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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Expressions That Describe Amounts
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to PolishPod101.com. I'm John.
Marzena: And I'm Marzena!
John: This is Must-Know Polish Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 20. In this lesson, you'll learn expressions that describe amounts.
John: Here, you’ll find expressions describing amounts. This is how Poles say that there is a lot or a little of something.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are...
Marzena: na oko
Marzena: pi razy drzwi
Marzena: pękać w szwach
Marzena: tyle co kot napłakał
John: Marzena, what's our first expression?
Marzena: na oko
John: It literally means "on the eye," but when it's used as a slang expression, it means "more or less."
Marzena: [SLOW] na oko [NORMAL] na oko
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Marzena: na oko
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this expression when you want to indicate that the exact size or weight doesn't matter.
John: Now, let's hear an example sentence.
Marzena: [NORMAL] Ile ona może mieć wzrostu? Tak na oko? [SLOW] Ile ona może mieć wzrostu? Tak na oko?
John: "How tall can she be? More or less?"
Marzena: [NORMAL] Ile ona może mieć wzrostu? Tak na oko?
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Marzena: pi razy drzwi
John: It literally means "pi times door," but when it's used as a slang expression, it means "more or less."
Marzena: [SLOW] pi razy drzwi [NORMAL] pi razy drzwi
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Marzena: pi razy drzwi
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this expression when you don't know the exact size or you want to say that it doesn't have to be the exact size. It's a rather informal expression.
John: Now, let's hear an example sentence.
Marzena: [NORMAL] Nie musi być tak dokładnie, wystarczy pi razy drzwi. [SLOW] Nie musi być tak dokładnie, wystarczy pi razy drzwi.
John: "It doesn't have to be so precise, just more or less."
Marzena: [NORMAL] Nie musi być tak dokładnie, wystarczy pi razy drzwi.
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Marzena: pękać w szwach
John: It literally means "burst at the seams," but when it's used as a slang expression, it means "be full."
Marzena: [SLOW] pękać w szwach [NORMAL] pękać w szwach
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Marzena: pękać w szwach
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this expression when you want to say that something is full or there is a lot of something somewhere. You can also use it to express that you’re full.
John: Now, let's hear an example sentence.
Marzena: [NORMAL] Ta restauracja była tak popularna, że aż pękała w szwach. [SLOW] Ta restauracja była tak popularna, że aż pękała w szwach.
John: "This restaurant was so popular that is was full."
Marzena: [NORMAL] Ta restauracja była tak popularna, że aż pękała w szwach.
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Marzena: tyle co kot napłakał
John: It literally means "as much as a cat wept," but when it's used as a slang expression, it means "just a little bit, next to nothing."
Marzena: [SLOW] tyle co kot napłakał [NORMAL] tyle co kot napłakał
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Marzena: tyle co kot napłakał
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this expression when you want to refer to a very small amount.
John: Now, let's hear an example sentence.
Marzena: [NORMAL] Czemu mi tak mało nalałeś? To tyle co kot napłakał. [SLOW] Czemu mi tak mało nalałeś? To tyle co kot napłakał.
John: "Why did you pour me so little? It's next to nothing."
Marzena: [NORMAL] Czemu mi tak mało nalałeś? To tyle co kot napłakał.
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I'll describe four situations, and you choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John:You are not sure how many kilos something is, but it looks like enough.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Marzena: na oko
John: "more or less"
John: This chocolate cake is a joke, there is almost no chocolate in it!
[pause - 5 sec.]
Marzena: tyle co kot napłakał
John: "just a little bit, next to nothing"
John:Well, this place has to be very popular because it’s packed.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Marzena: pękać w szwach
John: "be full"
John:You don’t have to say the exact number, just more or less is enough.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Marzena: pi razy drzwi
John: "more or less"

Outro

John: There you have it; you have mastered four Polish Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at PolishPod101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Marzena: Cześć.

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