Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to Polish Survival Phrases brought to you by PolishPod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Poland. You will be surprised at how far a little Polish will go.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by PolishPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

Lesson focus

In Poland, haggling is possible at some informal places like a farmer's market or street market.
You can find everything there, from food to clothes. In these places, you will be able to use the Survival Phrases you will learn in this lesson. Don't be afraid to use your Polish when speaking to the merchants. Are you ready to have fun at the targ ("market")?
Upon entering a targ, you will find the variety of colorful stalls striking, and something that interests you will immediately attract you.
Normally, if you are interested in buying something, you say "Excuse me, how much is this?" (Przepraszam, ile to kosztuje?)
As soon as they tell you the price, you can start bargaining to lower the price. We can't guarantee that the seller will lower the price, but it's worth it to try it out. Czy może pani obniżyć cenę? ("Can you lower the price, ma'am?")
Let's have a look at this phrase. We start the question with czy.
Then we have może pani, which means "can you, ma'am."
The form może comes from the verb móc, meaning "can, to be able to."
The verb obniżyć ("to lower") follows next. We finish this phrase with cenę ("the price").
If you have a male merchant, ask him Czy może pan obniżyć cenę? ("Can you lower the price, sir?")
At this point, the merchant will start haggling and the final result is in your hands!
Another way to express the feeling that something is too expensive and you want to start haggling is with Zbyt drogo.
Zbyt drogo means "too expensive."
Let's imagine that you are at a targ, you want to buy a bag, and you want to suggest your price to the merchant straightforward. In other words, you want to establish your own price as the one you will bargain for.
The merchant has just told you that the bag costs forty złoty.
You desperately want that bag, but it's too expensive and you want to suggest thirty-five złoty.
After Zbyt drogo, you should say Dam za to trzydzieści pięć złotych! ("I will give you for this thirty-five złoty.")
Let's have a look at the components. Dam means "I will give."
Then we have za to, meaning "for this." We finish the phrase with the price. Trzydzieści pięć złotych.
If the merchant still refuses you, slowly walk away, and in most cases, they will give up.

Outro

Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud.
You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so powodzenia, which means “good luck” in Polish.
"Excuse me, how much is this?" - Przepraszam, ile to kosztuje?
Przepraszam, ile to kosztuje?
Przepraszam, ile to kosztuje?
"Can you lower the price, ma'am?" - Czy może pani obniżyć cenę?
Czy może pani obniżyć cenę?
Czy może pani obniżyć cenę?
"Too expensive." - Zbyt drogo.
Zbyt drogo.
Zbyt drogo.
"I will give you thirty-five złoty for this." - Dam za to trzydzieści pięć złotych.
Dam za to trzydzieści pięć złotych.
Dam za to trzydzieści pięć złotych.
All right, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by PolishPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

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