Learn the key pattern to use essential social expressions
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| Let's take a closer look at these three conversations. |
| First, do you remember how Ben Lee says, |
| "Excuse me." |
| Przepraszam. |
| First, do you remember how Ben Lee says, |
| "Excuse me." |
| Przepraszam. |
| In this context, przepraszam is used to get someone's attention, and translates as "Excuse me." Przepraszam. |
| Przepraszam. |
| This expression is suitable for formal and informal situations. |
| Note: This expression can also be used as a mild apology, but here Ben uses it to get the attention of the person he’s chasing after. |
| Do you remember how the passenger acknowledges Ben by saying, |
| "Yes?" |
| Tak? |
| Tak? "Yes?" Tak?. |
| Tak |
| The second part of the conversation takes place after Ben returns the passenger’s wallet. |
| Do you remember how the passenger says, |
| "Thank you." |
| Dziękuję! |
| Dziękuję! "Thank you!" Dziękuję!! |
| Dziękuję! |
| To add more emphasis to your appreciation, you could say, dziękuję bardzo, literally, "thank you very," but translates as "thanks a lot." Dziękuję bardzo. This is an expression used throughout Poland. |
| Note, bardzo dziękuję, literally, "very thank you," is a less frequently used variation, meaning the same thing. |
| Do you remember how Ben says, |
| "You’re welcome." |
| Proszę. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Proszę. Proszę. |
| Proszę is from the verb prosić, meaning “to ask somebody.” Prosić. |
| Proszę. |
| “You’re welcome” is among the most common translations, but this is a versatile phrase that can be used in multiple situations with many translations. So you will come into contact with it a lot. |
| After the train doors shut and Ben misses his train, do you remember how the passenger apologies to Ben by saying, |
| "I’m sorry…" |
| Przepraszam… |
| In this context, przepraszam…, means "I’m sorry…" |
| Przepraszam… |
| The passenger feels responsible for Ben missing his train and is apologizing. |
| The meaning of przepraszam depends on context. |
| Do you remember how Ben replies, |
| "It’s no problem." |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| This starts with nic, which means "nothing." Nic. Nic. |
| Next is nie, meaning "no." Nie. Nie. |
| Note, the phrase nic nie, literally "nothing no," is a double negation. In Polish, it's often required to use two words of negation to make a negative statement. |
| Last is szkodzi, "harm." Szkodzi. Szkodzi. |
| All together, Nic nie szkodzi, literally means "Nothing no harm," but it translates as "It’s no problem," or "No problem." |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| This is a common phrase used to express that things are alright. |
| The phrases introduced in this lesson are suitable for any occasion. However, in Polish there are terms that may be a better choice for specific situations. |
| First is wybacz, literally "forgive me." This is a little stronger than przepraszam, "I'm sorry." You could use this to show that you feel guilty about a situation. Wybacz. |
| Next is przykro mi… "I'm sorry." |
| Przykro mi. |
| This expresses your regret about something you weren’t responsible for, while przepraszam expresses regret about something you were responsible for. |
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