of  strong winds, though :) and that’s what you can see from the the top of the mountain:
                                                           

                              on the way to Tarnica you will always run into people you can speak Polish with

It was worth it, wasn’t it?

THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN PASTURES WITH POLISH

From Ustrzyki Dolne you might head for  the breathtaking Carynska Pasture (Połonina Caryńska)

And then, hiking along the Wetlińska Pasture (Połonina Wetlińska), you can stay for the night at a charming hostel called „Chatka Puchatka“,

which is located at 1232 masl. If you arrive there around 7pm the only place available will be ... the one on the floor, in your own sleeping bag. There’s no electricity or running water. Despite the lack of basic facilities you can be sure to spend a charming evening in a cozy atmosphere, speaking Polish, watching a stunning sunset and drinking tea with rum. At the crack of dawn you can set off to Orłowicz Pass (Przełęcz Orłowicza).

At this early hour you’ll see the mist over the valleys,

                             a difficult Polish word mgła (mist): jest mgła, nie ma mgły, we mgle; mglisty dzień

desterted trails, pastures covered in morning sun, and who knows, you might spot (dostrzeżecie) a deer or a lynx.
When you have come back to the real world and to your homes you can review and repeat  the words that have been used in the text (see the Polish version of the blog): tygiel (melting pot) – połoniny (pastures) – wejść na szczyt (climb to the top) – wędrować po górach (to hike in the mountains)– przełęcz (pass) – śpiwór (sleeping bag)– świt (dawn)– ruszyć (to set off)– dolina (valley)– szlak (trail). And practise the conjugation of verbs used, here are the links :) They may prove useful next time you go hiking in the Polish mountains. See you on the trail.

                                     

BEWARE OF FALSE FRIENDS WHEN LEARNING POLISH

THE WORDS THAT SOUND SIMILAR IN POLISH AND ANOTHER LANGUAGE

Everyone who is taking up a foreign language is very happy to hear the words that sound similar in both his native language and the language they are learning. It‘s all fine as long as the words not only sound similar but also mean similar or the same things. Otherwise we’re dealing with everyone’s nightmare called false friends.

THE PROBLEM CONCERNING NOT ONLY SLAVIC LANGUAGE SPEAKERS

I would seem that in case of the Polish language the problem arises when the Slavs take it up. Obviously, there’s plenty of false friends within the same language group (we’re going to devote a separate entry to these), however, we should not think that the speakers of English, Italian or Finnish have nothing to worry about. At first sight these languages seem very different from Polish and it’s hard to find the words that sound similar. But just listen to an everyday conversation in Polish and you’ll change your mind. Examples?

                        When learning any foreign language, not only Polish, we should look out for false friends.

CONSULT A DICTIONARY BEFORE USING WORDS

Imagine that an English speaker needs to go to the doctor’s. He or she is sitting in the waiting room and overhears a conversation between two other patients:
- Bardzo dziś boli mnie bark – one of them complains.
The English speaker has been living in Poland, so he or she has definitely attended a Polish language course and has understood almost everything. But the „bark“ doesn’t seem to fit here. Was the dog barking so loudly that the person started to feel pain? Strange structure. Not at all! The structure is nothing complex. The word „bark“ is the key to understanding the sentence. In Polish the word means „shoulder“, and in English it is the sound that dogs make.
We should also watch out for what we’re saying when taking to an attractive Italian man or woman; our invitation to kolacja (dinner/supper) may be understood as an invitation to colazione, which means „breakfast“ in Italian. A Finn may look in surprise at the form he or she is trying to fill out, because one of the questions is about the name of the trip. All the confusion is caused by the word „matka“, which in Finnish means „trip“ and in Polish it’s „mother“ and it’s the mother’s name that the Finn needs to put in.
Therefore, before we use a Polish word that sounds similar to a word in our language, we’d better look it up in a dictionary to make sure it’s not a false friend.

PREPOSITIONS “DO” AND “NA” IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE

ONE OF THOSE LITTLE PROBLEMS WITH POLISH

When learning Polish we encounter a number of little grammar problems which do not prevent us from getting our message across when we speak, but which become annoying when we start to speak Polish more and more fluently. One of such little problems is the use of prepositions “NA” and “DO” with verbs of motion.

WHEN TO USE “DO” AND WHEN “NA”? THE POLISH LANGUAGE, HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY.

Exactly. Why do we say: jedziemy (or jeździmy, see the previous blog entry) DO Niemiec, Francji, USA, Szwecji (to Germany, France, the USA, Sweden), but NA Maltę, Ukrainę, Białoruś, Kretę (to Malta, Ukraine, Belarus, Crete)? As a rule, we use DO with names of countries. But most students of Polish immediately ask: >OK, so why do you say “jadę NA Ukrainę” then<? Good point. Unfortunately, it goes back to the time when these countries (now independent) used to be a part of other countries (not necessarily of Poland). Therefore, we say: jadę NA Cypr, NA Węgry, NA Litwę (I’m going to Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania). Preposition NA is also used when referring to islands that have been a part of another country (jadę na Ibizę, NA Majorkę, NA Wyspy Kanaryjskie, Na Karaiby etc. – to Ibiza, Mallorca, Canary Islands, Caribbean) and regions (NA Mazury, NA Kaszuby, NA Warmię – to Masuria, Kashubia, Warmia).

