HOLIDAYS IN WŁOCHY (ITALY): IN RZYM (ROME) AND MEDIOLAN (MILAN). ON EXONYMS IN THE POLISH LANGUAGE.

UNUSUAL NAMES OF COUNTRIES IN POLISH

On hearing that sentence many students doing a  Polish course get really confused. Where has the speaker been? Włochy... what country is that? And where is Rzym located? True... Exonyms, i.e. names given to foreign geographical names in another language, Polish in our case, may puzzle many students of Polish. Suddenly, the inhabitant of Berlin finds out that he is from Niemcy (z Niemiec), and the citizen of Hungary is from ... Węgry (z Węgier). We’ll get back to the names of the three countries later on (Włochy – Niemcy – Węgry). For now, let’s take a look at the names of some of the foreign cities.

POLISH NAMES OF WELL KNOWN EUROPEAN CITIES

 It is relatively easy to guess what names we have in mind when we say Paryż (Paris), Londyn (London),  Lizbona (Lisbon), Wilno (Vilnius), Haga (the Hague), or Bruksela (Brussels). These have simply been transcribed using Polish sounds. Polish name of the capital of Belgium might sound a bit confusing when compared to the English way it’s pronounced, but if we think of the French Bruxelles, the Polish form is not that surprising anymore.
When talking about your holiday plans or a business trip it’s good to know that Ghent is Gandawa, Rome – Rzym, Milano – Mediolan, Wien – Wiedeń, Beijing – Pekin, Munchen – Monachium, Firenze – Florencja, Koln – Kolonia, and Cape Town is... Kapsztad.

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WHERE DOES THE NAME NIEMCY COME FROM?

In Polish classes teachers are often asked about the etymology of the names Niemcy, Włochy and Węgry.
It is believed that the form Niemcy is derived from the word memy, which described a person who speaks unintelligibly, not clearly. In short, the name appeared as a result of communication problems our ancestors had with the tribes inhabiting the area of today’s Germany.
The word Włochy derives from the Proto-Slavic name describing Romans, which we took over from the Germans, who initially called all Roman tribes Walh. And that name comes from the name of a Celtic tribe – Volcae. Among the Slavs, the term Wołch became common. Using this word the Slavs referred to all Romans, while in the Polish language it only referred to the inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula.
In the Polish language as well as in other languages the name Hungary refers to the tribe of Huns, who used to inhabit the area of today’s Hungary before the ancestors of the present inhabitants . The Polish form Węgry is a transformed name of tribes that sounded like Onogur/Ongur. The Slavs are believed to have pronounced that as w-ągri.

THE LOCATIVE CASE OF NAMES OF COUNTRIES

When talking of the three above-mentioned countries we should bear in mind that they all have a plural form in the Polish language, and that they take an unusual ending in the locative case. Mówimy o (we talk about), opowiadamy o (we tell about), mieszkamy (live), pracujemy (work), and studiujemy (study) w Niemczech, we Włoszech but na Węgrzech.

Here you can learn more on the Polish declensions

I’D LIKE A KILO OF APPLES (POPROSZĘ KILO JABŁEK), OR SHOPPING IN POLISH

A FEW PHRASES AND NUMBERS

It would seem that doing the shopping is more or less the same wherever in the world we are. It’s enough to learn the names of several products, numbers and some practical phrases in a language, e.g. Polish, and you’re ready to go to the shops. Naturally, you can always “take the easy way out” and go to a supermarket. However, even before going there it’s a good idea to look up the names of departments, because the Polish piekarnia sounds nothing like the German “Backerei”, English “bakery” or Spanish “panderia”. Apart from piekarnia you might need words like pieczywo(bread and bread-like goods), nabiał (dairy products) or chemia gospodarcza (household chemicals). Having learned those words you won’t be confused once in a shop, and it’ll spare you the unnecessary run around the shop in search of one product.

