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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