polilang - Learn Polish In London

Polska? TAK! Actors, directors and celebrities saying a few words about Poland

2011-09-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

What's special about Poland?

Together with Val Kilmer, Natalie Portman, Russell Crowe and many more world celebrities discover the uniqueness of Poland!

The strangest Polish customs/habits/traditions by foreigners

2011-09-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

Dzień dobry,

This time it will not be me to tell you about some observations - time for People who have enough distance to Polish culture.

Foreigners in Poland (and those who met Polish people abroad) have been asked what customs/habits/traditions (zwyczaje) they find strange or unusual pointed out:

1. Traffic rules such as being overtaken by a car, when there is another car approaching from the opposite direction; using warning lights to say "thank you" to other divers for letting you first etc.

2. Taking your shoes off at home when visiting someone.

3. Kissing woman on her hand as a form of a polite greeting.

4. Christmas Eve tradition of sharing the wafer (opłatek).

5. Kolęda - a visit that a priest pays to his flock around Christmas. Each year they visit all homes in their parish.

6. Train platforms' designation - each platform has two tracks that have separate numbers.

7. Times of the meals and their contents: quite big breakfast, eating open sandwiches and a dinner served between 3pm-5pm were mentioned.

8. An applause the pilots get each time they land (regardless of how difficult or easy the weather conditions were).

9. Drinking coffee in glasses.

The full article in Polish can be found here:

http://niewiarygodne.pl/gid,13732755,img,13733952,kat,1017185,title,Dlaczego-Polacy-klaszcza-gdy-wyladuje-samolot,galeriazdjecie.html

Can I just say, that it is not true at all and we don't do that. I would like to say this loudly once and for all.

Oh ... I must finish now, because someone is at the door and I'll better give them the slippers and a glass of coffee - I am a good hostess after all.... Anna, size 5 you are - do I remember it right? Here you go - the fluffy ones...

See you in class,

Ola

Wedding - Polish style part 2

2011-05-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

Dzień dobry,

I have received some answers and heard some stories from my students, how they managed to combine Polish and English traditions into their wedding ceremonies and receptions.

I have to say that Polish weddings are getting very popular in UK (London at least :-))).

You were right - there are no wedding speeches at Polish weddings. There can be toasts made by fathers of bride and groom.

There are some points of English wedding speeches that can be misunderstood by the Polish side, however very important in English speeches.

A groom shouldn't boast about his wife, so saying that she looks beautiful in front of all the guests can be seen as arrogant.
Saying "thank you for organising the whole wedding" may mean that you don't feel like a part of a family or that you do not appreciate all that was done for you (paradox of Polish culture). As a part of a family, you should accept that people did it for you. Putting all the effort they make into a phrase "thank you" can mean you treat them like wedding planners.

A piece of advise from my students - no literal translations of your speeches if you want to deliver them in both languages. English part with compliments to the bride/groom and Polish without.

See you in class,

Ola

Wedding - Polish style

2011-03-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Dzień dobry,

How many of you married a Polish person?

How many of you are going to?

How many of you would like to read this entry just in case :-)))

Well, as usually, no many answers will be given, but some questions will be asked.

Who delivers wedding speeches?

Who should be in charge of organising a wedding reception?

What do we drink and who pays for it?

When does an open bar end?

What are the traditions for a wedding reception?

How to mix both traditions to do them justice?

What is your experience of Polish weddings - let's all read what you think.

See you in class,

Ola

Święta, Święta i po Świętach...

2010-12-30T05:18:00.000-08:00

Dzień dobry,

If you were missing Christmas topic on our blog, please note that we covered this one a year ago :-))).

One thing has been changing slowly I must admit - there is less and less carp fish on our tables and Polish people are introducing more fish variety to their Christmas Eve menus - which would make our grandparents proud.

Our students this year had a chance to try some Polish Christmas Eve dishes on our Christmas Workshops organised at Mamuśka Bar in London.

During the workshops they discussed Polish Christmas traditions and traditions from regions where their Polish friends, families and partners come from.

Together we learnt a carol "Cicha Noc"

I even heard of some after party at Thom's ;-))). Christmas spirit....

Huge "thank you" to the owners of Mamuśka and Pani Ewa, who made sure everything was excellent: we loved pierogi and barszcz z uszkami.

