'''Polish''' is the official '''language of Poland''', a country of 38.5 million people and is also used by the 10M Polish diaspora around the world. It is understood and can be used for communication in the western parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. Polish is a '''Western Slavic language''' and the closest similar languages are those of Poland's neighbours: Czech, Slovak. The latter two are actually more easily understood by a speaker of Polish, even though they have somewhat different interpretations of the Latin alphabet.

The language is unique in that it retains the '''nasal sounds''' lost in other Slavic languages and uses a unique '''diacritic mark, an ''ogonek''''' (a "little tail") attached to '''a''' and '''e''' to express them. It is also noted for its '''consonant clusters''' with similar-sounding affricates and fricatives, some of which may cause some serious pronunciation difficulties. On the other hand, there are '''only 8 vowels''' in Polish, (a,e,i,o,u,y + nasals ?,?) as compared to some 20 in RP English and the '''pronunciation follows a set of rules''', so it can be read from the spelling of a word.

Like other Slavic languages, Polish is highly inflected allows much '''discretion in its word order'''. For example, ''Ania kocha Jacka'', ''Jacka kocha Ania'', ''Ania Jacka kocha'', etc. all translate to ''Annie loves Jack'', a sentence that cannot be further reordered without changing the meaning. This may cause some confusion for speakers of positional languages such as English. Polish has '''7 cases''', '''3 grammatical genders''' (masculine, feminine and neuter) in singular and 2 (virile and non-virile) in plural. There are '''3 tenses''' (past/present/future) and '''18 verb conjugation patterns''' so as you can see the grammar may be a little challenging.

Pronunciation guide

Alphabet

  • <tt>A '''?''' B C '''?''' D E '''?''' F G H I J K L '''?''' M N '''?''' O '''O''' P R S '''?''' T U W Y Z '''?''' '''?'''</tt>
  • <tt>a '''?''' b c '''?''' d e '''?''' f g h i j k l '''?''' m n '''?''' o '''o''' p r s '''?''' t u w y z '''?''' '''?'''</tt>
  • <tt>Q q</tt> and <tt>V v</tt> are used in foreign words only. <tt>X x</tt> is used in some historical names too.

    Vowels

    ; a : as in f'''a'''ther ; ? : nasalized vowel, similar to Portuguese S''ao'' and amanh''a'' <small><nowiki>[</nowiki>How to pronounce: Nasal vowels<nowiki>]</nowiki></small> ; e : as in b'''e'''d ; ? : nasalized 'e', like r'''an'''g <small><nowiki>[</nowiki>How to pronounce: Nasal vowels<nowiki>]</nowiki></small>; becomes just a long "e" at the end of words. ; i : as in mar'''i'''ne ; o : as in l'''o'''t ; o : see ''u'' ; u : as in b'''oo'''t ; y : good approximation sound is m'''y'''th

    Consonants

    ; b : as in '''b'''ed ; c : as in boo'''ts''' ; ? : ~ as in cat'''ch''', pronounced with the tongue touching the front of the palate ; d : as in '''d'''og ; f : as in '''f'''un ; g : as in '''g'''o ; h : see ''ch'' ; j : as in '''y'''ak ; k : as in '''k'''eep ; l : as in '''l'''ead ; ? : as in '''w'''omb ; m : as in '''m'''other ; n : as in '''n'''ice ; ? : as in ca'''ny'''on; sounds just like the Spanish "n" ; p : as in '''p'''ig ; q : as ''kw'', see ''k'' and ''w'' respectively (rarely used) ; r : no approximate sound in English but try '''r'''ing ; s : as in '''s'''ong ; ? : ~ as in wi'''sh''' ; t : as in '''t'''op ; v : see ''w'' (rarely used) ; w : as in '''v'''ote ; x : as ''ks'', see ''k'' and ''s'' respectively (rarely used) ; z : as in ha'''z'''e ; ? : as in sei'''z'''ure ; ? : as '''zh''' in English loanwords or trea'''s'''ure

    Digraphs and trigraphs

    ; ch : as Scots say in lo'''ch'''

    ; ci, dzi, ni, si, zi : as a ''?''/''d?''/''?''/''?''/''?'' followed by an ''i''

    ; sz : as in '''sh'''ackles

    ; cz : as in wi'''tch'''

    ; rz : see ''?''

