#studying polish

[hamletisms-blog]

Hello there! I’m a native Polish speaker and I’ve decided to make this little series of posts concerning the most interesting and/or popular Polish idioms, sayings, and proverbs. I’ve seen a few similar posts on Tumblr, but most of them repeat the same few idioms a maroon nd I really want to introduce you guys to many more sayings in my language. Each post in this series will have around 8-10 sayings and I plan to make such posts once every week. I hope you’ll enjoy them and learn something new! Here is the first installment. You’ll find the later ones in this tag on my blog.

✧ Polish: Co ma piernik do wiatraka? Literal translation: What does a gingerbread have to do with a windmill? Meaning: Used when a person you’re talking to says something completely irrelevant to the whole conversation. Something like: what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

✧ Polish: Tylko krowa nie zmienia zdania. Literal translation: Only a cow doesn’t change its mind. Meaning: People are allowed to change their opinions and views over time. You can use this saying as a comment on this fact.

✧ Polish: Szukać dziury w całym. Literal translation: To be looking for a hole in something that’s whole. Meaning: To quibble, to nitpick. To stubbornly be trying to find fault with something that’s without fault.

✧ Polish: Raz na ruski rok. Literal translation: Once in a Russian year. Meaning: Very rarely, hardly ever. Once in a blue moon.

✧ Polish: Lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu = Lepszy wróbel w garści niż kanarek na dachu. Literal translation: A sparrow in the hand is better than a pigeon/dove on the roof = A sparrow in the hand is better than a canary on the roof. Meaning: It’s better to hold onto something you already have than to risk losing it while you’re trying to get something else. Basically: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

✧ Polish: Gdzie pieprz rośnie =  Gdzie diabeł mówi dobranoc. Literal translation: Where pepper grows = where the devil says goodnight. Meaning: Somewhere far away, in a distant and unknown place, at the end of the world. 

✧ Polish: Kłamstwo ma krókie nogi. Literal translation: A lie has short legs. Meaning: People will always find out about your lie.

✧ Polish: Dzieci i ryby głosu nie mają. Literal translation: Children and fish don’t have a voice. Meaning: Adults don’t care about children’s opinions; children's opinions shouldn’t be considered when a family is making important decisions.

[polyglotgal]

Week 2 of studying polish Keep on going!

[polyglotgal]

Studying Polish

[mekkila]

Kto to jest?

Hello again! Today I am going to teach you...:

Kto to? (Who is he/she?),  Co to? (What is it?)

...to give you a vocabulary, an exercise and recall polish pronunciation.

Kto to jest?                  Who is she?

To jest Ania.                 She is Ania.

A kto to jest?                And who is he?

To jest Marek.              He is Mark.

Co to?                          What is that?

To jest dom.                 That is a house.

You probably noticed that ,,jest" (is) isn't necessary.

What's more there isn't any changes dor masculine, feminine or neuter. That's good news!

If I translated it word by word it would be:

Kto - Who      To - It (but we use it here for he and she too)  

Jest - Is          Co - What

We use ,,to" when we say about people, thinks (and when they are close, and when they are far)

So when you want to ask someone what's his name you use these questions.

We can tranclate ,,Who is he/she?" ---> Kim on/ona jest?

The meaning is the same, but you see, that you have to say ,,on" (he) or ,,ona" (she) instead ,,to" (it) and ,,kim" instead ,,kto".

And I will give you vocabulary for you ♥

apteka - a pharmancy                 babcia - a grandma

bank - a bank                              woda - a water

gdzie - where                               dom - a house

zima - a winter (winter is so close!) kawiarnia - cafee

kot - a cat                                    lato - a summer   

mama - a mother, mummy           nos - a nose

okno - a window                          poczta - a post

rak - a cancer                              stół - a table

lekcja - a lesson                           cyfra, liczba - a number

I hope you know ,,sz" ,,cz" ,,ó" ,,rz" ,,ż" ,,ś" ,,ć"... If you want to write in polish you have to know them.

,,cz" is like the end of ,,match" --- maTCH

Ehh... It's hard to explain fonetic rules (I never did that!) but I found works of the people making it much better than me:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/polish/soap/alphabet.shtml

http://polish.slavic.pitt.edu/firstyear/sounds.pdf

When you choose the first one there will be records and in the second one there will be explaining all of the letters.

Exercise: Complete:

1) Kasia    2) Marek    3) Adam 4) Szymon  5) Agata   6) Magda

a) kot     b) okno   c) stół    d) nos     e) kawiarnia   f) dom

Kto to jest?  ................................. (1)

Co to jest?  ................................... ( a )

Co to jest?  ................................... (b)

Co to jest? .................................... (c)

Kto to jest? .................................... (2)

Kto to jest? .................................... (3)

Co to jest?  ................................... (d)

Kto to jest?  .................................... (4)

Kto to jest?  .................................... (5)

Co to jest?   .................................... (e)

Co to jest?  ..................................... (f)

Kto to jest?  ..................................... (6)

Answers:

To jest Kasia.

To jest kot.

To jest okno.

To jest stół.

To jest Marek.

To jest Adam.

To jest nos.

To jest Szymon.

To jest Agata.

To jest kawiarnia.

To jest dom.

To jest Magda.

It's all for today. I hope you understand everythink and you like polish ♥

Oh, and I suggest you have notebook for notes from language learning. If you have already have it, I'm glad. I think it increases effects of studying (Of course if you have better methods for you I don't force you - It is your studying and anyone can commend you what you have to do and what way in.

And as always If you notice some mistakes here (I mean I wrote standed, not stood or other mistakes)please inform me. I want to create this place better and better - you have more comfortable learning and I feel better.

What can I add... It's all! See you soon!  ♪♪♪