Here is a quick reminder of Polish Christmas Eve traditions.

http://polilang-polish-school.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-eve-traditions-part-1.html

http://polilang-polish-school.blogspot.com/2009/11/just-before-christmas-eve.html

http://polilang-polish-school.blogspot.com/2009/11/polish-christmas.html

See you in class,

Ola

It wasn't what I meant

2010-11-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

If you tried to make a conversation in Polish and after a few sentences you (or rather the person you were talking to) got stuck, run out of topics or even switched to English the reasons are:

... ok, there might be hundreds of reasons, but I'm interested in only one of them...

No, let's say that you were polite and the person was trying their best, but you both just couldn't figure out what was wrong.

No, this wasn't in the church or in the lift and the person wasn't your dentist either.

No, your accent is ok and you have a broad vocabulary in Polish...

Ok, ok: the reason was - you weren't speaking Polish, I mean you were using Polish words and combining them into sentences, but they weren't Polish - they were literal translation from English.

I'm sure you heard of a Polish mistakes like:

Thank you from the mountain = thank you in advance (lit. z góry dziękuję);

Or It's not my fairy tale = It's not my cup of tea (lit. to nie moja bajka).

and many more which I'm sure can you can hear at our weekly classes :-))

You must have done the same mistake asking someone whether they had a good time you would say (no there is no other reason - I have just eliminated them):

"Miałeś/Miałaś dobry czas?" and what you should say is "Czy dobrze się bawiłeś/bawiłaś?"

How would you say: "No thanks I'm fine?"

Would you choose: "Dziękuję, nie trzeba", czy "Dziękuję, wszystko w porządku?".

Would both mean the same or would they mean something else, or maybe the context would bring the distinction. (Yes, the last answer is correct).

See you in class,

Ola

instead of swear words...

2010-09-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Dzień dobry,

Do you remember our Polish Swear Words Workshops. Well, I do :-))) - Created monsters ;-)))

Although most people know just one Polish swear word, we can be very inventive with our word formation of bad words.

"No" to swearing we say :-))), but "yes" a huge "yes" to euphemisms. Here are some words, that would be proud equivalents of English "Oh, sugar" but we love them and find it very funny and creative when someone uses them.

pierniczyć - "to ginger bread" (not care about something or to joke);

pieprzyć/spieprzyć - "to pepper" (to have sex or to spoil something);

chrzanić/schrzanić - "to horseradish" (to spoil something or to joke);

kiełbasić/skiełbasić - "to sausage" (to miss your chance or to make a mistake/error);

przysolić/przyfasolić - "to salt/to bean" (to hit someone);

podwędzić - "to smoke/to cure in smoke" (to steal).

Please excuse my literal translations, but only they will show the true beauty of these colloquial words.

The words can change their meaning if you apply different prefixes.

Finally, there are not the only meanings of enlisted words.

See you in class,

Ola

5 things you should never do in Poland

2010-08-19T02:52:00.000-07:00

The list of things you should never do in Poland is almost as long as a list of Polish people giving you advice on that.

Some say you should never smile to strangers. Some say you should never approach girls and ask to buy them a coffee or a beer. Maybe someone will tell you not to hand money from hand to hand - just leave it on this ash tray-looking device which a shop assistant shoves money out from...

Oh, there is also the difficult topic of queuing at the train station and asking for information at the information office before buying your ticket at the cashiers...

My 5 forbidden behaviours in Poland that can make you a social outcast are: refusing to drink with us 5 times :-)))

See you in class,

Ola

The things I will never understand - we asked Katarzyna (25, in London since 2008)

2010-07-02T04:26:00.000-07:00

Us: What was the first cultural difference you noticed when you moved to London?

Katarzyna*: (yyyyy) It must have been "How are you" - the phrase and how people react to it. I will never understand (let's be honest, I will learn and obey but will never understand why would people say or do that) why people ask you how you are when they don't want to hear how you are. You start telling them how you really are and then they look at you in a funny way.

And the other thing is: why would you talk about the weather when you are sitting in the same room and everyone can see what the weather is. It is clearly not about stating your opinion, as they always have to agree with each other... Every time they start talking about the weather I feel like an idiot talking about such an obvious thing.

Us: I'm sure it must be difficult to know what to say not to offend anyone...

