Posts under "Grammar"

Położenie obiektu

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Sep 23 2011

Let’s talk about how to describe location of something. These are the most common words you can use to describe where an object is located  in comparison with another object:

Near – blisko

Close - blisko

Between – pomiędzy

Behind – za

In front of – z przodu

Under – pod

Over – nad

On – na

In – w

Opposite - naprzeciwko

I’m attaching a little video with pronunciation:

YouTube Preview Image

Koło (circle) jest obok kwadratu (square).

Kwadrat jest blisko koła.

Koło jest pomiędzy dwoma kwadratami.

Koło jest za kwadratem.

Koło jest na kwadracie.

Koło jest pod kwadratem.

Koło jest nad kwadratem.

Koło jest przed kwadratem.

Koło jest z przodu kwadratu.

Koło jest w kwadracie.

Koło jest naprzeciwko kwadratu.

Kwadrat jest naprzeciwko koła.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

 

Using word “raz”

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Jun 23 2011

Using word raz can be a little confusing, so I will try to explain when and how it is used in Polish language.

raz (uderzenie, cios) – blow, strike
Dostał kilka razów.
raz – once
Zdarzyło się raz.
dwa razy – twice
Byłam tam dwa razy.
raz, dwa, trzy – one, two, three
Raz, dwa, trzy baba jaga patrzy.
trzy/cztery/pięć razy – three/four/five times
Jestem w siłowni trzy razy w tygodniu.
jeszcze raz - once again, one more time
Chcę odwiedzić to miejsce jeszcze raz.
jeszcze raz to samo (zamówienie u kelnera) – again the same, one more of these (at the restaurant about the drink or food)
Poproszę jeszcze raz to samo wino.
raz na dzień/rok – once a day/year
Raz na rok odwiedzam Polskę.
na drugi raz – on the next ocassion
Na drugi raz tego nie zrobię.
raz na zawsze - once and for all
Chcę raz na zawsze zapomnieć o tym!
dwa razy więcej (niż) – (rzeczy policzalnych) twice as many (as); (rzeczy niepoliczalnych) twice as much (as)
Ta szkoła ma dwa razy więcej uczniów.
na razie (tymczasem) for the time being, (do zobaczenia) see you later
Do zobaczenia jutro, na razie!
do następnego razu – till next time
Będę czekać do następnego razu.
wiele razy - many times
Odwiedziłam to miejsce wiele razy.
po raz pierwszy/drugi for the first/second time
Po raz pierwszy się spotkałam z czymś takim
w najlepszym razie – at the best
W najlepszym razie uda nam się zdobyć pierwsze miejsce.
raz za razem – again and again
Uderzał go raz za razem.
w sam raz – just right
Ta sukienka jest w sam raz!
za każdym razem – every time
Za każdym razem gdy go odwiedzam jestem zrelaksowana.
pewnego razu – once upon a time
Pewnego razu była sobie czarownica…
ani razu - not once
Ani razu się na tobie nie wawiodłam.
za jednym razem - at a time, at once
Wypił wszystko za jednym razem.
w każdym (bądź) razie - in any case
W każdym razie będziemy w kontakcie.
od razu - at once, right away
Od razu się domyśliłam.
ile razy? - how many times?
Ile razy go widziałaś?
w takim razie - in that case
W takim razie nie mamy o czym rozmawiać.
tym/innym razem - this/another time
Tym razem ci wybaczę.
w przeciwnym razie - otherwise
W przeciwnym razie poniesiesz tego konsekwencje.
w razie… - in the case of…
W razie deszczu mamy parasol.
razem – together
Razem będzie nam łatwiej.
następnym razem – next time
Następnym razem zamówimy inne danie.
poprzednim razem – a time before
Poprzednim razem to się nie udało.
ostatnim razem – the last time
Ostatnim razem mieliśmy taką samą pogodę.
za pierwszym/drugim razem – the first/second time round
Wygrał nagrodę za pierwszym razem.
za każdym razem – each or every time.
Za każdym razem jestem ostrożna.
raz po raz – time and time again
Przytupuje raz po raz.
kolejny raz – once again
Kolejny raz jesteśmy nad morzem!
raz tu raz tam – once here once there
Dużo podróżuję, raz tu, raz tam…
nie wszystko na raz – not everything at once
Powoli, nie wszystko na raz.
raz na jakiś czas – once in a while
Raz na jakiś czas idę do kina.
nie raz zdarza się – happens not only once
Nie raz się zdarza taka pogoda!
I hope I didn’t miss anything. If you do know other ways to use “raz” and different forms of this word please share it with us!

 

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)


 

Using “u” and “ó”

Posted by Kasia 2 Comments
May 31 2011

Both vowels are pronounced the same. It means the difference between them is purely orthographic. Students do not like them because of the spelling errors they cause (and because of the bad marks as a consequence).

The character ó is named “u” kreskowane (more often) or “o” kreskowane in Polish.

The vowel u (spelt u or ó) is short (like all Polish vowels), but it resembles long English u in Luke. It sounds like Spanish or Italian u or like French ou but it is less intensive.

Here are some examples:

tu ‘here’, but ‘shoe, boot’ , Bóg ‘God’ ([buk]), Bug (name of a river in the eastern part of Poland), buk – type of tree, mój ‘my, mine’, kogut ‘cock, rooster’, usta ‘mouth’, wnuk ‘grandson’.

Have you noticed that Bóg, Bug, buk are homophones? It means the three words are pronounced in the same way, as [buk].

