Verbs of Motion, Part 2

19
Oct
2008

Today’s post is inspired by Pinolona’s comment and her plea for help. Help with what? Polish verbs, of course.

She pointed out that both “iść” and “chodzić” are imperfective verbs, but since I suspect that to most people the word “imperfective” means about as much as “lähteitä tai viitteitä” to me (hint – not much at all), some basic explanations are in order.

Unfortunately, the only things I could find on the subject were written by professional linguists, and as it often happens when you have “professionals” writing about something, their explanations tend to be more or less incomprehensible to anyone who is not a “professional” in the field, as well.

So, what is this “imperfective” business about, huh? In fancy words, they call it “grammatical aspect.” There are two of them in Polish. One is imperfective, and the other – perfective. The difference?

The perfective aspect describes the action as finished, completed, pretty much over and done with. The imperfective, on the other hand, implies that the action is either pending or still going on. That’s it in a nutshell. And that’s the easy part. The hard part is that almost all Polish verbs come in pairs. Yep, you guessed it, perfective and imperfective together. The general meaning of both verbs in such a pair, when translated into English, would be the same – for example, both “iść” and “pójść” mean “to go.” But “iść” is imperfective and “pójść” is perfective.

And this is where things get really funky.
Perfective verbs don’t exist in the present tense, simply because an action which is happening right now can’t be ended, so it cannot be perfective. So, a perfective verb, such as “pójść,” has a basic infinitive form, it has all its future and past tense forms, but no present tense.

Ok, enough of this boring grammar stuff. Let’s take a look at Pinolona’s questions:

  • 1. Could I say ‘pójdę na randkę‘ and would this mean that I am going on one date at a fixed time in the future e.g. tomorrow night?

The answer is “yes” – you committed to a date and you are going, whether you like the guy or not.

  • 2. Can I use pójść if I’m just stepping out of the door or would that be iść?

That would be “iść” – I’m stepping out the door, leaving, going on a date – “Idę na randkę.” Bye mom, see you tomorrow.

  • 3. If I went on a date yesterday would I say ‘szłam na randkę‘ or ‘poszłam‘??

Oooohhh! Here it gets a bit complicated. Let’s say, yesterday you were going a date, and while you were out and going, you ran into your best friend Agnieszka and her new boyfriend along the way. Then you’d say – “Kiedy szłam wczoraj na randkę, spotkałam Agnieszkę i jej nowego faceta.”

And when would you use “poszłam” (which is a first person singular, feminine, past tense form)?
Ok, so this guy, Maciek, kept asking you out over and over again and to finally shut him up, you went on a date with him. And it’s over and you’re back and it’s not even morning yet. “Poszłam na randkę z Maćkiem.” – I went on a date with Maciek.

  • 4. I was walking along the street and I noticed a particular shop I’d been looking for. I tried to tell my flatmate ‘I was walking’ and I said ‘chodziłam‘, but she said I could just say ‘szłam‘, and that means ‘I was walking’ - at a particular time but continuously. Have I understood correctly?

Bingo! You got it, lady! :)

Here are the forms of “pójść” :
Future tense: audio

  • ja – pójdę
  • ty – pójdziesz
  • on/ona/ono – pójdzie
  • my – pójdziemy
  • wy – pójdziecie
  • oni – pójdą

Past tense: audio

  • ja (feminine / masculine) – poszłam / poszedłem (“poszłem” is not grammatically correct, but is used in everyday conversations)
  • ty (feminine / masculine) – poszłaś / poszedłeś (“poszłeś” is not grammatically correct, but commonly used)
  • on – poszedł
  • ona – poszła
  • ono – poszło
  • my (feminine / masculine) – poszłyśmy / poszliśmy
  • wy (feminine / masculine) – poszłyście / poszliście
  • oni (masculine) – poszli
  • one (feminine) - poszły

By Anna | Posted in Grammar | Comments (10)

Verbs of Motion

16
Oct
2008

Polish verbs make me cry. And I don’t mean the tears of joy here, that’s for sure.