Katarzyna: Oh, yes - you can say that the weather hasn't changed since yesterday and this way you will just finish the conversation [laughing]. On the other thing you try to say something about it but can't just go with the same "yes indeed" all the time and you just need to say something creative (I don't know why - perhaps that's just minding my father's words "if you don't have anything wise to say, just don't say anything") . I already tried the names of clouds in Latin and weather forecast for the following day judging on the colour of the sky plus the wind and each time I ended up as a person who tries to show off.

Us: Do you mind if we continue this interview tomorrow? Actually, let's be honest - not tomorrow - any time in the future.

Katarzyna: As if I had a choice. Yes, sure any time in the future.

(yes it's a small print)
*Just in case - Katarzyna is a fictional character standing for all stereotypical views about British culture. She was created to..., well she was created because she could be created. Just between you and me - I think she is a mixture of the authors experiences and insecurities.

Why Polish?

2010-05-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Dzień dobry,

I often ask new students why they want to learn Polish.
I am even more often asked why people want to learn Polish and what a typical student of Polilang is like.
The typical student of Polilang - I reply - is usually doing her/his homework and working hard :-) and it usually stops people from asking similar questions :-))).

I however found it important to answer why one has to work hard to learn Polish. That's because it is the second most difficult language in the entire world (natural and discovered).
Polish grammar is very complicated and even essential grammar sufficient for a very simple conversation is extremely complex.

Moreover Polish language is not going to be simplified or changed a lot. There is no way we will stop using different endings to state whether a word is a subject, a positive object or negative object etc.

Even if someone had such a surreal idea, we would not allow it - we take pride in our language. This was a glue keeping us together and preserving our national identity when there was no Poland on a map of Europe (we regained independence in 1918 after 123 years of being divided among Austria, Prussia and Russia). Then and later - during the communists' regime it was our weapon against the invaders.

Even we struggle with this complex but beautiful language sometimes. We would however always want it to be pronounced properly and with the respect to grammar. Maybe this is why we are so happy when you speak Polish and share our love for it.

See you in class,
Ola

Another quiz

2010-04-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a riddle:

I answer a phone and say:

- "I'm listening, here Ewa.

I'm knocking on the door and I hear:

"Who there?"

I buy a newspaper or beer and I ask for it by saying:

"Please newspaper" or "Please beer"

I want my mother to help me with something. I should be polite so I say:

"Give me that", "Take this", "Don't do this".

Where am I?

Yes, I'm in Poland and yes I know it is a blog about Polish culture and language and that everyone knew that it would be another quiz about Poland... Can we please go to the answers?

When answering a phone in Poland you say: "Słucham" which literally means "I'm listening, but it really expresses that you are all ears and can listen to the person calling you".

"Kto tam" will allow you to check who knocked on your door.

In Poland you need just one word to say : "Can I have ..., please" - "Proszę.... "

So "Proszę gazetę" or "Proszę piwo" is a polite way of asking for a newspaper or a beer.

And finally in Poland putting "please" - "Proszę" at the end or start of sentences will just sound too formal when you talk to your family and friends. We use imperative instead. Saying it with a soft tone of voice makes it a request rather than an order.

"Daj mi to" - give me that, "Weź to" - take this, "Nie rób tego"- don't do this.

See you in class,

Ola

Easter traditions part 4 - Easter Bunny

2010-04-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

Dzień dobry,

In a post dated on 7th of March I asked, if Polish children know Easter Bunny.

It's time to face this question now.

NO, they don't.

See you in class,

Ola

Easter ( ? ) traditions part 3: Śmigus-Dyngus

2010-04-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

Dzień dobry,

I know that Easter is over now, but Śmigus-Dyngus is older than Easter in Poland. It used to be a part of pagan tradition (turned into Christian after 11th century), or more accurately they used to be, because they were two different festivals: Śmigus and Dyngus. The first one was a part of Spring Festival. Traditionally boys and man were pouring water on unmarried girls and women. The symbol of new life - water was a guarantee of getting married the same year and for sure was a reassurance for the girls that they are the attractive ones. No wonder that some women jumped into the rivers asked politely to do so and some even on purpose poured some water on themselves :-). When pouring water men were also whipping girls' legs with willow branches - another symbol of youth and fertility. This part of Śmigus didn't survive and is now forgotten - I wonder why ;-).