    ; d? : as in '''J'''ohn, voiced version of ''cz''

    ; d? : voiced version of ''?''

    ; szcz : ''sz'' + ''cz'' is a common combination - just think fre'''shch'''eese.

    How to pronounce

  • Emphasis is usually on the penultimate syllable, with only a few exceptions; non-Slavic words, the first and second plural forms of the past and conditional tenses of both aspects and names that end in -s?aw are stressed on the third-last syllable.
  • '''Devoicing''' occurs with '''b''', '''d''', '''g''', '''w''', '''z''', '''?''' and voiced digraphs in the word endings and in consonant clusters. Thus '''jab?ko''' 'an apple' is really pronounced ''japko''.
  • '''Nasal vowels''' are really nasal in certain configurations only. Other than that, they are ''om''/''on'' for '''?''' and ''em''/''en'' for '''?'''. To approximate them, say '''a''' or '''e''' normally and then the say the ''n'' sound as in the '''-ing''' endings. Link those two sounds together and voila you have a nasal vowel.
  • '''Voiceless plosives''' '''k''', '''p''' and '''t''' are not aspirated, unlike their English counterparts.
  • '''?-Cz, D?-D?, ?-Sz'''. This is a little more difficult. The English '''sh'''/'''ch''' sounds are between '''?'''/'''?''' and '''sz'''/'''cz''' respectively - the former are softer, and the latter are harder. '''Cz''' is really just an affricate consisting of '''t''' + '''sz''' (or '''t''' + '''sh''' in English). '''D?''' is a voiced '''?''' and '''d?''' is a voiced counterpart of '''cz''', so another way to learn '''cz''' is to de-voice the '''J''' sound you know from '''John'''.
  • '''Rolling r''' is the sound you will most probably never learn. Approximate it with the '''r''' you know, whatever it is. Or if you are really determined, read about the alveolar trill and the alveolar flap.
  • After you know how to pronounce letters and digraphs, just pronounce all letters as you see them.

    Phrase list

    Basics

    ; Hello: Informal - '''Cze??''' (Tch-esh-ch) Formal - '''Dzie? dobry''' (Jeyn Dob-ry)

    ; How are you?: '''Jak si? masz?''' (Yahk sheng mah-sh)

    ; Fine, thank you: '''Dzi?kuj?, dobrze.''' (Jenkoo-yeng dob-zhe)

    ; What is your name?: '''Jak masz na imi??''' (yahk mah-sh nah eem-ye)

    ; My name is ______ .: '''Nazywam si? ______.''' (Nah-zivam sheng ____)

    ; Please. : '''Prosz?''' (PROH-sheh)

    ; Thank you. : '''Dzi?kuj?.''' (Jenkoo-yeng)

    ; You're welcome: Informal - '''Nie ma za co''' (nyeh mah zah tsoh) Formal - Prosz? (PROH-sheng)

    ; Yes. : '''Tak''' (''tahk'')

    ; No. : '''Nie''' (''nyeh'')

    ; Excuse me.: (for getting attention) '''Przepraszam.''' (psheh-prah-shahm)

    ; I'm sorry.: '''Przepraszam.''' (psheh-prah-shahm)

    ; Goodbye: Informal - '''pa''' (pah) Formal - '''Do widzenia''' (doh veed-zen-yah)

    ; I can't speak Polish [well].: '''Nie mowi? [dobrze] po polsku.''' (nyeh moo-vyeh [dob-zheh] poh pol-skoo)

    ; Do you speak English?: '''Czy mowisz po angielsku?''' (chih moo-vish poh ahng-gyel-skoo?)