The sounds ł and u/ó like being together. In those instances you should read them very carefully. Try to say: łuk ‘bow, curve, arc, arch’, stół ‘table’, muł ‘mule’ and also muł ‘slime, mud, silt, sludge’, dług ‘debt, obligation’ ([dłuk]), długo ‘long, for a long time’, słój ‘jar, pot’, główka ‘small head’ (read [głufka], diminutive to głowa ‘head’), tułów ‘trunk, torso’.

The “ó” is used if the different forms of the word switch between “o” and “ó”, for example please compare “sól” (salt) and “solny” (of salt),

If on the other hand the word, in all its forms, keeps the letter “u”, like “drut” (wire) and “druciany” (of wire) then we write it always a “u”.

To make things easier, the kids in school learn that “uje się nie kreskuje” (no apostrophe if the word ends on “uje”), thus learning a general rule that words like “pracuje” (he works) are always to be spelled with “u”.

Although there are some general principles you can follow when spelling, unfortunately, there is a number of exceptions that you only must learn by heart.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

 

“For” in Polish translation

Posted by Kasia 2 Comments
May 23 2011

The English preposition for has a wide variety of translations into Polish. The most important ones are given below:

Czy te kwiaty są dla mnie? Are those flowers for me? (for the benefit of)

To jest łatwe dla ciebie. That’s easy for you. (easy/hard for)

sztuka dla sztuki art for art’s sake (for the sake of)

Dziękuję za pomoc. Thanks for the help. Przepraszam za kłopot. Excuse me (I’m sorry) for the problem. (thank for, pardon for)

Miałem go za projektanta. I took him for a designer. (‘mistake for’)

Niech ja to zrobię za ciebie. Let me do that for (instead of) you. (in place of)

Nie odpowiadam za jej zachowanie. I’m not responsible for her behavior. (responsible for)

Ile zapłaciłaś za ten płaszcz? How much did you pay for that coat? (pay for)

Wyjeżdam na rok. I’m leaving for a year. (for a time yet to come)

Mam ochotę na coś słodkiego. I feel like having something sweet. (desire for)

bilet na samolot ticket for the airplane. (intended for)

Mieszkam w Krakowie od siedmiu lat. I’ve been living in Kraków for the past seven years. [for (a time just past)]

Przez ostatnie miesiące pracujemy pełną parą. We’ve been working at full steam for the last several months. (for a period of time)

Wyskoczę po piwo. I’ll go out for some beer. (go for)

woda do picia water for drinking, pasta do zębów (toothpaste) [for (of specific application)]

Ona pracuje u prawnika. She works for a lawyer. [for (be employed by a person)]

prosić o pomoc ask for help (ask for)

On jest znany ze swoich pięknych obrazów. He is known for his beautiful pintings. (known for)

Jeśli chodzi o mamę, to ona jest jeszcze w pracy. As for my mother, she is still at work. (as for)

 

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pan and Pani

Posted by Kasia 6 Comments
Apr 29 2011

In Polish language there is great complexity when dealing with forms of address. The forms of addressing people in one country are often different in another county. I wanted to explain some of these differences and the meanings behind them.

First, let’s look at the seemingly simple forms of address such as “Pan/Pani” (Sir/Madam) and “ty” (you). The distinction between these two is very important when you converse with Polish people. If you do not use the words in an appropriate manner you might receive “weird looks” from people or, if you are lucky, perhaps a bit of a laughter. If you are not, you can expect to get into trouble. And if you think this is a joke, trust me it’s not. Here is why.

Imagine asking an elderly person a simple question, such as “Where do you live”? (Gdzie ty mieszkasz?). If you are a foreigner who has a basic command of the Polish language and who is used to the form “you,” that’s what you would probably say. In Polish, however, we would say “Where does Sir/Madam live?” (Gdzie Pan/Pani mieszka?). The elderly person would probably take the word “you” literally – meaning “ty,” and since in Poland relationships with senior people are rather formal, he or she would much likely take it as an offense.

The same goes with any business situation while talking to your boss or any superior authority. Imagine coming to a polish job interview and saying for example “Jak się masz?” (How are you?) instead of “Jak się Pan/Pani ma?” (How is Sir/Madam/). I do not think you would have any chance to get that job unless the person knows you are a foreigner and you are excused to make mistakes like that.

As weird as it can be, these linguistic implications work both ways. In other words, Polish people struggle with “you” as well. Why? Since we are used to the form Sir/Madam, it is very awkward for us to use the word “you” when speaking English to people we meet for the first time as well as elderly people or someone superior to us. Every time we say it, it seems inappropriate and disrespectful at the same time. That is how I felt at first when I moved to USA…until I got used to using “you” with everyone…

In fact, the feeling of awkwardness is far-reaching for Polish people. For example, it is not common at all or, better yet, it is extremely rude and unacceptable in Poland to be on a first-name basis with one’s boss. Whereas, for example, Americans do not seem to have a problem with that. Unless our boss simply states, “Please call me Steve,” we will continue calling him Mr. Smith or simply Sir. The same goes with any other relationship in our country. Even relationships between peers usually start as formal and then they gradually change to being the “best friends” type of relationship.

While studying in college in Poland, all professors would address students as Pan/Pani as well. If they would talk to me, they would say”Pani Kasiu”. As far as I know – they still do it. I know that for a lot of students it means that now they are adults and they are respected more than for example in high school.

It is good to have basic knowledge of social differences straight before setting off on the trip to Poland. If you do not want to come across as weird or rude simply follow this old adage: “When in Poland do as the Polish people do.” :)

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

 

 

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