Dyngus on the other hand was celebrated later in spring and its main idea was to give each other little gifts. The only thing left of it is the name. It's not we don't like giving presents - I think we just don't like the idea of thinking what I can give each person next year for the excellent gifts I received this year :-).

See you in class,

Ola

Easter traditions part 2

2010-03-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

Witam,

The baskets we take to the church with us on Saturday are not the same our grandparents took. At least they say so. "Today you have cars and buses that take you from your flat to the church directly, but you still don't want to carry a full basket of Easter food. Instead of a loaf of bread, you put in your basket just a slice of it.

Instead of a whole big babka, you just put a slice of it or bake a miniature of a real babka.

Real boiled eggs (pisanki) are slowly replaced by chocolate in childrens' baskets".

Was my Grandma right about that? Sure in some parts of Poland (Wielkopolska) you want your kids to play egg hunting. There is no harm when between hard boiled eggs painted, coloured or decorated you place one or two chocolate eggs.

And sure it will not be the best idea to take a huge basket with all food for Easter breakfast (and we all know it is a lot of food) with you to the church. There will not be enough space for everyone's basket.

But you have to admit, that our baskets still contain: kielbasa, chleb (bread), chrzan (horseradish), sól (salt), pieprz (black pepper), babka (or other traditional cake),masło (butter) pisanki and a sugar figurine of a ram.

We are not so bad in nurturing the Easter traditions ;) after all.

See you in class,

Ola

Easter traditions part1

2010-03-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

Dzień dobry,

Just a quick test:

1. Please name 4 traditional dishes served during Easter breakfast in Poland.

2. What do you take to the church with you on Easter Saturday?

3. What is Śmigus-Dyngus?

4. Easter Bunny - do Polish children know him?

Having trouble answering these questions?
Let's start with the first one and hopefully answer all of them before Easter.
Students of Polilang don't worry, we will cover all of that (and even more) during our Easter Meeting (Workshops).

Traditional food:

Babka

Mazurek

Żurek (Barszcz biały)

Biała kiełbasa

Ćwikła (beetroot with horseradish)

Well, I'm already hungry. Let's leave something for Sunday breakfast.

Please visit for recipes:

http://polishfoodinfo.com/polish-food/polish-recipes/86-polish-recipes-zurek-rye-soup.html

http://polishfoodinfo.com/polish-food/polish-recipes/78-polish-recipes-traditional-bigos.html

http://www.polstore.com/html/easterrecipes.html

See you in class,

Ola

We love our language

2010-02-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

Can you think of a country where two students of law or IT discuss - over a glass of beer - the difference between two similarly sounding verbs?

Can you imagine a country where a shop assistant will correct your pronunciation?

Can you imagine a country where every Friday on TV a program about grammar and spelling is almost as popular as a comedy show (even though it is not funny at all)?

A country where at the same public TV two families compete to win a title of grammar experts?

A country where every year a orthography contest is organised and all celebrities and politicians are happy to take part?

A country where the host of mentioned Friday's show is a celebrity - linguistic celebrity?

Yes - this is Poland.

We love our language, we love our word formation which gives us: "kancelować", "bookować",

"topupować" even though you will not find it in any dictionary.

We love the flexibility of the word order in sentences, which gives us the best poets in the entire world and we finally love how a little change in words changes the meanings of these words.

Finally we love how many meanings can hide in prefixes and suffixed of words. Is there any other language where adding different endings to a swear word you can form a sentence: "Wow, that was an excellent party"?

See you in class,

Ola

Why do they laugh when I say....

2010-02-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

Dzień dobry,

With years of practice of teaching Polish comes the knowledge and wisdom to lead others and help them to achieve the best results when learning Polish.... Excuse me, could anyone turn the pomposity off...? That's better.

There are some phrases that seem to sound perfectly normal and you can't wait to share them with your Polish friends. You think it would be nice to surprise them with some words you learnt and all you get is their hysterical laughter.

1) "Jestem angielski" to say "I'm English". This literal translation of an English phrase means: "I'm made in England", or "I'm an English object", but not a person.

2) "Miałeś dobry czas?" (Did you have a good time?) you ask when your friend talks about his party last night. Firstly he does not understand and then he tells you that they weren't running and no one timed them how fast they could run yesterday.

