Dialogue - Polish

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Vocabulary

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napić się to drink
poczekać wait
przyjemność pleasure
być umówionym to have an appointment
strona way
chwila moment
cały normal, whole
mój my, mine

Lesson Notes

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Lesson Focus

The Focus Of This Lesson Is Self-introduction

Dzień dobry, Monika Mackiewicz, miło mi pana poznać.
"Good morning, Monika Mackiewicz. Nice to meet you."

 


 

In this lesson, we will learn:

1. Self-introduction

2. Offering things


 

Self-introduction


 

First we will take a look at a self-introduction in a business setting. Even though it is not very much different than the self-introduction you may know, it still has some characteristic expressions. One of the most important things is stating the company you work for, like in the dialogue:

  1. Adam Kozłowski z KomeCo.
    "Adam Kozlowski from KomeCo."

Note that here our Adam introduces himself shortly to the secretary to let her know who he is. Moreover, when Monika meets Adam, she adds:

  1. Miło mi pana poznać.
    "It's nice to meet you (sir)."

and he replies:

  1. Cała przyjemność po mojej stronie.
    "The pleasure is all mine."

Both of these phrase are quite formal and would be omitted in informal settings, or changed to a simple cześć, "hi."

Here is a list of the expressions you will need for a formal self-introduction.

Expression

English Translation

Remarks

Nazywam się ....

"My name is..."

Usually omitted in both formal and informal settings.

Miło mi pana / panią poznać.

"Nice to meet you (sir / ma'am)."

Typical for formal settings.

Cała przyjemność po mojej stronie.

"All the pleasure is mine."

Typical for formal settings.

[NAME] z [COMPANY]

"NAME from COMPANY"

Typical short business self-introduction.

Note that a lot of resources will teach you phrases like nazywam się... "my name is..." (lit. "I'm called...") and jestem .... "I am..." but both of these are not really used in conversation, especially in the business setting. You will usually just say "Hello" (like dzień dobry) and then say your name right away. You can also say Witam "Welcome" if the meeting is happening at your company or your business partner has just arrived in your country.

Offering things


 

One of the most important things to remember when offering things in business conversations is always using pan "sir" or pani "ma'am", which we sometimes translate into English as just "you."

The main two things you can offer to your guest in your office are drinks and general help. Here are some phrases which you can use in a business setting.

  1. (Czy) Czegoś się pan / pani napije?
    "Would you like something to drink (sir / ma'am)?"

Note: You can omit the question particle czy.

  1. (Czy) napije się pan / pani kawy albo herbaty?
    "Would you (sir / ma'am) like coffee or tea?"

Note: Giving choices can be easily done by using albo, "or."

  1. (Czy) Życzy pan / pani sobie czegoś?
    "Would you (sir / ma'am) like something?"

Note: Życzyć sobie, "to wish for," is a great verb to ask if someone needs something.

  1. (Czy) Czegoś pan / pani potrzebuje?
    "Do you (sir / ma'am) need something?"
  2. (Czy) Mogę w czymś panu / pani pomóc?
    "Can I help you (sir / ma'am) somehow?"

Note: pan / pani changes here to panu / pani because of the verb pomóc, "to help," which requires dative case.

Now here are some ways you may accept or politely decline an offer like that:

  1. Nie, dziękuję.
    "No, thank you."
  2. Bardzo chętnie, kawy.
    "With pleasure, coffee."

Examples from the dialogue:

  1. Adam Kozłowki, cała przyjemność po mojej stronie.
    "Adam Kozlowski, the pleasure is all mine."

Sample Sentences


 

  1. W czym mogę panu pomóc?
    "How can I help you, sir."
  2. Czy napije się pani kawy?
    "Would you like some coffee ma'am?"
  3. Bardzo miło mi pana wreszcie poznać.
    "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
  4. Marzena Kowal, miło mi pana poznać.
    "Marzena Kowal, it's nice to meet you sir."
  5. Marek Dostojewski, bardzo mi miło.
    "Marek Dostojewski, it's a pleasure."