I’ve never thought about just how evil they can be until recently. I was working on a project, which demanded expert knowledge of verbs, Polish verbs, naturally, and that was a real eye-opener for me. I’ve never realized just how many problems they can cause for a sloppy Polish speaker, even a native one. And if a native gets confused, then what about those who are learning Polish?

To get some help, I’ve been plodding through “Polish Grammar in a Nutshell” by Oscar E. Swan, and needless to say, like most grammar books in the known universe, it also fails miserably when it comes to explaining the finer points of Polish verbs. (And I also think that it switched perfective and imperfective forms of “to buy,” so be careful.)

And it all started when someone very near and dear to me wanted to know the difference between “iść” and “chodzić.” Well, he also asked about “pójść” but we’ll leave that one for now.

Frankly, I have never thought about this phenomenon, but these two verbs of motions seem indicative of what happens to Polish verbs in general.

Both “iść” and “chodzić” mean “to go.” They’re both imperfective verbs. The difference is in how they’re used.

Let’s start with “iść”:

Meaning, going right now, I’m all dressed up, have my high-heels on, my make-up and hair are done, and I’m going.

And now with “chodzić”:

  • Tak, chodzę na randki. – Yeah, I go on dates. Says your teenager daughter to you while you watch her with a horrified expression. Like every weekend, for example, I go on dates.

See what happened? One verb is used to express an immediate action, and the other – a habitual thing that is done more or less regularly, but not right now.
There are tons of verbs like that in Polish, and sadly, you need to know both forms to make sense of what people are saying to you.

Let’s take another motion verb “to run” – “biec” and “biegać.”
Yep, you guessed it, the first one means “to run right now”, and the other one “to run.”

  • Biegnę na przystanek. – I am running to the bus stop (you may yell into your cell phone to a friend who’s waiting there for you.)
  • Biegam 5km każdego rana. – I run 5 kms every morning. (To which my answer is: good for you. You go run, and I’ll sleep.)

I think I should ease you into the world of verbs slowly, so we will stop here for now.

Below you have the present tense forms of “iść” and “chodzić” and “biec” and “biegać.”

  • ja – idę / chodzę
  • ty - idziesz /chodzisz
  • on/ona/ono – idzie / chodzi
  • my – idziemy /chodzimy
  • wy – idziecie / chodzicie
  • oni – idą / chodzą
  • ja – biegnę / biegam
  • ty – biegniesz / biegasz
  • on/ona/ono – biegnie / biega
  • my – biegniemy / biegamy
  • wy – biegniecie / biegacie
  • oni – biegną / biegają

By Anna | Posted in Grammar | Comments (6)

I Have a Cold

12
Oct
2008

I have a cold. Or worse than a cold. It’s one of those evil afflictions that bangs your head sideways and removes it from the head hinges. I’ve been like that for a week now, and I suspect that by now I have a vicious case of flu.
No, I didn’t see a doctor, because all he/she will do is tell me to go home, drink plenty of fluids and rest. And that I can do all by myself, and at least that way I won’t be exposed to those even more horrific cases sitting in the waiting room at the clinic.

Last week Grażyna suggested me to try some traditional Polish cold remedies, but since I don’t know any, and the ones she told me about sounded particularly vile, I did nothing. Maybe that’s why now my cold is a full-blown flu? But c’mon now, would you really drink milk with garlic? Or warm dark beer? They’re supposed to make you feel better. No kidding! After you puke all that milk and garlic out, you will certainly feel better, I guarantee it. And of course you’ll feel better after downing a couple of pints of dark beer, duh! For better results why not just drink żubrówka instead?

I really don’t remember what my mother used to give me when I had a cold as a child. Vitamin C and some fizzy orange flavored drink. I refused to drink milk, so that was out. I refused to eat onions and garlic so that was out. And I didn’t really like hot tea with honey, either. My mom’s chicken soup was OK, but it wasn’t the kind of stuff that would make you feel better. Possibly the opposite.

