Learn how to use essential social expressions
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| Welcome to Can-Do Polish by PolishPod101.com. |
| In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use essential social expressions in Polish. |
| For example, "Excuse me" is |
| Przepraszam. |
| Kaja Kowalski is on the train. A fellow passenger drops his wallet as he exits the train. Kaja picks up the wallet and chases after the man. |
| Before you listen to the dialogue, let's preview some of its key components. |
| Przepraszam. |
| "Excuse me" or "sorry" depending on the context |
| Przepraszam. |
| Przepraszam. |
| Proszę. |
| "you're welcome" |
| Proszę. |
| Proszę. |
| Dziękuję! |
| "Thank you!" |
| Dziękuję! |
| Dziękuję! |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| "No problem." |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Listen to the following three short dialogues between Kaja Kowalski and the man. |
| Ready? |
| Kaja is chasing the man on the platform with the wallet in her hand. |
| Przepraszam. |
| Tak? |
| Kaja hands the man the wallet. |
| Dziękuję! |
| Proszę. |
| Kaja turns to board the train, but the doors shut. |
| Przepraszam. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Once more with the English translation. |
| Kaja is chasing the man on the platform with the wallet in her hand. |
| Przepraszam. |
| "Excuse me." |
| Tak? |
| "Yes?" |
| Kaja hands the man the wallet. |
| Dziękuję! |
| "Thank you!" |
| Proszę. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Kaja turns to board the train, but the doors shut. |
| Przepraszam. |
| "I'm sorry." |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| "No problem." |
| Let's break down each of these expressions. |
| First, do you remember how Kaja Kowalski 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 Kaja uses it to get the attention of the person she’s chasing after. |
| Do you remember how the passenger acknowledges Kaja by saying, |
| "Yes?" |
| Tak? |
| Tak? "Yes?" Tak?. |
| Tak |
| The second part of the conversation takes place after Kaja 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 Kaja 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 Kaja misses her train, do you remember how the passenger apologies to Kaja by saying, |
| "I’m sorry…" |
| Przepraszam… |
| In this context, przepraszam…, means "I’m sorry…" |
| Przepraszam… |
| The passenger feels responsible for Kaja missing her train and is apologizing. |
| The meaning of przepraszam depends on context. |
| Do you remember how Kaja replies, |
| "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. |
| Let's look at the expressions once more. |
| Listen and repeat, or speak along. |
| Przepraszam. |
| "Excuse me." |
| Przepraszam. |
| Tak? |
| "Yes?" |
| Tak? |
| Dziękuję! |
| "Thank you!" |
| Dziękuję! |
| Proszę. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Proszę. |
| Przepraszam. |
| "I'm sorry." |
| Przepraszam. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| "No problem." |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Let's review. |
| Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how Kaja Kowalski says, |
| "Excuse me." |
| Przepraszam. |
| Przepraszam. |
| And how the passenger says, |
| "Yes?" |
| Tak? |
| Tak? |
| Do you remember how to say |
| "Thank you." |
| Dziękuję. |
| Dziękuję. |
| And how to say |
| "You’re welcome." |
| Proszę. |
| Proszę. |
| Do you remember how the passenger says, |
| "I'm sorry." |
| Przepraszam… |
| Przepraszam… |
| And how Kaja says, |
| "No problem." |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Let's practice. |
| Imagine you're Karolina Kowalski, and you receive a popular Polish candy from your Polish teacher. |
| Say, "Thank you." |
| Ready? |
| Dziękuję. |
| Proszę. |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Proszę. |
| Proszę. |
| Let's try another. |
| Imagine you're Karol Kowalski , and a passenger bumps into you. |
| Respond by saying, "No problem." |
| Ready? |
| Przepraszam. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Nic nie szkodzi. |
| Let's try one more. |
| Imagine you're Karol Kowalski, and you see a man drop his wallet. |
| Get his attention. |
| Ready? |
| Przepraszam. |
| Tak? |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Przepraszam. |
| Przepraszam. |
| Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Use Essential Social Expressions unit of this course. |
| Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills. |
| What's next? |
| Show us what you can do. |
| When you're ready, take your assessment. |
| You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like. |
| Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results. |
| Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson! |
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