Polish for tourists
Learn to speak Polish
Learning Polish can be a daunting challenge, particularly for Westerners who often struggle with the pronunciation. Nevertheless, it’s worth giving it a try and to support you, we’ve put together a practical guide called “Polish for Tourists”.
To make the learning process smoother, we have included the pronunciation of every word or phrase in brackets. Unlike English, which has 26 letters, the Polish alphabet consists of 31 letters, including consonants, vowels, and diphthongs. It can be difficult to comprehend and you might feel incredulous that the word/phrase and the pronunciation match – but don’t worry, it’s true!
This “Starter Pack” guide is designed to provide you with the basics you’ll need to communicate effectively in Polish when you arrive in Poland. To boost your confidence, it’s always a good idea to try out your Polish after a few Polish vodkas. You’ll find those tricky “Zs” and “Ws” easier to pronounce and who knows, you might even impress the locals.
Basic Expressions in Polish
Yes = Tak (tak)
No = Nie (n’yeh)
Please = Proszę (prrosheh)
Thank you = Dziękuję (diyen’kooyeh)
Thank you very much = Dziękuję bardzo (diyen’kooyeh barrdzo)
Hello = Dzień dobry (diyen dobrri)
Hi = Cześć (chesh’tch)
Good morning = Dzień dobry (diyen dobrri)
Good afternoon = Dzień dobry (diyen dobrri)
Good evening = Dobry wieczór (dobrri v-yechoorr)
Good night = Dobranoc (dobrranots)
Good Bye = Do widzenia (do vee-dzen’ya)
Excuse me = Przepraszam (pshe-prrasham)
Never Mind = Nie szkodzi (n-ye shkodjee)
Where is the toilet? = Gdzie jest toaleta? (g-jeh yest twa-leta)
Days of the week / Months of the year
Monday = Poniedziałek (pon’ye-diyahwek)
Tuesday = Wtorek (ftorrek)
Wednesday = środa (sh’rroda)
Thursday = czwartek (ch-farrtek)
Friday = piątek (p-yontek)
Saturday = sobota (sobota)
Sunday = niedziela (n’yediyela)
January = styczeń (stichen)
February = luty (looti)
March = marzec (mazhets)
April = kwiecień (kf-ye-tch’yen)
May = maj (muy)
June = czerwiec (cherrv-yets)
July = lipiec (leep-yets)
August = sierpień (sh’yerrp-yen)
September = wrzesień (v-zhe-sh’yen)
October = pażdziernik (pazh’diyerr-n’eek)
November = listopad (leestopat)
December = grudzień (grroodiyen)
Yesterday =wczoraj (f-cho-rruy)
Today =dzisiaj (dieesh’yuy)
Tomorrow = jutro (yootrro)
Next week = w następnym tygodniu (v nastemp-nim togodn’yoo)
At the weekend = w weekend (v weekend)
Communication Problems
Do you speak English? = Czy mówi pan po angielsku? (chi moovee pan po an-g-yelskoo).
Note: pan is used when speaking to a male, pani is used when speaking to a female.
Does anyone here speak English? = Czy ktoś tu mówi po angielsku? (chi ktosh’ too moovee po an-g-yelskoo)
I don’t speak much Polish = Nie mówię dobrze po polsku. (n’yeh moovyeh dobzheh po polskoo)
Could you speak more slowly? = Bardzo prosżę mówić wolniej? (barrdzo prrosheh moovitch voln’yey)
Could you repeat that? = Bardzo proszę to powtórzyć? (barrdzo prrosheh to pof-too-zhitch)
Excuse me (Pardon)? = Słucham? (swoo-ham)
What does this/that mean? = Co to znaczy? (tso to znachi)
I understand = Rozumiem (rro-zoom-yem)
I don’t understand = Nie rozumiem (n’yeh rro-zoom-yem)
Do you understand? = Czy pan rozumie? (chi pan rro-zoom-yeh)
How are you? = Jak sie masz? (Yahk sheng mah-sh)
Fine, thank you = Dziekuje, dobrze. (Jenkoo-yeng dob-zhe)
What is your name? = Jak masz na imie? (yahk mah-sh nah eem-ye)
My name is _____ = Nazywam sie ______. (Nah-zivam sheng ____)
Where / When / What / How / Why / Who / How
WHERE? / GDZIE?
Where is it? = Gdzie jest? (g-diyeh yest)
Where are you going? = Gdzie pan idzie? (g-djeh pan ee-djeh)
Common answers:
across the road = przez ulicę (pshes oo-lee-tseng)
around the town = po mieście (po m-yesh’tch’yeh)
far from here = daleko stąd (daleko stant)
here = tutaj (tootuy)
in the car = w samochodzie (f samo-hodiyeh)
on the left / right = na lewo / prawo (na levo / prravo)
to the hotel = do hotelu (do hoteloo)
WHEN? / KIEDY?