DO WE SAY: JEDZIEMY NA CHORWACJĘ OR DO CHORWACJI?!

Does the above-mentioned rule apply to every case? Unfortunately, no. We do say: jadę DO Czech (the Czech Republic), but NA Słowację (Slovakia); jadę na Łotwę (Latvia), but jadę do Estonii (Estonia). And our Balkan friends? We use DO, always DO. Jedziecie w tym roku DO Chorwacji? :) (Are you going to Croatia this year?

                                       maybe, instead of travel you want to take Polish course? 

And one more thing: remember that about declination. JADĘ DO + gen. , JADĘ NA + acc. You can practise Polish declinations thanks to this app: Android, iOS, iPAD, Windows

REASONS TO SPEND YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAYS IN POLAND

NOT ONLY TO LEARN POLISH
At first sight Poland may seem to be a country that is not too attractive for tourists used to spending their holidays on sunny beaches of Greece of Italy. It hardly ever gets really hot, so the weather isn’t perfect here in the summer. However, that is only the first impression, which is wrong. Poland is really worth visiting in the summer.
First of all, you can sign up for a summer course of Polish as a foreign language. Everybody knows that the best way to learn a foreign language is to use it in the streets, talking to locals. Nowhere else will you have that many opportunities to use the expressions you’ve learnt in class. Obviously, materials available online, such as a site with conjugation of Polish verbs, can be outside Poland.

HOLIDAYS IN POLAND
Those who like the sea and lying on the beach will definitely enjoy the Baltic seaside. They can choose between the wide golden beaches and steep cliff edges. If the weather isn’t good enough to stay on the beach, they can visit some beautiful old Polish cities like Gdańsk, Kołobrzeg or Toruń, the hometown of Copernicus.
Those who prefer freshwater to saltwater will definitely find what they’re looking for among the picturesque lakes of Warmia and Masuria. It’s an ideal place to do water sports, go on bike tours or go hiking. On the way there you can visit one of the medieval castles in the region.
Those who are attracted by the beauty and might of the mountains will definitely choose to go to the south. Trekking the trails of the Tatra and Beskidy mountains will leave a lasting impression on them.
And if anyone would like to combine water with mountains, they will find both in the Bieszczady mountains. In hot weather they can cool off with a swim in the  Solina Lagoon, and in cooler weather they might hike the Bieszczady peaks and pastures.

WE SPEAK POLISH IN POLAND :)
In fact, every corner of Poland is full of cities and towns not only rich in architecture, but also lively and bustling, just to mention Wrocław, Poznań, Olsztyn, Kraków and many more.
And let’s not forget about the diverse and delicious Polish food, which varies from region to region. Polish cuisine is not only pierogi (dumplings) or żurek (sour rye soup) but also fish, delicious soups, vegetables, kasza (kasha – cereal eaten in the Central and Eastern Europe) and sweet desserts :)
Poland is worth coming to not only to do a Polish course :)

And as „a second helping“ we recommend taking the Polish language, since it’s much more pleasant to travel across Poland knowing several basic expressions like „dziękuję“ (thank you), „dzień dobry“ (good morning/afternoon) or „poproszę“ (I’d like/I’ll take).

WHY LEARN POLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?

REASONS FOR CHOOSING TO LEARN POLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Why should foreigners learn Polish?

That’s the question many foreigners probably ask themselves after the first Polish lesson, which usually gives them an impression that Polish is difficult. The first answer that comes to one’s mind is that there are about 44 million speakers of Polish around the world. That means there are 44 million chances of you meeting a Polish speaking person somewhere in the world.

However, there are more practical reasons. Imagine foreigners who have arrived in Warsaw, for instance. Just in case they type in the keywords „Polish for foreigners Warsaw“ in the browser (or they can simply go to Po Polsku site and find all the necessary and important information on courses of Polish as a foreign language in Warsaw) and start wondering whether to learn Polish.

Polish is useful!

Obviously, at work or at a restaurant they can communicate in English with not much of a problem. However, assuming that the students take an active part in the lesson, after only one class they will be able to read the name of the street where they live or work without much difficulty.
They will be able to tell a taxi driver their address, no matter whether the street is called Świętokrzyska, Szczera or Pajęcza (these are some examples from Warsaw).
After the next few lessons of the course the foreigners will easily find bread at a supermarket. They will know they they can find it under the letter „P”, which is the first letter of the word „pieczywo”(the name of the department in a store) or „piekarnia”, and not under the letter „B” like „bakery”. It seems a mere trifle, but it definitely makes life easier and helps us save time, which is, as we know, precious.
On the way back from the shop you can listen to the radio, which makes driving more enjoyable. And the radio, as we all know, is not only music, but the news as well, which is always worth listening to. After the course of Polish for foreigners you shouldn’t have difficulty understanding what you hear.
As you can see, Polish is definitely worth learning, you’ll find it useful in everyday situations, it’ll make your life more enjoyable, you’ll be able to listen to the radio, read papers and good books in original version and first of all, you’ll be able to tell your neighbour in the morning „Dzień dobry! Co u pana słychać?” (Good morning, how are you?)