Basic Polish Phrases

The phrases visitors use most are dzień dobry (hello), dziękuję (thank you), proszę (please), przepraszam (excuse me, sorry) and nie rozumiem (I don't understand). Below are over 60 more, grouped by situation, each with an easy pronunciation guide.

Each phrase below comes with a "Say it" column. It spells the Polish sounds with English letters, and the syllable in CAPITALS gets the stress. In Polish that is almost always the second-to-last syllable. A few sounds to know before you start:

• w sounds like English v, and ł sounds like English w: woda is VO-da, mały is MA-wih.
• cz is ch, sz is sh, and rz and ż are like the s in "pleasure" (written zh).
• c is ts, as in "cats". ch is a breathy h.
• ą and ę are nasal vowels, roughly "on" and "en". At the end of a word ę is usually just "eh".
• y is a short sound between the i in "bit" and the u in "but" (written ih).

Where a phrase uses pan (to a man), you can swap in pani (to a woman). These are the polite ways to say "you" to strangers.

The basics

Polite words

Proszę is the most useful word in Polish. You say it when asking for something, when handing something over, in reply to dziękuję, to tell someone to come in, and as proszę? to mean "pardon?". Przepraszam works both before a question (excuse me) and after a mistake (sorry).

• Przepraszam, gdzie jest dworzec?
  Excuse me, where is the station?
• – Dziękuję! – Proszę bardzo.
  "Thank you!" "You're welcome."

When you don't understand

Younger Poles in cities usually speak good English. Trying a few words of Polish first still makes people warmer and more patient with you.

Shopping and paying

Poproszę ("I'll ask for") is the natural way to order or buy anything: poproszę kawę, poproszę dwa bilety. At the till you will often hear kartą czy gotówką? (card or cash?) and paragon? (receipt?).

• – Kartą czy gotówką? – Kartą, poproszę.
  "Card or cash?" "Card, please."
• Szukam apteki.
  I'm looking for a pharmacy.

In a restaurant or café

• Dla mnie pierogi ruskie i piwo.
  For me, pierogi with potato and cheese and a beer.
• Poproszę wodę gazowaną.
  Sparkling water, please.

Getting around

City names change after do (to), because do takes the genitive case: Kraków becomes do Krakowa, Warszawa becomes do Warszawy, Wrocław becomes do Wrocławia, Łódź becomes do Łodzi. A bilet ulgowy is a reduced ticket for groups such as students and seniors, so check whether you qualify. On buses and trams, validate a paper ticket in the small machine on board: this is called skasować bilet.

Emergencies and health

The emergency number in Poland, as across the EU, is 112. A pharmacy is an apteka, marked with a green cross, and the pharmacist can advise on minor problems.

Notice that some phrases change with the speaker's gender. A man says zgubiłem się and jestem uczulony, a woman says zgubiłam się and jestem uczulona. Polish past tense verbs and adjectives always show this.

Small talk

• – Skąd jesteś? – Jestem z Kanady. Uczę się polskiego od roku.
  "Where are you from?" "I'm from Canada. I've been learning Polish for a year."
• – Mówisz bardzo dobrze po polsku! – Dziękuję, ale jeszcze dużo się uczę.
  "You speak Polish very well!" "Thank you, but I'm still learning a lot."

Telling a Pole uczę się polskiego almost always gets a smile. Many Poles believe their language is too hard for foreigners, so even a short, imperfect sentence makes a strong impression.