Where does the museum open? = Kiedy otwarte jest muzeum? (kyedi otfarrteh yest moo-ze-oom)
When does the train arrive? = Kiedy przyjeżdża pociąg? (kyedi pshi-yezh-ja potch’yank)
Common answers:
10 minutes ago = 10 minut temu (diyesh’yentch meenoot temoo)
after lunch = po obiedzie (po ab-ye-djeh)
always = zawsze (zafsheh)
soon = niedlugo (n’ye-dwoogo)
then = wtedy (f-tedi)
sometimes = czasami (chasamee)
often = często (chensto)
now = teraz (teras)
every week = co tydzień (tso ti-djeng)
never = nigdy (neegdi)
around midnight = około półnacy (okowa poow-notsi)
not yet – jeszcze nie (yesh-cheh n’yeh)
WHAT SORT OF …? / JAKI …?
It’s = To jest (to yest)
Beautiful = Piękny (pyen’k-ni)
Ugly = Brzydki (bzhid-kee)
Better = lepszy (lepshi)
Worse = gorszy (gorrshi)
Young = młody (mwodi)
Old = stary (starri)
Thick = gruby (grroobi)
Thin = chudy (hoodi)
Tall = wysoki (visokee)
Short = niewysoki (n’ye-visokee)
Right = poprawny (poprravni)
Wrong = niepoprawny (n’yepo-prravni)
Big = duży (doozhi)
Small = mały (mahwi)
Cheap = tani (tanee)
Expensive = drogi (drrogee)
Clean = czysty (chisti)
Dirty = brudny (brroodni)
Dark = ciemmy (tch’yem-ni)
Light = jasny (yasni)
Early = wczesny (f-chesni)
Late = póżny (poozh’ni)
Empty = pusty (poosti)
Full = pełny (pewni)
Good = dobry (dobrri)
Bad = zły (z-wi)
Quiet = cichy (tch’ee-hi)
Noisy = hałasliwy (hawah-sh’leevi)
Quick = szybki (shipkee)
Slow = wolny (volni)
Open = otwarty (ot-farrti)
Shut = zamknięty (zam-k-n’yenti)
Next = następny (nastemp-ni)
Last = ostatni (ostatnee)
HOW MUCH, HOW MANY?
How much is that? =Ile to kosztuje? (eeleh to kosh-tooyeh)
How many are there? = Ile tu jest? (eeleh too yest)
Common answers:
1/2/3 = jeden/dwa/trzy (yeden/dva/t-shi)
4/5 = cztery/pięć (ch-terri/p-yen’tch)
None = nic (neets)
About 100 zlotys = około stu żłotych (okowo stoo zwo-tih)
Too much = za dużo (za doozho)
A little = trochę (trroheh)
Enough = dość (dosh’tch)
Much more = dużo więcej (doozho v-yen-tsey)
More than that = trochę więcej (troheh v-yen-tsey)
Less than that = trochę mniej (trro-heh m-n’yey)
Nothing else = nic więcej (neets v-yen-tsey)
WHY, WHO, WHOSE, HOW, IS IT, ARE THERE, CAN?
Why is that? = Dlaczego tak? (dlachego tak)
Why not? = Czemu nie? (chemoo n’yeh)
Who is it for? = Dla kogo to? (dla kogo to)
Whose is that? = Czyje to? (chi-yeh to)
Who’s there? = Kto tam? (kto tam)
Which one do you want? = Który pan chce? (ktoorri pan htseh)
How would you like to pay? = Jak będzie pan płacił? (yak ben-diyeh pan pwah-tch’eew)
How are you getting there? = Jak tu pan dojedzie? (yak too pan doye-diyeh)
Is it free of charge? = Czy to jest bezpłatne? (chi to yest bes-pwaht-neh)
Here it is = Proszę, tu jest (prrosheh too yest)
There it is = Proszę, tam jest (prrosheh tam yest)
Can I …..? = Czy mogę ……?(chi mogeh)
Can you show me …..? = Czy może mi pan pokazać ( chi mozheh mee pan pokazatch)
Can you help me? = Prosze, mi pomóc? (prrosheh mee pomoots)
EXCLAMATIONS
At last! = Wreszcie! (vrresh-tch’yeh)
Go on = Proszę dalej (prrosheh daley)
Very Good = bardzo dobrze (barrdzo dobzheh)
No way! = W żadnym przypadku! (v zhad-nim pshi-patkoo)
Fine = dobrze (dobzheh)
Not bad = nieżle (n’ye-zh’leh)
For further information about Poland, please visit our travel partner, the Poland Travel Agency.