KILO MEANS KILOGRAM

However, if you decide to go to a corner shop, you should do your homework and go over the „weight“ topic. Obviously, the official unit of mass in Poland is a kilogram, whose prototype is in Sevres, France. The question is, how it works in the Polish language. It is generally known that users of every language have habits of their own.
First of all, all Polish shoppers use the short form of the word kilogram. Therefore, a Pole buys 2 kilos (dwa kilo), not 2 kilograms, of apples, potatoes or plums at the market. For the same reason you should ask for pół kilo (half a kilo – 500 grams) of cheese.

BETWEEN GRAMS AND DEKAGRAMS

We hardly ever buy half a kilo of ham, though, unless we are throwing a big party. When we feel like a sandwich with ham we should ask for (attention!) 15 dekagrams (15 deka) of it. And here’s when many foreigners ask themselves: „What is DEKA?“. The answer is simple, it’s short for „dekagram“ (=100 grams). The Polish use dekagrams, not grams. That’s why when in a shop we ask for 20 deka, not 200 grams of cheese. Shop assistants will definitely understand if the customer says: Poproszę 250 gramów tych pysznych ciastek (I’d like 250 grams of those delicious biscuits), but it does sound a bit unnatural.

                                    In Polish we ask for „20 deka“ of cheese rahther than „200 gramów“

You will definitely learn about this habit in classes of Polish for foreigners (see here for more information on courses). If you’re not sure of something, ask your teacher, one of your Polish colleagues, check out our facebook profile, or remember to read our blog regularly.

PISZĘ BLOG or PISZĘ BLOGA? UNUSUAL USES OF THE ACCUSATIVE CASE

ACCUSATIVE MASCULINE

Anyone learning Polish as a foreign language will face that problem at some point. They already know that in the masculine gender accusative case takes one of the two forms: either -a ending or remains unchanged, i.e. it is the same as the nominative case (it is also called a zero ending – ø). Those attending the courses of Polish know that the –a ending refers to the so called masculine animate nouns (that’s why we say: mam męża, brata, kota, psa – I have a husband, brother, cat, dog), while the zero ending refers to the group of nouns that are masculine inanimate (that’s why we say: mam dom, samochód, komputer etc. – I have a house, car, computer).

BLOG, MEJL, SMS IN A POLISH LESSON

Right. Why then do we often hear: on pisze bloga (he’s writing a blog), wysłałam ci smsa (I’ve sent you a text message), kupiłem laptopa (I’ve bought a laptop), odebrałem twojego mejla (I’ve got your email)? All the nouns mentioned are of masculine inanimate gender. According to the rule, they should remain unchanged when put in the accusative case! Well. The rule says one thing, but life, or should we say, users of the language, say another. The above mentioned use of masculine inanimate nouns with the –a ending has become so common that Polish linguists had to give in and accept those forms. However, though acceptable, they are considered COLLOQUIAL, and the structures with masculine inanimate nouns in the nominative case still remain to be the correct ones (on pisze blog, wysyłam ci sms, kupiłem laptop, odebrałem twój mejl).
In the examples given we’ve used the words that have appeared in the Polish language quite recently, the words connected with the latest technologies. However, we face the same dilemma (whether to use the accusative case with or without the –a ending) when using the nouns that appeared in Polish a long time ago. We often say: jem kotleta, pomidora, banana, although the correct form is jem kotlet, pomidor, banan. The use of –a ending with those nouns has become so common that it will probably replace the zero ending over time.

CARS, DANCES, SPORTS: 
THE “LEGAL” –A ENDING IN THE ACCUSATIVE CASE

When learning the accusative case we should bear in mind that there is a great deal of inanimate nouns which take the –a ending, and that is THE ONLY CORRECT FORM they can take. We use it when talking about car makes (mam mercedesa, fiata, peugeota), dances (tańczyliśmy walca, fokstrota, swinga, rock and rolla), sports (gram w tenisa, golfa, pokera, brydża), types of flowers (dostałam jednego goździka, tulipana, irysa).
You can learn more about the exceptions and unusual uses of the language while attending our classes or using our app.

