Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

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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