Dialogue

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Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to Polish Survival Phrases brought to you by PolishPod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Poland. You will be surprised at how far a little Polish will go.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by PolishPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

Lesson focus
How many times have you been on one of your trips with your camera, trying to immortalize particular moments? In Poland, it can happen so often that not only a landscape can arouse your curiosity, but also many people! That's why today we will cover some phrases related to the one we saw in the previous lesson, "Can you take my picture, sir?" Czy może mi pan zrobić zdjęcie?
Now you would like to ask for permission, "Can I take your picture, ma'am?"
In Polish, this is Czy mogę pani zrobić zdjęcie?
Let's have a look at the components.
We know czy very well.
Then we have mogę, which means, "can I." Next follows pani ("you, ma'am").
The question ends with zrobić zdjęcie ("to take a picture"), which we have already seen in the previous lesson.
So to recap here, we have Czy mogę pani zrobić zdjęcie? Literally, this means, "Can I take a picture of you, ma'am?"
If we would like to take a picture of a man, the question would be as follows: Czy mogę panu zrobić zdjęcie?
If you are able to socialize immediately and you feel Poles can all be like friends, or even if you simply meet some young people, you can use the informal phrase Czy mogę wam zrobić zdjęcie? "Can I take your picture?" In this sentence, we exchanged pani or panu for wam. Wam is the personal pronoun meaning "you" as in a group of people.
The rest of the sentence stays the same. Czy mogę wam zrobić zdjęcie? ("Can I take your picture?")
If you would like to take a picture of just one person using informal style, you would simply say Czy mogę ci zrobić zdjęcie? ("Can I take your picture?") In this question, we exchanged wam for ci. Ci refers to one person only and means, "you."
What if you are in a museum, an art gallery, or a shop and you want to try to ask, "Can I take a picture here?" In Polish, this is Czy można tu robić zdjęcia? We start the question with czy.
Then we have the form można, meaning, "one can." Tu stands for, "here." We finish the question with robić zdjęcia, which means, "to take pictures."
So the whole phrase Czy można tu robić zdjęcia? literally means, "Can one take pictures here?"
Probably you have noticed that in this lesson we used two different verbs for "to take pictures." We have zrobić zdjęcia and robić zdjęcia.
They both mean the same.
The only difference between them is in their aspect of an action. Aspect addresses the completeness of an action.
We use perfective verbs like zrobić when an action has been completed or will be completed. We use imperfective verbs like robić when an action is still in progress or will be repeated. In the vocabulary section at the end of each lesson, we will always specify if the verb we are introducing belongs to perfective or imperfective verbs.
Cultural Insights
When in the museum, please check at the cash register if you are allowed to take pictures. Usually, in museums where photography is allowed, you will have to pay a small fee to be able to do so. It's like purchasing a special ticket for your camera. Before taking any pictures, show your permission to the guard present.

Outro
Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud.
You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so powodzenia, which means “good luck” in Polish.
"Can I take your picture, ma'am? (formal)" - Czy mogę pani zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę pani zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę pani zrobić zdjęcie?
"Can I take your picture, sir? (formal)" - Czy mogę panu zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę panu zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę panu zrobić zdjęcie?
"Can I take your picture? (informal, you plural)" - Czy mogę wam zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę wam zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę wam zrobić zdjęcie?
"Can I take your picture? (informal, you singular)" - Czy mogę ci zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę ci zrobić zdjęcie?
Czy mogę ci zrobić zdjęcie?
"Can one take pictures here?" - Czy można tu robić zdjęcia?
Czy można tu robić zdjęcia?
Czy można tu robić zdjęcia?
All right, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by PolishPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

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