Polish Phrasebook Talking Online

Two young women chatting on a bench in front of the Frederic Chopin memorial in Warsaw, Poland.

The Talking Polish Phrasebook

Published: February 26, 2022

The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Each entry below, divided by category, features an English word or phrase in the left column and its Polish translation in the right.

In the center column for each row is a play button. The recorded file will feature first English, then the Polish in three versions: one slow, one with each syllable broken out, and a last version that will be spoken as it might be overheard in a conversation between native speakers.

About Polish Grammar

Gender: Polish is a highly gendered language with multiple pronouns based on number, gender, and level of formality. Most of the examples in this resource give one (clearly marked) example of a phrase using a specific form of โ€œyou.โ€ However, these can generally be modified by replacing the form of โ€œyouโ€ used.

Below, we list all โ€œyouโ€ forms in Polish. Note that these are genitive forms โ€“ which are the forms that would be most used in the phrases given below:

You Siฤ™/siebie (singular, informal, reflexive)
You Ciฤ™/Ciebie (singular, informal)
You Was (informal, plural)
You Pan (formal, singular, male)(like โ€œSirโ€)
You Pani (formal, singular, female)(like โ€œMadamโ€)
You Paล„stwo (formal, plural)

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Verb Conjugation: Verbs are also conjugated based on number and formality. So, examples below may also need the verb replaced. For instance, โ€œDo you?โ€ can you appear in the following forms:

Do you (speak?) Czy (mรณwisz) (singular, informal)
Do you (speak?) Czy (mรณwicie) (informal, plural)
Do you (speak?) Czy mรณwi (formal, singular, male or female)
Do you (speak?) Czy mรณwiฤ… (formal, plural)

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Asking Questions: Meanwhile, โ€œCan youโ€ can be said in the following ways: (note that Czy is a word that indicates what will follow will be a question.

Can you Czy moลผesz? (sing. informal)
Can you Czy moลผecie (informal, plural)
Can you Czy moลผe (formal, singular, male or female)
Can you Czy mogฤ… (formal, plural)

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Survival Basics for Speaking Polish

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Hi!
Czeล›ฤ‡!
*informal, conversational โ€“ to greet a friend
Hello!
Dzieล„ dobry!
*more formal โ€“ to greet a teacher/passer-by
Yes
Tak
No
Nie
Good morning!
Dzieล„ dobry!
Good afternoon!
Dzieล„ dobry!
Good evening!
Dobry wieczรณr!
Whatโ€™s up?
Co u Ciebie?
*informal
How are you?
Co sล‚ychaฤ‡ u Ciebie?
*informal โ€“ more complete version of โ€œCo u Ciebie?โ€ (above)
How are you, (Madam)?
Jak siฤ™ Pani ma?
*formal โ€“ only use with a female (see above for discussion of other forms of โ€œyouโ€ in Polish).
Good, thanks, and you, (Madam)?
Dziฤ™kujฤ™,ย dobrze, a u Pani?
Good bye!
Pa!
*infomal, conversational
Good bye!
Do widzenia
*formal
See you later!
Do zobaczenia
Sorry!
Przepraszam
Open/closed
Otwarte / zamkniฤ™te
Pull/push
Ciฤ…gnฤ…ฤ‡ / pchaฤ‡
*as would be written on a door to a building
Small/big
Maล‚y / duลผy
Do you speak English, (Sir)?
Czy mรณwi Pan po angielsku?
*formal, for use only with a male.
(see above for more discussion on the verb and pronoun to use)
I donโ€™t speak English.
Nie mรณwiฤ™ po angielsku
I only speak a little Polish.
Mรณwiฤ™ tylko trochฤ™ po polsku.
I understand/I donโ€™t understand
Rozumiem / Nie rozumiem.
Thank you!
Dziฤ™kujฤ™!
Thank you very much!
Dziฤ™kujฤ™ bardzo!
Very well, thanks!
Bardzo dobrze, dziฤ™kujฤ™!
Good/bad (adj)
dobry/zล‚y (male)
Good/bad (adj)
dobra/zล‚a (female)
Well/poor (adv)
dobrze/ลบle
Please
Proszฤ™
*When asking for something politely
Youโ€™re welcome!
Proszฤ™
*when responding to โ€œDziฤ™kujฤ™โ€™
Excuse me!
Przepraszam
A little
Trochฤ™
Could you speak more slowly, Madam?
Czy moลผฤ™ Pani mรณwiฤ‡ wolniej?
*formal, for use only with a female.
(see above for more discussion on the verb and pronoun to use)
Could you repeat, please, Sir?
Czy moลผe Pan powtรณrzyฤ‡? (sing. to Sir, formal)
*formal, for use only with a male.
(see above for more discussion on the verb and pronoun to use)
Could you write that down, Madam?
Czy moลผe Pani to napisaฤ‡? (sing. to Madam, formal)
*formal, for use only with a female.
(see above for more discussion on the verb and pronoun to use)
My wallet was stolen
Mรณj portfel zostaล‚ skradziony.
My passport was stolen
Mรณj paszport zostaล‚ skradziony.
My purse was stolen
Moja torebka zostaล‚a skradziona.
*Note that in Polish โ€œtorebkaโ€ is feminine (hence, the use of feminine pronoun, and both โ€œportfelโ€ and โ€œpaszportโ€ are masculine).
I need a doctor!
Potrzebujฤ™ย lekarza.
Call the police!
Proszฤ™ zadzwoniฤ‡ na policjฤ™!