    ; Is there someone here who speaks English?: '''Czy kto? tu mowi po angielsku?''' (tch-y ktosh too moo-vee poh anhng-yel-skoo)

    ; Help!: '''Pomocy!''' (poh-moh-tsy) or '''Ratunku!''' (rah-toon-koo)

    ; Good night: '''Dobranoc.''' (doh-brah-nots)

    ; I don't understand: '''Nie rozumiem''' (Nyeh roh-zoom-yem)

    ; Where is the toilet?: '''Gdzie jest toaleta?''' (g-jeh yest twa-leta)

    Talking to somebody

    ; Can you help me? : Czy mo?e mi '''pan''' ''m'' / '''pani''' ''f'' pomoc? (''Tchih MO-zheh mee pahn / PAH-nee POH-moots?'')

    Problems

    ; Leave me alone. : Zostaw mnie. (''Zostaff mnieh'')

    ; I'll call the police. : As in summoning - Zawo?am policj?! (''ZAH-voh-wam poh-litz-yeh'') As in using a phone - Zadzwoni? na policj? (''ZAH-dzvohn-yeh nah poh-litz-yeh'')

    ; Police! : Policja! (''po-litz-yah'')

    ; Stop the thief! : Zatrzyma? z?odzieja! (''zah-tschy-matz zwoh-TZIEH-yah'')

    ; I need your help. : Potrzebuj? pomocy. (''poh-tscheh-BOO-yeh poh-moh-tsi'')

    ; It's an emergency. : To nag?a potrzeba (''toh NAH-gwah poh-CHEh-bah'')

    ; I'm lost. : Zab??dzi?em. (''zah-bwon-TZEE-wehm'')

    ; I lost my bag. : Zgubi?em torb?. (''zgu-BEE-wehm TOHR-beh'') ; I lost my wallet. : Zgubi?em portfel. (''zgu-BEE-wehm pohr-tvehll'')

    ; I'm sick. : Jestem chory. (''YEH-stehm hoh-ry'') ; I'm injured. : Jestem ranny (''YEH-stehm rahn-ni'') ; I need a doctor. : Potrzebuj? lekarza. (''Pohtschehbooie leckaschah'')

    ; Can I use (your) phone? : Czy mog? zadzwoni? (od pana/pani)? (''tshy moh-gheh zah-tzvoh-nitz (ohd pa-nih [fem.]/pah-nah [masc.]'')

    Numbers

  • '''Comma is the decimal point''' in Polish, and space is used as a thousand separator.
  • For negative numbers, the minus sign is '''before''' the number.
  • The currency symbol is ''z?'' (sometimes also ''PLN'' where different currencies are involved or, incorrectly, ''PLZ'') and it goes '''after''' the amount.
  • Common abbreviations are ''tys.'' for 'thousands' (SI: k), ''mln'' for ''million'' (SI: M). ''Miliard'' or ''mld'' is a billion, and ''bilion'' is a trillion (as in the old British notation).
  • Examples: 1,000,000 is ''1 000 000'', 3.141 is ''3,141''. ''PLN 14.95'' is ''14,95 z?'', and the Polish public debt is ''-500 000 000 000 z?'' or ''-500 000 mln z?'' or ''-500 mld z?'' or ''0,5 bln z?'' (not that much, actually).

    ; Numbers : liczby

    ; 1 : jeden (''YEH-den'') (pierwszy)

    ; 2 : dwa (''dvah'') (drugi)

    ; 3 : trzy (''tzhih'') (trzeci)

    ; 4 : cztery (''CHTEH-rih'') (czwarty)

    ; 5 : pi?? (''pyench'') (pi?ty)

    ; 6 : sze?? (''sheshch'') (szosty)

    ; 7 : siedem (''SHEH-dem'') (siodmy)

    ; 8 : osiem (''OH-shem'') (osmy)

    ; 9 : dziewi?? (''JEV-yench'') (dziewi?ty)

    ; 10 : dziesi?? (''JESH-yench'') (dziesi?ty)

    ; 11 : jedena?cie (''yeh-deh-NAHSH-cheh'') (-nasty)

