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.

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 :)

DIMINUTIVE FORMS OF POLISH NAMES, SO IS ASIA JOANNA?

FOREIGNERS AND POLISH NAMES

- Wysłałeś mail Asi? (Have you emailed Asia)?
- Nie, wysłałem mail Joannie. (I’ve emailed Joanna)
- No, właśnie: Asi. (Exactly: Asia)
- Nie, Joannie. (No, Joanna)

A dialogue like that is quite common in companies where foreigners work with the Polish. Even the foreigners who can speak Polish quite well already, especially thanks to  the Polish courses they’ve attended, still stumble over issues that seem trivial, such as names of their Polish colleagues. While it’s fairly easy to figure out that Tomasz is Tomek, Magdalena – Magda, Jakub – Kuba, and Anna is Ania, it gets more complicated with names like Jan, Jerzy, Agnieszka etc.

VARIATIONS OF THE SAME NAME IN POLISH

What is obvious for the Poles, may surprise foreigners. How can a diminutive form of Aleksandra possibly be Ola, or Kasia a diminutive of Katarzyna? And how to remember that Antonina may be called Tosia or Tośka? Is Czarek really Cezary, and is my nice colleague from the open-plan office, Gosia, in fact Małgorzata? Why does Anna‘s business card say Anna, while the colleagues call her Ania and she introduces herself as Anka?! And since when is Jerzy called Jurek? Why do colleagues call Andrzej from the IT department Jędrek? And why does my mother-in-law call her daughter Agusia, if, I remember that very clearly, I married Agnieszka, whose friends call her Aga? And my son has two friends in the kindergarden: Antek and Antoś. They both share the same name, which is Antoni. We cooperate with an accountant, her name is Maria (a beautiful name!), but our colleagues call her Marysia, and once I heard her husband calling her Marynia. And how come my son’s name is Maciuś?! It was my wife, Aga, who insisted on naming him Maciej, after his Polish grandfather. Our hipothetical foreigner never ceases to be surprised, despite the fact that such processes occur in other languages, too (William – Bill, Robert – Bob, Margaret – Peggy, Michael – Mike, Elisabeth – Lizzie etc.)

HOW TO MASTER THE DIMINUTIVES OF POLISH NAMES

When you speak Polish the choice of the name variation very often depends on our relation to the bearer of the name. The Joanna we’ve mentioned above will introduce herself so in formal situations, but her friends, if they want to emphasize the informality of their relations, will call her Joaśka, her beloved or her parents will call her Asia, and when Joanna was a little girl some people might have called her Asiunia. She may have played in the yard with a Tomek, whose mother called him Tomaszek, or even (horror of horrors!) Tomuś, while his documents said his name was Tomasz.
For a foreigner who has just started to learn Polish each of the forms seems to be a different word. How to learn and use them so as to avoid misunderstandings? That’s  easy. Speak Polish as much as possible, practise grammar in the meantime, e.g. here

PODOBA MI SIĘ JĘZYK POLSKI or LUBIĘ JĘZYK POLSKI?

TWO IMPORTANT POLISH VERBS

Many students find it annoying that there are two verbs in the Polish language that can be used to express one’s likes, admiration or compliments. Today we’re going to focus on LUBIĆ and PODOBAĆ SIĘ.

WHEN DO WE USE  "LUBIĆ" AND WHEN "PODOBAĆ SIĘ"?

When translated into English, they both mean LIKE. Why then do we sometimes say „Podoba mi się Polska“, and sometimes „Lubię Polskę?“. Why is it quite risky to confess that „Podoba mi się Adam“, whereas „Lubię Adama“ sounds absolutely harmless? Why is it wrong to say: „Podoba mi się pływać.“? These are the questions frequently asked in lessons of Polish.
The verb LUBIĆ is used to talk about your interests as well as your liking of someone or something. It emphasises the engagement of the speaker and a good knowledge of the subject. PODOBAĆ SIĘ we usually use to say that we like something or someone’s physical appearance, they way they look. At the same time, the person we’re talking to gets the impression that we do not know the subject or the person too well. So, we can say:

• Lubię Ryana Goslinga (he’s a brilliant actor, I love his films I watch each and every one of them)

• Podoba mi się Ryan Gosling (he’s handsome)

• Lubię Polskę (I live here, I know the customs, I have friends here; if I don’t live there, I often go  there to visit)

• Podoba mi się Polska (I know Poland as a tourist, it seems to be an interesting country, but I’m not knowledgeable about it)

Now, let’s return to the question asked at the very beginning. If you know Polish, you are able to control it, you use it and you keep discovering its various aspects, you can say: LUBIĘ JĘZYK POLSKI. However, if you don’t speak Polish yet, but you are going to sign up for a course of Polish, because you have already read about it and you know it’s an interesting language with fascinating grammar and sophisticated vocabulary as well as beautiful melody... then you can say: PODOBA MI SIĘ JĘZYK POLSKI.

DIFFICULTIES IN THE USE OF „PODOBA MI SIĘ“ AND „LUBIĘ“

Naturally, all sorts of traps and catches are an integral part of the Polish language. There are cases when these verbs are not interchangeable with each other. For instance, we never use the verb PODOBAĆ SIĘ when we’re talking about food! When talking about our food preferences we have to use the verb LUBIĆ ("Lubię pizzę, kawę, mięso"), unless we wish to comment on the way the dish looks ("Podoba mi się dekoracja na tym torcie").
Let’s not forget the grammar (another trap!). The verb  LUBIĆ is followed by either another verb (in infinitive form), or a noun (in Accusative case). The verb PODOBAĆ SIĘ can ONLY be followed by a noun (in Nominative case!). If you want to practise the conjugation of both verbs, please check out ...

                                                                  PODOBA Wam się Wrocław? LUBICIE podróżować? 

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.

                                     

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