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Introductions in Polish

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What is your name?
Jak masz na imiฤ™? (informal)
What is your name?
Jak ma Pan/Pani na imiฤ™? (formal)
Pleased to meet you!
Miล‚o mi!
(Poles may also say โ€œbardzo mi miล‚oโ€ to add more emphasis)
Itโ€™s mutual (in response to โ€œMiล‚o mi!โ€, above)
Wzajemnie
I am 25 years old.
Mam 25 lat.
How old are you?
Ile masz lat?
Where are you from?
Skฤ…d jesteล›?
I am American.
Jestem Amerykaninem / Amerykankฤ…
(male, female)
No, I am from Canada.
Nie, jestem z Kanady.
She is Australian.
Ona jest Australijkฤ…
He is Irish.
On jest Irlandczykiem.
We are from New Zealand.
Jesteล›my z Nowej Zelandii.
They are from Wales.
Oni sฤ… z Walii.
How do you like Poland?
Jak Ci siฤ™ podoba w Polsce?
I like Poland very much..
Bardzo mi siฤ™ย podoba w Polsce.
Have you ever been to Cracow?
Czy byล‚eล› / byล‚aล› kiedyล› w Krakowie?
(male / female)
I have never been to Warsaw before.
Nigdy nie byล‚em / byล‚am w Warszawie. (male / female)
This is my second time in Poland.
To jest mรณj pierwszy pobyt w Polsce.
What do you do?
Czym siฤ™ zajmujesz?
I am a student.
Jestem studentem / studentkฤ…,
(male / female)
I am a teacher.
Jestem nauczycielem / nauczyielkฤ….
(male / female)
I am on vacation.
Jestem na wakacjach.
I am here on business.
Jestem w podrรณลผy sล‚uลผbowej.

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Asking Directions in Polish

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Where are the toilets?
Gdzie jest toaleta?
Men
Mฤ™ลผczyลบni
Women
Kobiety
Where is the nearest bank?
Gdzie jest najbliลผszy bank?
Where is the nearest post office?
Gdzie jest najbliลผsza poczta?
Where is the nearest train station?
Gdzie jest najbliลผsza dworzec kolejowy? (also, stacja kolejowa)
Where can I find Wi-Fi?
Gdzie mogฤ™ znaleลบฤ‡ Wi-fi?
Do you know the Wi-Fi password, (Madam?)
Czy zna Pani hasล‚o do Wi-fi?
(to a female, formal)
How can I order a taxi?
Jak zamรณwiฤ‡ taksรณwkฤ™?
Straight ahead!
Prosto!
Take a right.
Skrฤ™ฤ‡ w prawo!
Take a left.
Skrฤ™ฤ‡ w lewo!
After the stoplight
Za tym ล›wietle.
Next
Nastฤ™pny (this and first/last are all male forms)
First
Pierwszy
Last
Ostatni

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Shopping

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How much does that cost?
Ile to kosztuje?
The menu, please!
Menu, proszฤ™?
Iโ€™d like a beer, please
Piwo, proszฤ™.
Iโ€™d like the bill, please.
Proszฤ™ o rachunek.
Do you accept credit cards?
Czy akceptujecie karty kredytowe?

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Counting in Polish

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0
Zero
1
Jeden
2
Dwa
3
Trzy
4
Cztery
5
Piฤ™ฤ‡
6
Szeล›ฤ‡
7
Siedem
8
Osiem
9
Dziewiฤ™ฤ‡
10
Dziesiฤ™ฤ‡
11
Jedynaล›cie
12
Dwanaล›cie
13
Trzynaล›cie
14
Czternaล›cie
15
Piฤ™tnaล›cie
16
Szesnaล›cie
17
Siedemnaล›cie
18
Osiemnaล›cie
19
Dziewiฤ™tnaล›cie
20
Dwadzieล›cia
21
Dwadzieล›cia jeden
22
Dwadzieล›cia dwa
30
Trzydzieล›ci
40
Czterdzieล›ci
50
Piฤ™ฤ‡dziesiฤ…t
60
Szeล›ฤ‡dziesiฤ…t
70
Siedemdziesiฤ…t
80
Osiemdziesiฤ…t
90
Dziewiฤ™ฤ‡dziesiฤ…t
100
Sto
111
Sto jedenaล›cie
125
Sto dwadzieล›cia piฤ™ฤ‡
200
Dwieล›cie
300
Trzysta
400
Czterysta
500
Piฤ™ฤ‡set
600
Szeล›ฤ‡set
700
Siedemset
800
Osiemset
900
Dziewiฤ™ฤ‡set
1000
Tysiฤ…c

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About the author

Emma Tkaz

Emma Tkaz

Emma Tkacz graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in International Relations and Global Studies with a focus in Security Studies and European Studies. She minored in Russian. Her college experience and family ties in Poland fostered her love for Eastern European culture and, one day, she hopes to live and work in Eastern Europe. In the near future, she plans to attend graduate school and pursue a Masterโ€™s in International Studies.

Program attended: Online Internships

View all posts by: Emma Tkaz