    ; 12 : dwana?cie (''dvah-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 13 : trzyna?cie (''tzhi-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 14 : czterna?cie (''chter-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 15 : pi?tna?cie (''pyent-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 16 : szesna?cie (''shes-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 17 : siedemna?cie (''sheh-dem-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 18 : osiemna?cie (''oh-shem-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 19 : dziewi?tna?cie (''jev-yent-NAHSH-cheh'')

    ; 20 : dwadzie?cia (''dva-JESH-cha'') (dwudziesty)

    ; 21 : dwadzie?cia jeden

    ; 22 : dwadzie?cia dwa

    ; 23 : dwadzie?cia trzy

    ; 30 : trzydzie?ci (''tzhi-JESH-chee'')(trzydziesty)

    ; 40 : czterdzie?ci (czterdziesty)

    ; 50 : pi??dziesi?t (pi??dziesi?ty)

    ; 60 : sze??dziesi?t (sze??dziesi?ty)

    ; 70 : siedemdziesi?t (siedemdziesi?ty)

    ; 80 : osiemdziesi?t (osiemdziesi?ty)

    ; 90 : dziewi??dziesi?t (dziewi??dziesi?ty)

    ; 100 : sto (setny)

    ; 200 : dwie?cie (''dvyesh-SHCHEH'') (dwusetny)

    ; 300 : trzysta (trzysetny)

    ; 400 : czterysta (czterysetny)

    ; 500 : pi??set (pi??setny)

    ; 600 : sze??set (sze??setny)

    ; 700 : siedemset (siedemsetny)

    ; 800 : osiemset (osiemsetny)

    ; 900 : dziewi??set (dziewi??setny)

    ; 1000 : tysi?c (tysi?czny)

    ; 2000 : dwa tysi?ce (dwutysi?czny)

    ; 1 000 000 : milion (milionowy)

    ; number _____ (train, bus, etc.) : numer _____

    ; half : po?/po?owa (''poow/powova'')

    ; less : mniej (''mnyey'')

    ; more : wi?cej (''VYEW-tsey'')

    Time

    ; now : teraz (''tehraz'')

    ; later : po?niej (''poozniehy'')

    ; morning : rano (''ranoh'')

    ; afternoon : popo?udnie (''popo-oodnye'')

    ; evening : wieczor (''viehtzoor'')

    ; night : noc (''nohtz'')

    Clock time

    12-hour clock is used in informal speech only, 24-hour clock being used in all other situations. Common date formats are ''2006-12-25'' (ISO-compliant), ''25.12.2006'' and ''25 XII 2006 r.'' Time of day can be expressed with: ''rano'' (in the morning), ''po po?udniu'' (in the afternoon) and ''wieczorem'' (in the evening).

    ; today : dzi? (''jeesh'') ; yesterday : wczoraj (''f-chore-eye'') ; tomorrow : jutro (''yoo-troh'') ; this week : w tym tygodniu (''f tyhm tyghodnioo'') ; last week : w poprzednim tygodniu (''f pohp-shed-neem tyghodnioo'') ; next week : w nast?pnym tygodniu (''v nastenpnym tyghodnioo'')

    ; Monday : poniedzia?ek (''poniedzialehck'') ; Tuesday : wtorek (''vtorehck'') ; Wednesday : ?roda (''srodah'') ; Thursday : czwartek (''tshvartehck'') ; Friday : pi?tek (''piontehck'') ; Saturday : sobota (''sobota'') ; Sunday : niedziela (''nyehtzyehla'')

    Months

    ; January : stycze? (''stitshen'') ; February : luty (''loot-ay'') ; March : marzec (''majehtz'') ; April : kwiecie? (''kviehtziehn'') ; May : maj (''mai'') ; June : czerwiec (''tzehrviehtz'') ; July : lipiec (''lipiehtz'') ; August : sierpie? (''siehrpiehn'') ; September : wrzesie? (''vjehciehn'') ; October : pa?dziernik (''pazchiehrnick'') ; November : listopad (''listohpahd'') ; December : grudzie? (''qrootziehn'')