 

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Jestem umówiony z ...
"I have an appointment with"

 


 

Jestem means "I am" and it can be used by both men and women. Umówiony means "to be appointed" or "to be prearranged" and it is here in the masculine form. A feminine form would be umówiona.

This phrase is used when we want to say that we have an appointment arranged with someone, either in a business context or at a doctors office. It can be used anywhere, but it is slightly formal so we would never use it with friends.

For example:

  1. Jestem umówiony z panem Kowolik.
    "I have an appointment with Mr. Kowolik."

Proszę chwilę poczekać.
"Wait a moment, please."


 

The first word - proszę - means "please" or "here you go". Chwila, is a noun meaning "a moment" and poczekać is a verb meaning "to wait." Note that it differs from just czekać, which also means "to wait" when we don't have to wait too long.

It is a nice phrase to use when we want to ask our guest to wait for a moment. It is slightly formal, so it's better not to use it with friends.

For example:

  1. Proszę chwilę poczekać. Zawołam panią Czerkowską.
    "Wait a moment please. I will call Ms. Czerkowska."

 

Cultural Insights

Addressing people in a formal way


 

In Poland, we tend to be more formal than in English speaking countries. Therefore "you" (or ty in Polish) is reserved only for closer relationships. When we talk to somebody in a formal setting, we will usually address them with pan ("Mr." or "sir") or pani ("Ms." or "ma'am"). We will also write those two with capital letters in correspondence.

Lesson Transcript

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INTRODUCTION
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to Polishpod101.com. This is Business Polish for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 1 - Introducing Yourself in a Business Meeting John Here.
Marzena: Cześć, I'm Marzena.
John: In this lesson, you’ll learn about self-introductions. The conversation takes place in an office.
Marzena: It's between Adam, Monika, and a secretary.
John: The speakers are a service provider and customer, therefore, they will speak formal Polish. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Adam: Dzień dobry, Adam Kozłowski z KomeCo. Jestem umówiony z panią Moniką Mackiewicz.
Sekretarka: Proszę chwilę tutaj poczekać. Powiem jej, że pan jest.
(after a few minutes)
Monika: Dzień dobry, Monika Mackiewicz, miło mi pana poznać.
Adam: Adam Kozłowki, cała przyjemność po mojej stronie.
Monika: Zapraszam do mojego gabinetu. Czy czegoś się pan napije?
Adam: Nie, dziękuję.
John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
Adam: Dzień dobry, Adam Kozłowski z KomeCo. Jestem umówiony z panią Moniką Mackiewicz.
Sekretarka: Proszę chwilę tutaj poczekać. Powiem jej, że pan jest.
(after a few minutes)
Monika: Dzień dobry, Monika Mackiewicz, miło mi pana poznać.
Adam: Adam Kozłowki, cała przyjemność po mojej stronie.
Monika: Zapraszam do mojego gabinetu. Czy czegoś się pan napije?
Adam: Nie, dziękuję.
John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation.
Adam: Good morning, Adam Kozlowski from KomeCo. I have an appointment with Ms. Monika Mackiewicz.
Secretary: Could you please wait here for a moment. I will let her know that you are here.
(after a few minutes)
Monika: Good morning, Monika Mackiewicz. Nice to meet you.
Adam: Adam Kozlowski, the pleasure is all mine.
Monika: Please, come in to my office. Would you like something to drink?
Adam: No, thank you.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
John: In the conversation, we heard a simple self introduction.
Marzena: Yes, we did. One important thing to remember about Poland is that we tend to be more formal than in English-speaking countries.
John: Can you give us an example of this?
Marzena: We only use ty...
John: This means "you,"
Marzena: in closer relationships.
John: What is used in more formal situations?
Marzena: Usually pan, which is "Mr." or "sir," or pani
John: That is "Ms." or "ma’am."
Marzena: Also, if you use either pan or pani in written correspondence, you should use capital letters.
John: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...
Marzena: być umówionym [natural native speed]
John: to have an appointment
Marzena: być umówionym [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: być umówionym [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Marzena: chwila [natural native speed]
John: moment
Marzena: chwila [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: chwila [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Marzena: poczekać [natural native speed]
John: to wait
Marzena: poczekać [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: poczekać [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Marzena: cały [natural native speed]
John: normal, whole
Marzena: cały [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: cały [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Marzena: przyjemność [natural native speed]
John: pleasure
Marzena: przyjemność [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: przyjemność [natural native speed]
John: Next we have…
Marzena: strona [natural native speed]
John: way
Marzena: strona [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: strona [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Marzena: mój [natural native speed]
John: my, mine
Marzena: mój [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: mój [natural native speed]
John: And last...
Marzena: napić się [natural native speed]
John: to drink
Marzena: napić się [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Marzena: napić się [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is...
Marzena: Jestem umówiony z ...
John: meaning "I have an appointment with..."
John: Let’s break down this phrase.
Marzena: First is Jestem, which means "I am."
John: Both men and women can use this. Next is "to be appointed" or "to be prearranged."
Marzena: The masculine form for this is umówiony, and in feminine it is umówiona.
John: You can use this phrase to say that you have an appointment, such as a business meeting or a doctor’s appointment.
Marzena: It’s slightly formal, so you wouldn’t use it with friends.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Marzena: Sure. For example, you can say... Jestem umówiony z panem Kowolikiem.
John: ...which means "I have an appointment with Mr. Kowolik."
John: Okay, what's the next word?
Marzena: Proszę chwilę poczekać.
John: meaning "Wait a moment, please."
John: Let’s break this phrase down.
Marzena: First is proszę, which means "please" or "here you go." Next is chwilę.
John: This is a noun that means "a moment." The last word means "to wait."
Marzena: Yes, that’s poczekać.
John: You can use this phrase to ask your guest to wait for a moment.
Marzena: Again, it’s slightly formal so we don’t use this with friends.
John: Can you give us an example using this word?
Marzena: Sure. For example, you can say... Proszę chwilę poczekać. Zawołam panią Czerkowską.
John: ... which means "Wait a moment please. I will call Ms. Czerkowska."
John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