So, what did I do? Stay home, sit in bed, watch TV, read books and generally get on everybody’s nerves. In other words, not much has changed. I still do exactly the same when I’m down with flu.

And if you ever find yourself sick in Poland, here are some useful words:

I will record the audio when I get my voice back. Now, if you excuse me, I am crawling back under the blankets. No milk with garlic for me, thanks. I’ll stick to orange juice, zinc and multivitamins.


By Anna | Posted in Vocabulary | Comments (12)

Dear Sir/Madam

8
Oct
2008

Yesterday I got an email from somebody, and I just about fell over while reading it. Luckily, I was sitting on a bed.

The email began with the words “Szanowna Pani!” which would be something like “Dear Madam” but much more pompous. “Szanowna Pani” ??? People still use this expression? Even young people? Dang, I must be so out of the loop, it’s scary. I have never heard this phrase being used by anyone younger than, say 65 years old, and not wearing a suit. The guy who wrote the email was about my age (and I’m not THAT old yet) and he wasn’t even a total stranger. True, this was his first email to me, and it was about business, and he did try to make a good impression, but still… I thought he totally overdid it with this “Szanowna Pani” stuff. This is the kind of language I see on papers from the Tax Office (Urząd Skarbowy), not from somebody who’s my peer.

On the other hand, I can’t really blame him, Polish can be a very formal language, heck, Polish IS a very formal language. And people may take offense when they’re not addressed properly.

A few months ago I was out with a group of friends and strangers, foreigners and Poles. I chatted with one lady in English, turned out she was Polish, so I switched to Polish. Because in English, I addressed her as “you”, I didn’t even think twice about using the same form in Polish – “ty”. She was my age and we were in a foreign country. Yet, her response was an icy stare and an even icier “Ja z tobą krów nie pasałam” (I didn’t tend cows with you) which is a nasty warning to a person talking to you (me in this case) that he/she has breached the magical Pan/Pani barrier. Apparently, that means you’re only allowed to use “you/ty” to people with whom you were tending cows at some point in the past, or somesuch. I should have begun referring to that woman as “Szanowna Pani” for the rest of the evening, but unfortunately I totally forgot about this ancient phrase.

Somehow the male equivalent “Szanowny Panie” (Dear Sir) and the plural “Szanowni Państwo” are easier to stomach, it’s only that unfortunate “Szanowna Pani” that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe because it’s a sign I’m getting old? Dunno…

So, how do you maneuver this minefield of Polish courtesy expressions? I asked several people and got several answers. This is more or less the general consensus:

  • 1. If you don’t know someone, address them as Pan/Pani (Sir, Madam)
  • 2. If you know someone, address them as Pan/Pani
  • 3. If the person you’re addressing is much, much younger than you, then you’re safe using “ty” (you).

We could write volumes on this Pan/Pani/ty business, and you betcha it will be continued. And here imagine me winking.

;-)


By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (8)

You’re Welcome!

4
Oct
2008

Like I said in the comments to the previous post, it’s official, I have the best readers ever! Thank you so much for all your kind words, and even more – for your suggestions.

Today’s post is inspired by a comment made by Thomas in the post below. Remember his problems with finding the Polish equivalent to “you’re welcome”? I couldn’t believe what kind of nonsense he found in his dictionary, and so I decided to do some googling of my own and see what I could come up with.

While there are quite a few free on-line dictionaries (which in my opinion are a better choice than on-line translators), the one that I like the best is Ling.pl.
It’s not just one dictionary, what Ling does is to compile answers to a query from every source in its database. Or at least that’s how I think it works.
Knowing Polish is not really necessary to use the service. Just type a word in (use the Polish letters they show you if it’s a Polish word), hit enter and then waddle through the multitude of results. From what I’ve seen, Ling also includes definitions from the dictionary that Thomas had mentioned – Ectaco, which personally, I have found to be less than perfect, to put it gently. Very gently.