WHERE DID THE POLISH NAMES OF DAYS OF THE WEEK COME FROM?

WHAT DOES „WTÓRY“ MEAN AND WHAT DOES THE WEEK HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

 Unlike in many other languages, Polish names of the days of the week do not take their names after Greek or Roman gods, they do not really relate to religion, either, with two exceptions that will be discussed later on. Instead, their names are closely linked to the order in which they appear one after another in what we call a week. Perhaps that’s the reason why the students of Polish do not find it very difficult to memorise the names of weekdays.

CZWARTEK and PIĄTEK (Thursday and Friday) seem relatively easy to remember, as they are the fourth (czwarty) and the fifth (piąty) days of the week.

Actually, it’s also the case with the second day of the week, WTOREK (Tuesday), which takes its name after the ancient Proto-Slavic adjective „wtóry“, which means... second.

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It is just as easy to explain the meaning of the word ŚRODA (Wednesday), which comes from „środek“ (middle), so the middle day of the week. This is supposedly a  calque (loan translation) from German, in which Mittwoch means the central part of the week.

Another loanword is the word SOBOTA (Saturday), which is derived from the Hebrew word shabbath, that is the holy day of rest. The word remained in the Polish language despite the changes introduced by the church, one of which was making the seventh day of the week the most imporant one. In fact, it is the word NIEDZIELA (Sunday) that students ask most questions about in Polish classes. Where did that word come from?

WE DO NOT WORK ON SUNDAY (NIEDZIELA)

NIEDZIELA is derived from an ancient Proto-Slavic verb ne delati, which simply means... do not work, do not do anything, do not act. Since the Synod of Laodicea (in 364 AD), this very day (not Saturday) has been the day of rest, i.e. a holy day. Therefore, the first day of the week that follows niedziela is called PONIEDZIAŁEK (i.e. dzień po niedzieli – the day after niedziela).

DAYS OF THE WEEK AND GRAMMAR

When using the names of the days of the week the student needs to remember that they usually collocate with the following prepositions:
• „w“ (on) – and then we must use the accusative case, which is especially important in case of feminine forms, so we say w środę, w sobotę, w niedzielę;
• „do“ (to) and „od“ (from) – we have to use the genitive case here;
And do remember that the use of the word „tydzień“ (week) itself is not at all easy, as we say 2,3,4 tygodnie but 5,6,7 etc. tygodni (you can practise Polish declensions in here)

THE THREE CAPITAL CITIES OF POLAND

WARSAW AS THE THIRD CAPITAL 

Capital city is the showpiece of every country. Undeniably, Warsaw is the showpiece of Poland. However, not everyone knows that it is the third capital of Poland.

THE FIRST CAPITAL OF POLAND AND THE EMERGENCE OF POLAND AS A STATE

 The first capital was Gniezno, a small town near Poznań. The origin of Gniezno is connected with the legend of the establishment of the Polish state, and it takes its name after „gniazdo“, which means „nest“. In that very area was the beautiful and fertile land and the eagle nest described in the legend, which encouraged Lech (progenitor of the Poles) to stop his wanderings and set up a settlement.
Naturally, that is only a legend, but there must be a grain of truth in it. Anyone going to Gniezno must definitely go and see the Cathedral with the famous Bronze Doors bulit in the 12th century, which show the episodes from the life of St. Adalbert.