John: In this lesson, you'll learn about self-introduction in a business setting. Are business self-introductions much different from regular self-introductions?
Marzena: Not really. The main difference is that you might say what company you work for.
John: Okay. Let’s run through a self-introduction.
Marzena: Some things you might say include Nazywam się ….
John: "My name is…"
Marzena: Miło mi pana poznać or Miło mi panią poznać
John: "Nice to meet you, sir." or "Nice to meet you, ma’am."
Marzena: Cała przyjemność po mojej stronie
John: "All the pleasure is mine."
Marzena: Adam Kozłowski z KomeCo. So that’s [name] z [company].
John: "Adam Kozlowski from KomeCo." It might be that during a business conversation, you want to offer something to your guest. Remember that you should use "sir" or "madam" instead of "you."
Marzena: Yes, you need pan and pani. An example is (Czy) Czegoś się pan / pani napije?
John: "Would you like something to drink sir/madam?"
Marzena: You can use albo, meaning "or" to give a choice. (Czy) napije się pan / pani kawy albo herbaty?
John: "Would you like coffee or tea?" Remember, in all of these examples we use "sir" or "madam", not "you."
Marzena: More examples are (Czy) Czegoś pan / pani potrzebuje?
John: "Do you need something?"
Marzena: (Czy) Mogę w czymś panu / pani pomóc?
John: "Can I help you somehow?"
Marzena: In that last example, pan and pani change to panu and pani because of the verb pomóc, "to help," which requires genitive case.
John: How do we reply to these offers?
Marzena: You can say Nie, dziękuję.
John: "No, thank you."
Marzena: Or Bardzo chętnie, kawy.
John: "With pleasure, coffee."

Outro

John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
Marzena: Do zobaczenia!