Dialogue

Vocabulary

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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

For today, we're going to need a word, as we're going to cover "How do you say [something] in Polish?" So let's get started right away!
The Poles are famous for their amber, so let's assume that you want to buy some but have no idea what to call it in Polish! What do you do now? Of course, you ask with Survival Phrases!
In Polish, "How do you say 'amber' in Polish?" is Jak się mówi po polsku amber? The first word jak means "how."
Then we have się meaning, "itself."
The following word is mówi, which means "says."
Then we have po polsku ("in Polish").
Finally, we finish the sentence with the word "amber."
So all together, we have Jak się mówi po polsku amber? This means "How do you say 'amber' in Polish?"
Not to leave you hanging, "amber" in Polish is bursztyn.
You can also use this expression without using any English. To accomplish this, you can use the expression "How do you say this in Polish?" In Polish, this is Jak to powiedzieć po polsku? Let's have a look at the components.
We again start the question with jak ("how").
Then we have to meaning, "this." Next, we have the verb powiedzieć, which means, "to say." We end our question with po polsku ("in Polish").
So the whole phrase is Jak to powiedzieć po polsku? "How do you say this in Polish?" This is a phrase you can use while pointing at something.
But wait, it's your Polish friend's birthday, and you want to wish him or her a happy birthday, but you don't know how to say it.
Let's try to ask Jak przetłumaczyć na polski happy birthday? "How do you translate 'happy birthday' into Polish?" So what do we have here? We start our phrase with jak ("how").
Then we have the verb przetłumaczyć, which means, "to translate." Next, we have na polski ("into Polish").
We finish our phrase with the expression you want someone to translate.
So all together, we have Jak przetłumaczyć na polski happy birthday? "How do you translate 'happy birthday' into Polish?"
Cultural Insights
In Poland, besides celebrating birthdays, Poles also celebrate imieniny, in other words, "name day." Imieniny are celebrated much like birthdays, with a cake and a lot of presents. Each day of the year has several names assigned to it, usually based on when the feast days of Christian saints are celebrated. Who knows, maybe you will be able to celebrate your imieniny while staying in Poland.
The most common feminine Polish names are Anna, Maria, Katarzyna, Małgorzata, and Agnieszka, with the most common masculine Polish names being Jan, Andrzej, Piotr, Krzysztof, and Stanisław. In Polish, each name has at least one diminutive form (Ania for Anna, or Staś for Stanisław) which is used mainly in the family circle or among friends. Poland being largely a Catholic country, most names find their source in Christianity. Naming trends though, are changing on a yearly basis. From year to year, parents are being more creative in this area.

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.
"How do you say 'amber' in Polish?" - Jak się mówi po polsku amber?
Jak się mówi po polsku amber?
Jak się mówi po polsku amber?
"How do you say this in Polish?" - Jak to powiedzieć po polsku?
Jak to powiedzieć po polsku?
Jak to powiedzieć po polsku?
"How do you translate 'happy birthday' into Polish?" - Jak przetłumaczyć na polski happy birthday?
Jak przetłumaczyć na polski happy birthday?
Jak przetłumaczyć na polski happy birthday?
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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