So how do we say “you’re welcome!” in Polish? There are a couple of ways to do it. Ling (if you have the patience to read through the definitions after you punch in “welcome” into the search box) gives these two:

Nie ma za co means something like “nothing to it” or “that’s nothing.”
Proszę bardzo is the same as “please.”

Both are used to answer when somebody’s thanking you, like this:

  • - Dziekuję bardzo! – Thank you so much!
  • - Nie ma za co. – You’re welcome! (audio)

Then I wanted to find out if one of these phrases was more popular than the other, and so yesterday, I got on the phone and called ten random businesses and administrative offices in Warsaw and beyond, and asked a bunch of idiotic (but still plausible questions). I wanted the people to spend some time on looking for an answer to give me a reason to thank them profusely and then listen to their responses. Apart from one very rude woman at a certain institution of higher learning in Warsaw, which because I’m such a great gal, shall remain nameless, who hung up on me almost immediately, everybody was extremely nice and helpful.

They patiently searched for a solution to my imaginary problem and when I finally showered them with a slew of “dziekuję bardzo”, five responded with “nie ma za co”, two said “proszę bardzo”, one said “nie ma sprawy” (no problem) and one – “z przyjemnością” (with pleasure).

So, the conclusions?
Poles are very conscientious when it comes to acknowledging somebody’s thanks and use a variety of expressions to do. And I definitely don’t like the Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities. Their loss, because I am seriously considering going back to school. For real.

On the other hand, the good ladies at the University of Warsaw were super patient and super polite. I spoke to two, one said “nie ma za co” and the other – “proszę bardzo”. So there you have it.

photo: urbanlegend


By Anna | Posted in Culture, Vocabulary | Comments (10)

Your Wish Is My Command

30
Sep
2008

This blog is a few months old now (if it were a baby it’d be fed solids with a spoon), and I’ve been feeling very guilty lately. Why? Because I just write this stuff and post it here and it finally came to me that I never really thanked you. You - my readers. Well, it’s about time, I hear you say.

So, without any further ado, please accept my sincere thanks for coming here, reading what I write, leaving constructive comments and generally, for making this Polish blogging experience so pleasant for me. I couldn’t have done it without you. Sounds like a dorky cliché, yes I know, but as it often happens with dorky clichés, it’s also absolutely true.

Read More »


By Anna | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (18)

Subtitles: Yes or No?

27
Sep
2008

There’s been quite a discussion going on among my friends about this plan of TVP2 (one of the Polish TV channels, link sadly in Polish only) to start using Polish subtitles for some of its programming. And it’s about blerry time, I’d say!

You see, while most countries either use subtitles in their native language or dub foreign programs completely, in Poland the set-up is slightly different. There you have one person (normally a guy) reading the lines of all actors in Polish while the original soundtrack is still somewhat audible in the background. So let’s say, you have Dr. House going on one of his usual rants and you can just barely hear Hugh Laurie’s voice muffled by the sound of the Polish reader. Sounds weird? It is!
Read More »


By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (9)

Why We Need Professor Miodek

25
Sep
2008

Lately I’ve been writing in Polish more and more, and while I’ve always thought that my Polish spelling skills were decent, now I’m not so sure. In fact, I am sure - they suck.

It’s of very little consolation that I am not alone. Any random read of internet forums populated by Poles will prove that a great number of us can’t spell. And that to me proves that Polish spelling is not as easy and uncomplicated as our school teachers once upon a time tried to tell us. Liars!

“iść“ is an easy word, you write “ść” at the end, just like you say it and just like it sounds.
Same with “pójść“.

But what about “znaleźć”? Or is it “znaleść”? Here Anna runs to look it up in a dictionary.