    Writing time and date

    6:00 a.m. - 6:00, 6:00 p.m. - 18:00

    Colors

    ; black : czarny (''char-nay'') ; white : bia?y (''bee-ah-way'') ; gray : szary (''sha-ray'') ; red : czerwony (''chair-vo-nay'') ; blue : niebieski (''nyeh-bee-es-kee'') ; yellow : ?o?ty (''zhoh-tay'') ; green : zielony (''zhielony'') ; orange : pomara?czowy (''po-mar-an-cho-vay'') ; pink : ro?owy (''roo-zho-vay'') ; brown : br?zowy (''braw-zho-vay'')

    Languages

    ; German : niemiecki(nyemee -aitskee) ; English : angielski(anghyelskee) ; French : francuski(frantsooskee) ; Spanish : hiszpa?ski(hishpanskee0 ; Italian : w?oski(vwoskee) ; Russian : rosyjski(rhoseeyskee)

    Transportation

    Timetable

    ; time table, schedule : rozk?ad jazdy (''wheeled''), rozk?ad lotow (''by air'') ; route : trasa ; from where : sk?d, od ; where to : dok?d, do ; departure : wyjazd, odjazd (''wheeled''), wylot, odlot (''by air'') ; arrival : przyjazd (''wheeled''), przylot (''by air'') ; hour, time, date : godzina (godz.), czas, data

    ; holidays, Easter : w dzie? ?wi?teczny (w dni ?wi?teczne), w ?wi?ta, w Wielkanoc ; at night : noc? (''nots-oh'') ; stop : przystanek (''pshi-STA-neck) ; station : stacja (''stats-ya''), dworzec (''dvo-zhets) ; regular connection : kurs osobowy, kurs zwyk?y ; accelerated connection : kurs po?pieszny ; connection : po??czenie ; change : przesiadka ; find : wyszukaj, szukaj, znajd?

    Bus and train

    ; How much is a ticket to _____? : Ile kosztuje bilet do _____? (''...'') ; One ticket to _____, please. : Prosz? jeden bilet do _____. (''...'')

    ; Where does this train/bus go? : Dok?d jedzie ten poci?g/autobus? (''...'') ; Where the train/bus to _____ depart from? : Sk?d odje?d?a poci?g/autobus do _____? (''...'') ; Does this train/bus stop in _____? : Czy ten poci?g/autobus staje w _____? (''...'') ; When does the train/bus for _____ leave? : Kiedy odje?d?a poci?g/autobus do _____? (''...'') ; What time (when) will this train/bus arrive in _____? : O ktorej (kiedy) ten poci?g/autobus przyje?d?a do _____? (''...'') ; domestic : krajowy ; international : mi?dzynarodowy

    ; ticket : bilet ; check the ticket : kasowa? bilet ; reservation : rezerwacja ; 1st (2nd) class : pierwsza/druga klasa ; entrance : wej?cie ; exit : wyj?cie ; train : poci?g ; platform : peron ; track : tor ; train car : wagon ; train compartment : przedzia? ; place : miejsce ; row : rz?d ; place near window : miejce przy oknie ; for (no) smoking : dla (nie)pal?cych ; sitting place : miejsce siedz?ce ; lying/sleeping place : miejsce le??ce/sypialne

    Directions

    ; How do I get to _____ ? : Jak dosta? si? do _____ ? (''...'') ; ...the train station? : ...stacji kolejowej? (''...'') ; ...the bus station? : ...dworca autobusowego? (''...'') ; ...the airport? : ...lotniska? (''...'') ; ...downtown? : ...centrum? (''...'') ; ...the youth hostel? : ...schroniska m?odzie?owego? (''...'') ; ...the _____ hotel? : ...hotelu _____? (''...'') ; ...American : ameryka?skiego konsulatu?

