Rooms and Furniture in Polish

The main room words in Polish are pokój (room), kuchnia (kitchen), łazienka (bathroom), sypialnia (bedroom) and salon (living room). To say where something is, use w plus the locative: w kuchni (in the kitchen), w łazience (in the bathroom), w pokoju (in the room).

Home words: house, flat and building

Most Poles in cities live in flats, so mieszkanie (flat, apartment) is a word you will use more than dom (house). Dom also means "home": w domu is "at home" even if you live in a flat.

Polish floors are counted like British ones. Parter is the ground floor and pierwsze piętro is the floor above it. An American "second floor" is a Polish pierwsze piętro.

Rooms in Polish

The general word for room is pokój. Polish flats are described by the number of rooms, and the kitchen and bathroom are not counted. So mieszkanie dwupokojowe (a two-room flat) usually means a living room, one bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom.

In many Polish flats the toilet is in a separate small room from the bath. Flat ads say łazienka z WC (bathroom with toilet) or WC osobno (separate toilet). WC is pronounced "voo-TSEH". In speech people also say ubikacja for the toilet.

In the kitchen: w kuchni, w łazience

To say where something is, Polish uses w (in) or na (on, at) plus the locative case. The ending of the room word changes: kuchnia becomes w kuchni, łazienka becomes w łazience. To say where you are going, use do plus the genitive: Idę do kuchni (I'm going to the kitchen). Rooms and spaces that are open or not fully enclosed take na: the balcony, the corridor, the attic and the floors of a building.

• Mama jest w kuchni.
  Mum is in the kitchen.
• Gdzie jest łazienka?
  Where is the bathroom?
• Klucze są w przedpokoju na półce.
  The keys are in the hall on the shelf.
• Dzieci bawią się w swoim pokoju.
  The children are playing in their room.
• Mieszkam na trzecim piętrze.
  I live on the third floor.
• Wyjdź na balkon, jest ładny widok.
  Go out onto the balcony, there's a nice view.

Two handy pairs: na górze (upstairs) and na dole (downstairs). With motion: idę na górę, idę na dół.

Furniture and things in a room

Furniture is meble, a plural word. One piece of furniture is mebel. Note that drzwi (door) is plural only, even for one door: Drzwi są otwarte (The door is open).

Polish uses na for things lying on a surface and w for things inside: na stole (on the table), na półce (on the shelf), w szafie (in the wardrobe), w szufladzie (in the drawer), pod łóżkiem (under the bed).

Kitchen and bathroom items

In the kitchen

In the bathroom

Renting a flat in Polish: wynajem, kaucja, czynsz

Renting is wynajem. A flat for rent is mieszkanie do wynajęcia, and the verb is wynająć mieszkanie (to rent a flat). The landlord is wynajmujący or simply właściciel (owner), and the tenant is najemca.

Watch out for czynsz. It can mean the rent you pay the landlord, but in flat ads it often means the monthly service charge paid to the building's management (also called czynsz administracyjny). An ad that says 2500 zł + czynsz + media means 2,500 złoty for the landlord, plus the building charge, plus utilities. The kaucja is usually one or two months' rent and is returned when you move out.

• Czy oferta jest jeszcze aktualna?
  Is the flat still available? (literally: Is the offer still current?)
• Kiedy mogę obejrzeć mieszkanie?
  When can I view the flat?
• Ile wynosi kaucja?
  How much is the deposit?
• Czy media są wliczone w cenę?
  Are utilities included in the price?
• Ile wynosi czynsz administracyjny?
  How much is the building service charge?
• Czy mieszkanie jest umeblowane?
  Is the flat furnished?
• Od kiedy mieszkanie jest wolne?
  When is the flat available from?
• Czy można mieć zwierzęta?
  Are pets allowed?