THE CAPITAL OF POLISH CULTURE

The second capital of Poland was the city very well known to tourists, Kraków. Officially, Kraków served as the capital from the 11th century up to 1795, although it ceased to be the residence of the kings much earlier, in 1611.
Kraków, located on the Vistula river in the south of Poland, is not only one of the oldest cities, but it is also a place where tourists will definitely have no chance to put away their cameras. You can visit the Wawel Castle (the former Royal Castle), the beautiful Sukiennice (Cloth Hall), the picturesque Kazimierz (the former Jewish Quarter) and the Social Realist suburb of Nowa Huta. You should go for a stroll in Planty, go to one of the numerous Kraków theatres to see a good play, in Polish, naturally. Kraków has always claimed the name of “the Capital of Polish Culture”.

MOVING THE CAPITAL TO WARSAW

In 1596 King Sigismund III Vasa decided to move his court from Kraków to Warsaw. The official reason behind the decision was the fire in the Wawel Castle. Interestingly, for the next 200 years Warsaw was formally only the Residential City of His Majesty, while in fact it served as the capital city.
Nowadays Warsaw is a city full of contrasts. On the one hand, it is a modern metropolis with skyscrapers, whose inhabitants live the metropolitan life; on the other hand, there are picturesque old houses, narrow streets of the Old Town, the Royal Castle and the Wilanów Palace. Warsaw is not only a business and trade centre and a place frequently visited by tourists. It is also teeming with cultural and student life. Warsaw is the place where many foreigners come to learn Polish. Whether you are a tourist or a student, you should go to one of the museums, go for a walk in Łazienki park, and should you get lost, remember to look up to find your way thanks to the Palace of Culture towering over the city.

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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? 

THE NAMES OF THE MONTHS IN POLISH

THE NAMES OF THE MONTHS IN POLISH APPEAR TO BE DIFFICULT 

No matter where and what kind of Polish course you are attending, sooner or later you will need to learn the names of the months. Their unusual and complicated names have become a legend. It is not surprising that for many foreigners the names of the months in Polish are quite a challenge. And that’s not about the way they’re pronounced, although we must admit that is not easy, either.

THE NAMES OF THE MONTHS AND THEIR CONNECTION WITH NATURE 

As you probably know, the Polish language likes to be original. Unlike most European languages, in which the names of the months derive from Roman traditions and the Julian calendar, Polish months owe their names to nature and agricultural work performed in particular seasons of the year.
Accordingly, the first month is not called „januar“ or „January“, but „styczeń“, and the etymology of the word still arouses strong emotions among linguists. Some link it with TYKI (long sticks used on farms), others believe the word is derived from „STYKANIE SIĘ“ (to connect, merge), which means the moment when the new year meets (connects with) the old one.

TWO FOREIGNERS :)

Luty (February) takes its name after an old adjective that meant severe and freezing cold.
Marzec (March) is the first „foreigner“ among the twelve months. The same as in many other languages, it was named after the Roman god of war, Mars.
Kwiecień (April) is a month when  flowers start to bloom (kwitnąć – to bloom).
Maj (May) is the second of the „strangers“, the month named after the Roman goddess Maia. It’s probably the only month, which is really easy to pronounce.
Czerwiec (June) owes its name to insects that were collected in the sixth month of the year. They were called „czerwie“ (maggots) and purple dye was extracted from them.
Lipiec (July) was named after LIPY (linden trees), the trees that are beautiful when in bloom, but disliked by people allergic to them.
Sierpień (August) comes from „sierp“ (sickle) which was a tool used for harvesting crops.
Wrzesień (September) was named after „wrzosy“ (heather), bushes with violet flowers when in bloom. It’s enough to go for a walk in the forest in September to see meadows of heather.
Październik (October) takes its name after „paździerz“. It’s hard to understand the origin of the word even for the Polish, because it is connected with flax production. Paździerz was the part of the plant that was discarded as unnecessary.
Listopad (November) – after leaves (liście) that fall off trees.
Grudzień (December) – after „gruda“, which means frozen ground.

DIFFICULT, BUT ...

As you can see, the names of the months in Polish may be difficult, but they are meaningful, the etymology of the words allows us to learn how people used to live and work in the distant past, when the words were created.