    ; Where are there a lot of... : Gdzie znajd? du?o... (''...'') ; ...hotels? : ...hoteli? (''...'') ; ...restaurants? : ...restauracji? (''...'') ; ...bars? : ...barow? (''...'') ; ...sites to see? : ...miejsc do zwiedzenia? (''...'') ; ...museums? : ...muzeow?

    ; Can you show me on the map? : Czy mo?e pan/pani pokaza? mi na mapie? (''...'') ; street : ulica (''...'') ; avenue : aleja ; place : plac ; round : rondo ; bridge : most ; Turn left : Skr?? w lewo. (''...'') ; Turn right : Skr?? w prawo. (''...'') ; left : lewo (''...'') ; right : prawo (''...'') ; straight ahead : prosto (''...'') ; towards the _____ : w kierunku _____ (''...'') ; past the _____ : min?? _____ (''...'') ; before the _____ : przed _____ (''...'') ; Watch for the _____. : uwa?aj na _____. (''...'') ; intersection : skrzy?owanie (''...'') ; north : po?noc (Pn.) (''...'') ; south : po?udnie (Pd.) (''...'') ; east : wschod (Wsch.) (''...'') ; west : zachod (Zach.) (''...'') ; uphill : pod gor? (''...'') ; downhill : w do? (''...'')

    Taxi

    ; Taxi! : Taxi!, Taksowka! (''...'') ; Take me to _____, please. : Prosz? mnie zawie?? do ______. (''...'') ; How much does it cost to get to _____? : Ile kosztuje przejazd do _____? (''...'') ; Take me there, please. : Prosz? mnie tam zawie??. (''...'')

    Lodging

    ; Do you have any rooms available? : Czy s? wolne pokoje? (''...'') ; How much is a room for one person/two people? : Ile kosztuje pokoj dla jednej osoby/dwoch osob? (''...'')

    ; Does the room come with... : Czy ten pokoj jest z... (''...'') ; ...bedsheets? : ...prze?cierad?ami? (''...'') ; ...a bathroom? : ...?azienk?? (''...'') ; ...a bath? : ...wann?? ; ...a shower? : ...prysznicem? ; ...a telephone? : ...telefonem? (''...'') ; ...a TV? : ...telewizorem? (''...'')

    ; May I see the room (first)? : Czy mog? (najpierw) zobaczy? pokoj? (''...'')

    ; Do you have anything quieter? : Czy jest jaki? cichszy? (''...'') ; ...bigger? : ...wi?kszy? (''...'') ; ...cleaner? : ...czystszy? (''...'') ; ...cheaper? : ...ta?szy? (''...'')

    ; OK, I'll take it. : Dobrze. Wezm? go. (''...'') ; I will stay for _____ night(s). : Zostan? na _____ noc(e/y). (''...'')

    ; Can you suggest another hotel? : Czy mo?e pan/pani poleci? inny hotel? (''...'')

    ; Do you have a safe? : Czy jest tu sejf? (''...'') ; Where is/are locker(-s)? : Gdzie jest/s? szatnia/szatnie? (''...'')

    ; Is breakfast/supper included? : Czy ?niadanie/kolacja jest wliczone? (''...'') ; What time is breakfast/supper? : O ktorej godzinie jest ?niadanie/kolacja? (''...'')

    ; Please clean my room. : Prosz? posprz?ta? moj pokoj. (''...'') ; Can you wake me at _____? : Czy mo?e mnie pan/pani obudzi? o _____? (''...'') ; I want to check out. : Chc? si? wymeldowa?. (''...'')

    Money

    ; Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? : Czy mog? zap?aci? ameryka?skimi/australijskimi/kanadyjskimi dolarami? (''...'') ; Do you accept credit cards? : Czy mog? zap?aci? kart? (kredytow?)? (''...'') ; Can you change money for me? : Czy mog? wymieni? pieni?dze? (''...'') ; Where can I get money changed? : Gdzie mog? wymieni? pieni?dze? (''...'') ; Can you change a traveler's check for me? : Czy mo?e pan/pani wymieni? mi czek podro?ny? (''...'') ; Where can I get a traveler's check changed? : Gdzie mog? wymieni? czek podro?ny? (''...'') ; What is the exchange rate? : Jaki jest kurs wymiany? (''...'') ; Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? : Gdzie jest bankomat? (''...'') ; Can you change me this for coins? : Czy mo?e mi pan/pani wymieni? to na monety?