Read More »


By Anna | Posted in Grammar | Comments (12)

How To Make Sernik Wiedeński

23
Sep
2008

I have no idea why sernik wiedeński (Viennese cheesecake) is called that. I couldn’t find it anywhere in Vienna, but maybe I was simply looking in wrong cafes and cake shops. So where that name came from, I am not really sure. What I am sure of is that this cheesecake is in fact very much Polish. Even though there are many other types of Polish cheesecakes, it’s sernik wiedeński that comes to most people’s minds the moment you mention cheesecake. I mean most Polish people’s minds, of course, though I am working very hard to include other nationalities, too.

So how does one make this super-fabulous cake? Supposedly, it’s super-difficult to make, at least that’s what I had been lead to believe. You see, my mom was a decent cook, her food was OK for the most part, because she stuck to the basics and never tried anything fancy. And it’s really hard to mess up meat and potatoes. Or chicken and potatoes. It worked fine for us, and if we wanted really good food, we went to grandma’s.

Things would get a lot worse when mom tried to bake. And that’s an understatement. Fortunately grandma was a killer baker, too. Yet even grandma couldn’t make a nice sernik wiedeński. And so I grew up believing that this sernik was something so extraordinarily difficult that mere mortals, like you and me, shouldn’t even dare to dream about attempting to bake it.

As any Polish cheesecake, it’s made with a special kind of cheese called “twaróg”. I don’t think you can buy twaróg anywhere outside of Poland. And what is it? You will see this word variously translated as “cottage cheese” or “quark cheese”, but in fact, it is neither. While quark is very similar to twaróg, proper Polish twaróg is much firmer and fattier. In Canada that firm type of quark cheese is known as “baking cheese.”

Oh yes, baking! So, back in the olden days, you took a lump of twaróg and your indentured servants ran it through a grinder several times to make it properly fluffy. Since these days servants are hard to come by and I don’t own a grinder, I use normal Philadelphia cream cheese. Saves me several hours of work.

I use two 300-gram packages and a little bit, which comes out neatly to three 8-oz packages. Make sure it’s the normal full fat version, because otherwise it will not work.
But before you start getting all cheesy, you need a crust. The original recipe calls for a special “kruche ciasto” (shortcrust pastry), which really, who has the time to make it these days? I make normal graham cracker crust and it works just fine. Except I use Marie biscuits, because I like them better than graham crackers.

A proper sernik wiedeński is made in a springform pan (the one with a removable bottom) but really, any old pan will do. I use a springform, but not because I’m such a traditionalist, but because I don’t own any other cake pan.

And speaking of traditional… traditionally, this sernik was made with 12 eggs. Yep. Twelve. The original recipe was obviously created in the blissfully ignorant days when cholesterol was still unknown.

I only use 4 or 5 eggs, depending on how big they are. The trickiest part in the whole sernik making process is separating the yolks and the whites. Once you’re done with that, it’s a (cheese)cake walk, really.

This is what you do:
The yolks go into a BIG bowl, the whites into a smaller bowl.
Beat the whites until they’re stiff. And I mean really stiff. (I can’t imagine how they did this in the days before electric mixers, those poor indentured servants…) When you’re done beating the whites, put them in the fridge until you’ll need them. Which will be soon.

Now I have a confession to make. I’m allergic to measuring cups. I don’t even own a set. I just add things until I either like the taste or have to throw out whatever it is that I’m making.

But to make it easy for you, I tried to measure today just how much powdered (confectioner’s) sugar (cukier puder) you’ll need. And the answer is: about 1 cup and a little bit, depending on how old and sour your cream cheese is and how sweet you like your stuff.

Add some of that powdered sugar to your egg yolks and beat them until they become white and fluffy. Start adding the cream cheese. Really, it doesn’t matter if you do it all at once, or bit by bit. I’m lazy, I do it all at once. Add some vanilla if you like; vanilla powder, vanilla extract, it’s all good.

