Słowo dnia

This is actually one of the easier things in Polish language. Unlike for example Russian or Ukrainian, Polish has fixed stress and in 99% of cases the last but one syllable is pronounced:

wóda [ˈvɔda]

budýnek [buˈdɨ̃nɛk]

nastawiénie [nastaˈvjɛɲɛ]

There are two groups of words in which the third syllable from the end of the word is stressed. However the rule is one thing and the usage is the other so you may hear those words being pronounced with the last but one syllable stressed as in most words:

Name of sciences that are Greek loanwords and end with -yka or -ika:

matemátyka [matɛˈmatɨka]

fízyka [ˈfizɨka]

lógika [ˈlɔgika]

Past forms of verbs conjugated in 1st and 2nd person of plural and ending with -liśmy, -liście, -łyśmy or -łyście:

pószliśmy [ˈpɔʃliɕmɨ]

wypíłyśmy [wɨˈpiwɨɕmɨ]

uciékłyście [uˈʨɛkwɨɕʨɛ]

In some French loanwords the last syllable is stressed:

menú [mɛˈɲi]

purée [piˈrɛ]

sauté [sɔˈtɛ]

But it does not concern all of French loanwords. Some of them are stressed on last but one syllable like most of the words in Polish:

párter [ˈpartɛr]

In Polish it is possible to make a diminutive from pretty much any noun and adjective, many pronouns and adverbs and some verbs.

The diminutives are created by adding a specific suffix to the word. It could be actually quite difficult to non-native speakers. There are a lot of suffixes used with different words and adding a suffix is often not enough as alternation is something very popular while creating diminutives. e.g. chłopiec - chłopczyk - (boy - little boy) the suffix -yk was added but the form is fairly different. It is incorrect to say “chłopiecyk”. Native Polish speakers might not understand that.

What’s interesting is that in some cases it is possible to create diminutives out of words that are already diminutives. e.g. pies - piesek - pieseczek (dog - little dog - tiny dog).

Diminutives have three possible functions. Those functions change depending either on context or the word that has been used:

marking the little size of an object: kółko - kółeczko (wheel - little wheel)

expressing the positive connotation: dzieciak - dzieciaczek (baby - cute baby)

expressing disdain: prezes - prezesik (chairman - bad chairman)

Diminutives of some names are created by adding suffixes e.g Marta - Martusia. But there are also regressive diminutives e.g Barbara - Basia and even names that use a completely different form e.g. Aleksandra - Ola.

Using diminutives is not allowed in science. Words that may seem like diminutives often mean something completely different. e.g. liść - leaf; listek - leaflet (not “little leaf”).

In Polish the ʨ sounds is usually written either as ć or as ci. In the first case it’s pronounced as simple ʨ but in the other one the “i” can be either mute or not. When it is used only to palatalise a letter it changes /ʦ/ to  /ʨ/. Sometimes it not only palatalises but is also pronounced like a normal i.

If the letter that comes after “i” is a vowel, “i” is not pronounced: ciasto -  ʨastɔ

If the letter that comes after “i” is a consonant, “i” is pronounced: bucik - buʨik

The same rule is applied to other palatalised consonants:

zima -  ʑima; ziarno -  ʑarnɔ

dzień - ʥeɲ; dzida - ʥida

siano - ɕanɔ; siny - ɕinɨ

So both of these are translated as “I’m sorry” but are used in different contexts.

Przykro mi - this one is used to show empathy. If your friend’s pet died you would say “Przykro mi.” or “Tak mi przykro.”. It shows that you emphasise with them and you are trying to comfort them.

I don’t want to change this blog into something political but there are some events that I just can’t ignore.