    Eating

    ; eat : je?? ; food : jedzenie ; A table for one person/two people, please. : Poprosz? stolik dla jednej osoby/dwoch osob. (''...'') ; Can I look at the menu, please? : Czy mog? zobaczy? menu? (''...'')

    ; Is there a house specialty? : Czy jest specjalno?? lokalu? (''...'')

    ; I'm a vegetarian. : Jestem wegetarianinem. (''Yestem vege-tar-ian-em'') ; I don't eat meat. : Nie jem mi?sa.

    ; Can you make it "lite", please? (''less oil/butter/lard'') : Czy mog?oby to by? podane "dietetycznie" (mniej oleju/mas?a/smalcu)? (''...'') ; fixed-price meal : ? (''...'') ; a la carte : z karty, z menu (''...'')

    ; breakfast : ?niadanie (''...'') ; lunch : drugie ?niadanie/obiad/lunch (''...'') ; dinner : obiad/kolacja(supper)

    ; I want _____. : Poprosz? _____. (''...'') ; I want a dish containing _____. : Poprosz? danie z (sk?adaj?ce si? z) _____. (''...'') ; chicken : kurczak (''...'') ; beef : wo?owina (''...'') ; fish : ryba (''...'') ; ham : szynka (''...'') ; sausage : parowka, kie?basa (''...'') ; cheese : ser (''...'') ; egg, eggs : jajko (''...'') ; salad : sa?atka (''...'') ; (fresh) vegetables : (?wie?e) warzywa (''...'') ; (fresh) fruit : (?wie?e) owoce (''...'') ; bread : chleb (''...'') ; bun, roll : bu?ka ; toast : tost (''...'') ; noodles : makaron (''...'') ; rice : ry? (''...'') ; potato : ziemniak, kartofel ; beans : fasola (''...'') ; pea : groch, groszek ; onion : cebula ; sour cream : ?mietana ; red/green pepper : czerwona/zielona papryka

    ; May I have a glass of _____? : Poprosz? szklank? _____? (''...'') ; May I have a cup of _____? : Poprosz? kubek _____? (''...'') ; May I have a bottle of _____? : Poprosz? butelk? _____? (''...'') ; coffee : kawa (''...'') ; tea (''drink'') : herbata (''...'') ; mint : mi?ta ; sugar : cukier ; juice : sok (''...'') ; (bubbly) water : woda (gazowana) (''...'') ; beer : piwo (''...'') ; red/white wine : czerwone/bia?e wino (''...'')

    ; May I have some _____? : Czy mog? troch? _____? (''...'') ; salt : sol (''...'') ; black pepper : pieprz (''...'') ; butter : mas?o (''...'')

    ; Excuse me, waiter? (''getting attention of server'') : Przepraszam? (''...'') ; I'm finished. : Sko?czy?em. (''...'') ; It was delicious. : By?o bardzo dobre. (''...'') ; The bill, please. : Prosz? rachunek. (''...'')

    Bars

    ; A beer/two beers, please. : Piwo/Dwa piwa prosz?. (''...'') ; A glass of red/white wine, please. : Kieliszek czerwonego/bia?ego wina prosz?. (''...'') ; rum : rum (''ROOM'') ; water : woda (''...'') ; orange juice : sok pomara?czowy (''...'') ; Coke (''soda'') : Kola (or Cola) (''KO-lah'') ; One more, please. : Jeszcze raz prosz?. (''...'') ; Another round, please. : Jeszcze jedn? kolejk? prosz?. (''...'') ; When is closing time? : O ktorej zamykacie? (''...'')