The traditional recipe calls for orange peel, but a) I don’t like orange peel, and b) who has the time to peel, chop and gently roast that stuff, huh? Not me. The original recipe also calls for raisins. Those I do add, about a handful, which I guess would be about 1/3 cup. You can soak them in rum or bourbon, if you like. I don’t. Today I forgot to soak them even in water. It didn’t matter. Sernik turned out just fine.

Baking powder is another issue, I don’t know if it matters or not. I always add some, just in case. But then again, I add baking powder even to pancake batter, just in case, so maybe you shouldn’t take this point too seriously.

Ok, back to our cheese mixture. Dump the raisins in it, and add those stiff egg whites sitting in the fridge. And here’s the Most Important Ingredient: add a couple of spoonfuls (big!) of cream of wheat (uncooked of course). Use your mixer to mix it all nicely and pour into the pan. The mixture will be runny. Very runny. But no worries. That cream of wheat will work its magic. It will make for a wonderfully soft and mousse-like cake. I promise you!

Bake the whole thing at 350F or 175C first for about 30 minutes or until the top gets golden, then cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil and keep baking it for another 30 minutes. Then, because I’m lazy, I just turn off the oven and leave the cake there until it cools a bit. And voila. You’re done. You’ve just made an almost typical Polish cheesecake. It will be the fluffiest most amazing cheesecake you’ve ever tried. I guarantee it!

Now if you excuse me, I have some serious eating to do!

Words for today:

  • ser biały, twaróg (masc.) = white cheese
  • jajko (neuter, pl. jajka) = egg
  • żółtko (neuter, pl. żółtka) = yolk
  • białko (neuter, pl. białka) = egg white
  • cukier (masc.) = sugar
  • cukier puder (masc.) = powdered (confectioner’s, icing) sugar
  • rodzynek (masc. pl. rodzynki) = raisin
  • kaszka manna (fem.) = cream of wheat, semolina
  • proszek do pieczenia (masc.) = baking powder

PS. If you want to make it look a bit fancier, you can sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on top when the cake is cool. Enjoy!


By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (6)

Dative Case, part 2

21
Sep
2008

After studying Fran’s wonderful poem in the last post, you should know a little bit about the dative case (celownik) already. It’s a very unassuming case, really. And when you see it in a sentence, it will be most likely used to modify a personal pronoun in expressions like these:

  • Jest mi gorąco. – I am hot (as in, the temperature is so high that I’m sweating)

“Mi” in that sentence is in the dative case. And of course, as you’ve already probably figured out, it’s the personal pronoun “I” – “ja”, which as almost everything else in Polish, also declines.

The same happens in these examples, but with different words, naturally:

Here “nam” is in the dative case. And yes, in the nominative version it would be “we” – “my”.

“Wam” is the dative form of plural “you” – “wy”.

So, I think I should use this lovely dative excuse and show you all the other personal pronouns, as well. Let’s go!

  • ja – I
  • ty – you
  • on- he
  • ona – she
  • ono – it

And now in plural:

  • my – we
  • wy – you plural
  • oni – they masculine and mixed gender
  • one – they feminine and neuter

You may have also noticed that unlike in English, the word “ja” (“I”) is not capitalized in Polish. Instead, when writing to somebody, both in personal and official correspondence, Poles capitalize the word “ty” (“you”) in all its permutations. And yes, if talking to more than one “you”, the word “wy” is capitalized, as well. It’s done to be polite, and other than that, has no other stylistic function. You can tell a Polish speaker writing in English by the fact that he or she will most likely stubbornly write “you” with the capital letter.

But enough of this digression. Let’s get back to the dative case and see how those personal pronouns would look then. You already have some examples above, and here’s a complete list:

See, it wasn’t so bad. One use of the dative case and a whole stack of Polish personal pronouns is what you get today. Next time we will talk about something more exciting – I’m planning to make a typical Polish cheesecake!


By Anna | Posted in Grammar | Comments (1)