Women - you are strong, keep fighting and show the government that they should not be allowed to decide what you can do with YOUR body. Show them your anger, your disappointment, don’t expect that others will do it - act before it’s too late. You can do great things, you only have to unite!

bielizna (f) - underwear

biustonosz (m) - bra

biżuteria (f) - jewellery

bluza (f) - sweatshirt

bluzka (f) [bluska] - blouse

bokserki (pl) - boxers

bransoletka (f) [branzoletka] - bracelet

but (m) - shoe

buty (pl) - shoes

czapka (f) - cap

dżinsy (pl) - jeans

kapelusz (m) - hat

koszula (f) - shirt

koszulka (f) - T-shirt

krawat (m) - tie

kurtka (f) - jacket, anorak

majtki (pl) - pants

majteczki (pl informal) - panties

muszka (f) - bow-tie

naszyjnik (m) - necklace 

okulary (pl)- glasses

okulary przeciwsłoneczne [pszecifsłoneczne] - sunglasses

pas, pasek (m) - belt

płaszcz (m) - coat

podkolanówki (pl) [potkolanófki] - knee sock

pończocha (f) - stocking

rajstopy (pl) - tights

rękawiczka (f) - glove

rękawiczki (pl) - gloves

skarpeta (f) - sock

skarpety (pl) - socks

spodnie (pl) - trousers

spodenki (pl), szorty (nm pl)  - shorts

spódnica (f) - skirt

stanik (m informal) - bra

stringi (pl) - thong

sukienka (f) [sukjenka] - dress

sweter (m) [sfeter] - jumper

szpilki (pl) - high heels

So I decided to write this post to show you that in Polish language there are several different prepositions to use when we want to say “in a contry”: w, we and na. Sadly there are no strict rules when to use which preposition. Those are also different when saying that we are going “to a country” - do when we used w or we and na if we used na.

“W” is used with most countries: w Niemczech, w Rosji, w USA, w Brazylii itd.

“We” is used with countries which names make it difficult to pronounce them after “w”: France and Italy: we Francji and we Włoszech.

“Na” is used when talking about countries that are located on islands or archipelagos: na Islandii, na Kubie, na Fidżi, na Malcie itd. but there are also exceptions from this rule: w Japonii, w Nowej Zelandii itd.

“Na” is also used when talking about some countries that used to be closely related to Poland in the past. Those countries are located nearby Poland and the usage of “na” is only a matter of habit. You just have to remember those countries: na Białorusi, na Słowacji, na Węgrzech, na Litwie, na Łotwie, na Ukrainie.

In Polish it is not homogeneous. While there are languages that translate all of the acronyms and others avoid doing it, in Polish acronyms are either translated or not and there is no rule.

Examples: North Atlantic Treaty Organization - Organizacja Traktatu Północnoatlantyckiego in Polish people are referring to it as “NATO” - it’s unlikely that someone will say “OTP”. On the other hand United Nations - Organizacja Narodów Zjednoczonych is usually called “ONZ”.

So those are the answers for the trivia:

1.  W tym napoju owoców jest tyle, co kot napłakał. When someone says that when you want to buy a juice you should: a) Not buy the juice because the fruit are of bad quality b) Buy the juice because the fruit are of good quality c) Not buy the juice because it's mostly water and artificial ingredients d) Buy the juice because it  is natural e) Not buy the juice because it is expired f) Buy the juice because it is fresh The correct answer: Not buy the juice because it's mostly water and artificial ingredients (c.) - 100% correct answers Explanation: “Tyle, co kot napłakał” means very little. So it means that this juice contains almost no fruit.

