It is always good to learn a few basic greetings of the language the country you are visiting speaks. In this case, Poland! As a non Slavic person, Polish is one of the harder languages to pick up. I have compiled a list of useful words and phrases that will help you when you are there. These will help you in shopping, asking for directions or any daily tasks that you could be doing. Also keep in mind the pronunciations are catered to American English, so it may sound different for some of you.
Greetings and Formality
| Word or Phrase | Meaning | English Pronunciation |
| Dzień dobry | Good Morning or Good Afternoon | Jean doh bri |
| Dobry wieczór | Good Evening | Doh bri vie chu-r |
| Dobranoc | Good Night | Doh brah notes |
| Cześć | Hello | Cheshch |
| Do widzenia |
Goodbye | Doh vidzeniah |
| Proszę |
Please | Prohsheh |
| Dziękuję |
Thanks | Jen koo yeh |
| Proszę bardzo |
You are welcome | Prohsheh bahrdzoh |
| Przepraszam |
Excuse Me / I am Sorry | Pshe prah shahm |
Speaking and Asking
| Word or Phrase | Meaning | English Pronunciation |
| Miło mi poznać | It was nice to meet you | Miwoh mee poznach |
| Bardzo dobrze, a ty? | Very well, and you? | Bahrdzo dobzhe, ah teh? |
| Proszę bardzo | You are welcome | Prohsheh bahrdzoh |
| Jak masz na imie | What is your name? | Yak mash na imyeh |
| Mam na imie? | My name is.. | Mahm nah imyeh |
| Jestem Amerykaninem |
I am American | Yestem Ahmereekahneenem |
| Nie mówię po polsku | I don’t speak polish | Nye moovyeh poh polsku |
| Czy mówisz po angielsku | Do you speak English? | Chi moovish poh angyelskoo? |
| Nie rozumiem | I don’t understand | Ni yeh rozoomyem |
| Co to jest |
What is this? | Tsoh toh yest? |
| Skąd jesteś |
Where are you from? | Skond yestesh? |
| Gdzie jest |
Where is… | Ge-jeh yest |
| Karta lub gotówka | Card or cash? | Car ta lube gor tuv ka |
Eating
| Word or Phrase | Meaning | English Pronunciation |
| Chciałbym | I would like… | Chao bim |
| Proszę kawę | Coffee please | Prosheh kah veh |
| Herbata | Tea | Her bah tah |
| Chleb | Bread | Hleb |
| Kanapka | Sandwich | Kah nap kah |
| Jajko | Egg | Ya yi koh |
| Kurczak | Chicken | Ker chak |
| Kapusta | Cabbage | Kah pus tah |
| Pomidor | Tomato | Poh mi door |
| Ziemniak | Potato | Zeem niyuck |
| Mięso | Meat | Mi yeh so |
| Mleko | Milk | Mleh ko |
| Piwo | Beer | Pi voh |
| Zupa | Soup | Zoo pah |
| Rachunek, proszę |
Bill, please | Rah hoo neck, prosheh |
Counting
| Word or Phrase | Meaning | English Pronunciation |
| Jeden | One | Ye den |
| Dwa | Two | Dva |
| Trzy | Three | Tshih |
| Cztery | Four | Chi te rih |
| Pięć | Five | Pi yench |
| Sześć | Six | Shesht |
| Siedem | Seven | Shea dem |
| Osiem | Eight | Oh shem |
| Dziewięć | Nine | Je viench |
| Dziesięć | Ten | Je shiench |
Practical Use
So when you are in Poland, you will eventually encounter people that won’t speak English to you if you venture far into non tourist places. The most common phrases I use to get around in supermarkets or taking public transport:
Cześć, czy mówisz po angielsku? (Hello, do you speak English?)
Nie rozumiem dobrze jeszce po polsku (I don’t understand polish well)
Gdzie jest [insert item/place]?
Mam na imie [insert name]. Miło mi poznać (My name is [insert name]. Nice to meet you.)
Jak masz na imie? (What is your name?)
Po proszę kurczak. (Chicken, please)
If the person only speaks Polish, another thing I use is the English to Polish app. You can download it here for free. -> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.suvorov.pl_en&hl=en_US
The app has helped me get into more meaningful conversations with the locals and it will also give you a greater understanding on how the locals think. Based on my travels to Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Poznan, Warsaw seems to have the highest number of English speakers. However, Kraków and Wrocław are much more beautiful in my opinion. You can’t really go wrong with either city!
Conclusion
These words and phrases will help you navigate this awesome country along the way. It has definitely help me in situations, especially when asking for directions and buying stuff in the shopping mall and super market.
kenny