Agnieszka Karch

The best books and resources to learn Polish Language books are fun – even in the era of free internet resources and Youtube channels on language learning. If you’re just beginning your Polish learning journey, I’ve got a list of the best books to learn Polish for you. I’ve divided this post into different types of resources, from grammar books to courses in colloquial Polish. When learning a language, I would probably get one of each and supplement this with online resources, podcasts, films and conversation classes. But the choice is yours! Are you ready? Let’s get started! Polish for […]

The Best Books and Resources to Learn Polish

Fat Thursday (tłusty czwartek) Before we indulge ourselves in pancakes, it’s time for doughnut day! Yes – that’s what the Polish Fat Thursday is all about. This year, Polish people will have eaten approximately one hundred million doughnuts on Fat Thursday (12 February) alone, which is almost three doughnuts per person! Can you handle that? I certainly can! How to make Polish doughnuts (pączki)? Pączki (the plural of pączek) can be made in the same way as any other doughnuts. Most Polish doughnuts, though, have fruit jelly or jam, rather than cream or chocolate, in the centre. Jenny Can Cook […]

Polish food: Fat Thursday

Do you want to learn a foreign language but haven’t got time?  We’ve all heard or made this excuse before. Don’t worry – there’s a solution. Read on! The miracle language learning morning I’ve recently read an interesting book by Hal Elrod called The Miracle Morning. It’s a short and practical book about how to structure your morning routine to be less stressed, more successful and have more energy throughout the day. I’ve implemented the miracle morning into my daily routine and have been following it for the last four weeks. And I can tell you – it’s changed the […]

The miracle morning of language learning

Is Polish the most difficult language to learn? If you think the answer is ‘no’ – don’t worry about reading this blog post. You’re already on the right track! If you think it’s ‘yes’ – carry on! Polish has been named the most difficult language to learn by so many websites, bloggers and people I know. I’ve got a theory about this and I’d like to share it with you so bear with me! Interested in learning Polish from scratch? Check out my beginners Polish course.  Polish is difficult for first-time language learners My theory is that the people who think […]

Is Polish Difficult to Learn?

Learn Polish (ways of addressing strangers) ‘Mówić na ty’ is something that’s not easily translated into English. It means ‘to be on first-name terms with somebody’ or ‘to address somebody with a familiar version of the pronoun ‘you’’. It’s something that’s too complicated to explain to somebody who only speaks English because in English, there’s only one ‘you’. Paradoxically, it’s easier to explain this by using a comparison to French, German and Spanish – provided, of course, that you know at least one of these languages! Addressing strangers in French, German and Spanish The French have their ‘vous’ and ‘tu’, […]

Why can’t we just be friends?

How to order drinks in Polish In this video, I teach you how to order tea, coffee and beer in Polish. Enjoy! How to order drinks in Polish: phrases covered Proszę herbatę – Tea, please Proszę kawę – Coffee, please Proszę piwo – Beer, please You can also learn how to order two of each: Proszę dwie herbaty Proszę dwie kawy Proszę dwa piwa Have you tried ordering drinks in Polish yet? Let me know how it went in the comments below! Are you interested in learning Polish from scratch? Check out my Polish beginners course. 

Learn how to order drinks in Polish!

Asking people how they are in Polish is a risky business. That’s because the question really means what the words suggest. It doesn’t mean the same thing as it does in English. That’s why the question is only ever asked when someone actually wants to know how someone else is. There are two options. The first phrase sounds very geeky and nobody really uses it: Jak się masz? (How are you?) The other one (which translates, although not word for word, as ‘How are you?’) invites the other person to share their happy/sad news in greater detail: Co słychać? / Co […]

‘How are you’ in Polish really means ‘how are you’

Unlike in English, the names of most days of the week in Polish are linked to their position in the week. For example, środa (Wednesday) derives from the word środek (middle) and signifies the middle of the (working) week. Below, you will find a brief explanation of the rest of the days. Remember – in Polish, they’re not capitalised! Poniedziałek (Monday) comes after Sunday (niedziela) – po niedzieli. Wtorek is the second day of the week (wtóry – a rather old-fashioned way of saying drugi, or ‘second’). Środa – the middle day. Czwartek derives from czwarty (fourth). Piątek is like […]

The seven days of the week: what do they mean?

‘Thank you’ and ‘please’ – these two words will take you very far when talking to a Polish speaker. They are also surprisingly easy to master. There is only one little tricky thing about each of them.  ‘Thank you’ or ‘dziękuję’ has two versions depending on how formal you want to be, and ‘please’ or ‘proszę’ has two different meanings. I hope my short podcast below will make things clear for you. Enjoy! Phrases covered: Dziękuję – thank you Dzięki – thanks Proszę – please, you’re welcome, no problem Proszę kawę – coffee, please

‘Thank you’ and ‘please’ – always handy!

You must have, at least once, been at a house party where a Polish host offers one of their Polish guests something to eat. Salad?, the host enquiries. Nie, the guest replies.  Bread? Nie, again. Soup? The third suggestion must be the final one, you’re thinking. But then, the guest says no. A minute later you see the host serve hot tomato soup with noodles (the Polish way) to the guest. The guest seems really up for it. But he said no, didn’t he?! To make sense of this situation, you will need to switch off the English-speaking part of […]

Ever wondered why Polish people say ‘no’ when they mean ‘yes’?

Learn Polish - gherkins
The gherkin, as trivial as it may sound, is an essential part of Polish culture. If you ask a Polish person living abroad what they miss, you’re likely to hear ‘real gherkins’ as one of the top three things. What are ‘real gherkins’, though? They’re gherkins that are ‘really pickled’ of course! They spend much more time in the pickle jar than the kind of gherkins that you get in most countries in the world. These widespread ‘semi-pickled’ gherkins are what Polish people call ogórki konserwowe or ogórki małosolne. But for some Polish people that’s just not pickled enough. If you fancy making […]

The real gherkin

How to say hi in Polish
How to say ‘hi’ in Polish Welcome to my blog about learning languages. I will be posting bite-sized lessons for those of you who always wanted to learn the language but could never find the time to do it! In the video below, I teach you how to say ‘hi’ in Polish. Let me know if there’s anything in particular you would like to learn and I will feature it in future posts. If there’s nothing specific, come back to 5-minute Polish in a few days for your next 5-minute lesson! Enjoy! Glossary: Cześć (hi) Hej (hi – informal) Dzień dobry […]

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