2. Powiedziałem jej "cześć" w autobusie, a ona... The person remained silent instead of saying "hi" back. Finish the sentence a) ani a, ani be, ani ce. b) ani a, ani be, ani me. c) ani a, ani be, ani kukuryku. d) ani a, ani me, ani kukuryku. e) ani be, ani me, ani kukuryku. f) ani be, ani ce, ani me. The correct answer:  ani be, ani me, ani kukuryku. (e) - 67% correct answers; 83% of them by native speakers

3. Boi się własnego\własnej... When a person is afraid of everything we can say that he is afraid of his own... a) cienia. (shadow) b) dłoni. (hand) c) głosu. (voice) d) myśli. (thought) e) oddechu. (breath) f) umysłu. (mind) The correct answer: cienia. (shadow) (a) - 89% correct answers; 75% of them by native speakers

4. To jest brzydkie jak... When something or someone is ugly we say that they are as as ugly as... a) ciemność. (darkness) b) dupa. (ass) c) noc. (night) d) śmierć. (death) e) teściowa. (mother-in-law) f) wiedźma. (witch) The correct answer: noc. (night) (c.) - 78% correct answers; 86% of them by native speakers

5. "Prawie" robi wielką różnicę. This sentence means that "amost something" is not the same as "something". Where does it come from? a) The Bible b) The Mythology c) A well-known novel d) A song e) A TV commercial f) Those are words of a famous person The correct answer: A TV commercial (e) - 33% correct answers; 100% of them by native speakers Explanation: Those were commercials of a Polish beer called “Żywiec”. You can see one of them here or more of them by searching for “Prawie jak Żywiec” in YouTube.

6. Za ... górami za ... lasami. Each fairytale begins that way. Behind how many mountains and forests does the action take place? a) dwiema; dwoma b) dwiema; trzema c) trzema; trzema d) pięcioma; pięcioma e) pięcioma; siedmioma f) siedmioma; siedmioma The correct answer: siedmioma; siedmioma (f) - 78% correct answers; 86% of them by native speakers

7. Doprowadziłeś go do szewskiej pasji. You just made someone... a) happy b) sad c) angry d) motivated e) demotivated f) give up The correct answer: angry (c.) - 78% correct answers; 86% of them by native speakers Explanation: The word “pasja” might be misleading here. It usually means something you like doing, a hobby is a synonym for it, but it also means anger - it’s just not used as often. Also the word “pasja” is stronger than “gniew” or even “wściekłość”. It might mean an anger so strong that you stop controlling your own actions.

8. "Piszę wiersze do szuflady." This person is a poet. His poems are very good... a) and he has a chance to become rich and famous. b) and he has a chance to become rich but nobody will know his name. c) and he has a chance to become famous but he won't earn any money from that. d) but he won't be popular nor rich. The correct answer: but he won't be popular nor rich. (d) - 56% correct answers; 80% of them by native speakers Explanation: This phrase means that someone is writing poems only for themself. Those poems won’t be published as it is not an intention of the author.

9. Someone who has "kuku na muniu" is... a) smart. b) stupid. c) optimistic. d) pesimistic. e) crazy. f) tranquil. The correct answer: crazy. (e) - 78% correct answers; 86% of them by native speakers.

10. "Ach, te jego obiecanki cacanki..." This person is most likely talking about a... a) cat. b) dog. c) dentist. d) politic. e) scientist. f) teacher. The correct answer: politic. (d) - 100% correct answers Explanation: “Obiecanki cacanki” means unfulfilled promises.

67% of those who participated in trivia were native speakers. 90% of their answers were correct. 33% of those who participated in trivia were non-native speakers. 47% of their answers were correct. It’s a good result considering that those questions weren’t the easiest with idioms like “Co dwie głowy, to nie jedna”.

The rules of Polish syntax are not strict. You can change the order of the words (within limit) and the meaning doesn’t change. For example in English the meaning of “A boy eats a fish” and “A fish eats a boy” are completely different; in Polish “Chłopiec je rybę” means exactly the same as “Rybę je chłopiec”. It’s not the order of the words that is important but the cases.

However those sentences will be used in different contexts as they emphasise different things: - Kto zjadł rybę? - Who ate this fish? - Rybę zjadł tamten chłopiec.

- Co zjadł tamten chłopiec? - What did that boy eat? - Tamten chłopiec zjadł rybę.

What’s tricky about this loose syntax? In some (quite rare) cases you won’t be able to understand the sentence.