    Shopping

    ; Do you have this in my size? : Czy jest w moim rozmiarze? (''...'') ; How much is this? : Ile to kosztuje? (''...'') ; Price. : Cena. ; That's too expensive. : Za drogo. (''...'') ; Would you take _____? : Czy we?miesz _____? (''...'') ; expensive : drogo (''...'') ; cheap : tanio (''...'') ; I can't afford it. : Nie sta? mnie. (''...'') ; I don't want it. : Nie chc? tego. (''...'') ; I'm not interested. : Nie jestem zainteresowany. (..) ; OK, I'll take it. : W porz?dku, bior?. (''...'') ; Can I have a bag? : Czy mog? dosta? torebk?? (''...'')

    ; I need... : Potrzebuj?... (''...'') ; ...toothpaste. : ...past? do z?bow. (''...'') ; ...a toothbrush. : ...szczoteczk? do z?bow. (''...'') ; ...soap. : ...myd?o. (''...'') ; ...shampoo. : ...szampon. (''...'') ; ...pain reliever. (''e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen'') : ...?rodek przeciwbolowy (na przyk?ad aspiryn? lub ibuprofen). (''...'') ; ...cold medicine. : ...lekarstwo na przezi?bienie. (''...'') ; ...stomach medicine. : ...lekarstwo na ?o??dek. (''...'') ; ...a razor. : ...maszynk? do golenia. (''...'') ; ...an umbrella. : ...parasol. (''...'') ; ...sunblock lotion. : ...krem przeciws?oneczny. (''...'') ; ...a postcard. : ...pocztowk?. (''...'') ; ...postage stamps. : ...znaczki pocztowe. (''...'') ; ...batteries. : ...baterie. (''...'') ; ...writing paper. : ...papier listowy. (''...'') ; ...a pen. : ...d?ugopis. (''...'')

    Driving

    Polish street signs are pictograms. There are no 'one way', 'yield', etc. signs written in words.

    ; I want to rent a car. : Chcia?bym wynaj?? samochod. (''...'') ; Can I get insurance? : Czy mog? dosta? ubezpiecznie? (''...'') ; stop (''on a street sign'') : stop (''...'') ; one way : ulica jednokierunkowa (''...'') ; yield : podporz?dkowana (''...'') ; no parking : zakaz parkowania (''...'') ; speed limit : ograniczenie pr?dko?ci (''...'') ; gas (''petrol'') station : stacja benzynowa (''...'') ; petrol (''any kind - in general'') : paliwo (''...'') ; unleaded gasoline : benzyna bezo?owiowa ; diesel : diesel (''dee-zehl''), olej nap?dowy (ON), ''inform.'' ropa (''ROH-pah'') ; motor oil : olej silnikowy

    Authority

    ; I haven't done anything wrong. : Nie zrobi?em nic z?ego. (''...'') ; It was a misunderstanding. : To by?o nieporozumienie. (''...'') ; Where are you taking me? : Dok?d mnie zabieracie? (''...'') ; Am I under arrest? : Czy jestem aresztowany? (''...'')

    ; I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. : Jestem obywatelem ameryka?skim/australijskim/brytyjskim/kanadyjskim. (''...'') ; I want to talk to the American embassy/consulate. : Chc? rozmawia? z ambasad?/konsulatem ameryka?skim ; I want to talk via English translatator. : Chc? rozmawia? przez t?umacza j?zyka angielskiego. ; Can I just pay a fine now? : Czy mog? po prostu natychmiast zap?aci? kar?? (''...'')

    Learning more

  • [http://home.unilang.org/main/forum/viewforum.php?f=58 The Polish Forum] at UniLang.org
  • [http://seelrc.org:8080/grammar/pdf/compgrammar_polish.pdf A Concise Polish Grammar] in PDF (600 KiB)
  • [http://www.ivo.pl/?page=ivona_on_line Ivona Speech Synthesizer] - type a text and it (she?) will read it for you (technically it's only a demo, but it works)
  • [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Polish:Some_useful_expressions Some useful expressions] on Wikibooks with pronunciation records