Polish Greetings

Say dzień dobry (formal hello, used from morning until evening) to anyone you don't know well, and cześć (hi, also bye) to friends. The polite goodbye is do widzenia.

Saying hello in Polish

Polish has no separate everyday words for "good morning" and "good afternoon". Dzień dobry, literally "good day", covers both, from the moment you wake up until it gets dark. After that, roughly from 6 pm or sunset, switch to dobry wieczór. Use these two with anyone you don't know well: shop staff, neighbors, officials, older people.

With friends, family, classmates and people your own age who have said cześć to you first, use cześć. It works for both hello and goodbye.

Witam means "I welcome you". A host greeting guests can say it, and many people use it in emails. Some Poles find it presumptuous from a stranger or from someone younger, because the person welcoming is the one in charge. If you are unsure, dzień dobry is always safe.

Saying goodbye

The formal goodbye is do widzenia, "until we see each other". You say it when leaving a shop, an office or a doctor. Informally, use cześć, na razie or, with family and close friends, pa.

Formal or informal: ty, pan and pani

Polish has two ways to say "you". Ty is informal, for friends, family, children and people your age in casual settings. With strangers and in most work situations, Poles use pan (to a man), pani (to a woman) and państwo (to a group or a couple). These words mean "sir" and "madam", and they take the verb in the third person, as if you were saying "Would the gentleman like coffee?"

• Skąd jesteś?
  Where are you from? (informal)
• Skąd pan jest?
  Where are you from? (formal, to a man)
• Czy może mi pani pomóc?
  Could you help me? (formal, to a woman)
• Dzień dobry państwu!
  Hello, everyone! (formal, to a group)

Colleagues often use pan or pani with a first name in the vocative, like Panie Marku or Pani Anno. It is friendly but still respectful. Moving to ty is called przejść na ty, and the older person, the woman or the more senior person usually offers it.

How are you? Questions and answers

Jak się masz? is the textbook phrase, but in real conversations Poles more often say co słychać? (what's new?, literally "what can be heard?") or jak leci? (how's it going?). It is a real question, not a greeting. People may answer honestly and at length, complaints included. Don't ask a cashier or a stranger.

Typical answers, from best to worst:

• – Cześć, co słychać? – Po staremu. A u ciebie?
  "Hi, what's new?" "Same old. And you?"
• – Dzień dobry, jak się pani miewa? – Dobrze, dziękuję. A pan?
  "Good morning, how are you?" "Fine, thank you. And you?"

Greetings on the phone

Poles answer the phone with halo? or słucham, which means "I'm listening". When you call, say dzień dobry, then your name with mówi ("speaking"). End the call with do usłyszenia, "until we hear each other".

You will also hear słucham? in shops, meaning "what can I do for you?", and with a rising tone, meaning "pardon?".

In shops, offices and lifts

Poles greet people in shared spaces more than English speakers do. Say dzień dobry when you walk into a small shop, a pharmacy, a bakery or a doctor's waiting room, and when you step into a lift with neighbors. Greet the cashier at the supermarket too. When you leave, say do widzenia or dziękuję, do widzenia. Walking out in silence comes across as rude.

• – Dzień dobry. – Dzień dobry, słucham?
  "Hello." "Hello, what can I get you?"
• Dziękuję, do widzenia!
  Thank you, goodbye!
• Miłego dnia!
  Have a nice day!

In person, Poles shake hands when meeting someone, especially at work. Family and close friends often kiss on the cheek. Traditionally that was three kisses, but many people now give just one. To people eating, say smacznego (enjoy your meal). When someone sneezes, say na zdrowie (bless you).

Greetings in emails and messages

In a formal email, open with Szanowny Panie (to a man), Szanowna Pani (to a woman) or Szanowni Państwo (to a group or when you don't know who will read it). Do not add the surname. Write Szanowna Pani, not Szanowna Pani Kowalska. For everyday business emails, Dzień dobry followed by a comma is now the most common and the safest opening.

Informal emails address the person in the vocative: Aniu (Ania), Marku (Marek), Tomku (Tomek). Polish letters and emails also capitalize the words for "you" as a sign of respect: Ty, Ciebie, Pan, Pani, Państwo.

• Szanowna Pani, dziękuję za szybką odpowiedź.
  Dear Madam, thank you for your quick reply.
• Dzień dobry, piszę w sprawie zamówienia.
  Hello, I'm writing about my order.

Holiday and special-occasion wishes

Polish wishes are in the genitive case because they hide the verb życzę (I wish), which takes the genitive. Wesołych Świąt is short for Życzę ci wesołych Świąt, "I wish you happy holidays". The same phrase works for both Christmas and Easter. To return a wish, say dziękuję, nawzajem (thanks, same to you).

Sto lat is also the song Poles sing at birthdays instead of "Happy Birthday". Many Poles also celebrate their name day (imieniny), the saint's day of their first name. A typical Easter card says Zdrowych, wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych, smacznego jajka i mokrego dyngusa!: healthy and happy Easter, enjoy your Easter egg, and have a wet Easter Monday. That last part refers to the custom of splashing people with water on Easter Monday.