3) "Jestem gorący". (I'm hot) This simple phrase makes people touch you to check whether you are really hot or suggest you to visit a doctor.

4) "Jestem dobry" (I'm good) is a right sentence to say that you are a good person, but not to reply to a greeting.

*correct phrases:
1) Jestem Anglikiem/Angielką
2) Czy dobrze się bawiłeś?
3) Jest mi gorąco./Gorąco mi.
4) Dobrze./Mam się dobrze.

Oh, oh almost forgot. Have a doughnut for Fat Thursday ("Tłusty Czwartek") - an equivalent of Shrove Tuesday in England.

British guy in Poland

2010-01-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Having decided to go to Poland for holidays he arrived at Wroclaw airport and was welcomed by very serious looking custom officers. No smile at their faces, no "welcome to Poland", just a short "thank you" returning his passport.

He took his suitcase and made his way to the taxis. A taxi driver dropped him off at the Mercury Hotel. Just one thing had gone wrong - crossing the street he was stopped by a policeman and handed a fine: - "There is a zebra crossing nearby sir and you disregarded it when crossing the street. It is dangerous and against the rules". He was about to say: "Which rules", but was advised by a passer by: "Just take a fine" - so he took it.

Strange, but well I will google those "rules" later - he thought. Hotel was normal, but he wasn't going to get to know Poland by staying in his room. He had a plan: Wroclaw - Rynek, Ostrów Tumski, Plac Grunwaldzki, Uniwersytet and Ruska Street (called sometimes Pasaż Niepolda) in the evening. One day wasn't enough for all that.

He fancied a trip around Wroclaw by tram - he needed some tickets, but where to buy them. His guidebook said he could get them at any "kiosk". That was correct. He saw "bilety MPK" sign on each small shop he passed. But buying them was much more difficult. He knew what to say, but couldn't understand why everyone was looking at him, two customers left the shop and one of the customers finally nearly yelled at him: Do you want these tickets or not? You are not the only customer here and we haven't got the time to tell you what you should visit in Wroclaw". He tried to explain that he was just asking and in return he was called "arrogant".

See you in class,

Ola

Polish girl in UK :-)

2010-01-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

She arrived in UK two weeks ago and she couldn't understand why they all smile to each other.

When she was six she was told not to smile to strangers and once she saw an adult woman smiling to strangers - her older brother explained that the woman was mentally handicapped. That explained everything. She smiles when she sees a familiar face. She kisses and hugs her fiends but to smile to total strangers - ridiculous.

When she had to do the shopping, she was pleasantly surprised. There was a sign with the direction of a queue but no one asked her to obey it when she was the only person queueing. A shop assistant wasn't lecturing her what a correct name of a product was and how to pronounce it.
She was a bit impatient and even felt offended when a lady in front of her started talking to a cashier and it took them six minutes to bag one bread, two cans of tomatoes and crisps. She thought it was unacceptable in Poland and you can either work or talk to friends, but never at the same time. She was finally surprised that the cashier and the lady weren't friends.

She couldn't understand why they kept announcing everything: a change in a bus route, that a train was delayed by approximately 5 minutes, that you have to send your tax return on time. If she wanted to know, she would have asked someone.

She went past a policeman and tried not to look at him and then waited for him to disappear round the corned before she crossed the street 100 m from zebra crossing. She was lazy enough not to reach zebra crossing and she was cheeky enough not to be fined for doing it...

Things looked different, but not the things and language were her problem. She somehow was offending people saying: "Can I have a ticket?", "Give me that.", "Take it."
What was she doing wrong?- "It was polite. Should I start repeating myself?"

See you in class,
Ola

Polilang is back after Christmas break

2010-01-10T03:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

As a title proudly states, we are back and we start a New Year with enthusiasm. Which means more classes, more homework, more speaking and writing in Polish...

I know, I'm as happy as you are :-). I hope you didn't forget what you've learned so far and that your have been practising during Christmas break ;-).

New Year resolutions as always:

1. We will focus on everyday Polish to allow you to communicate with your friends, family or partner.

2. We will prepare you for a visit to Poland (communication and culture aspects).

3. We will ensure that you learn in a relaxed atmosphere and in a friendly environment led by experienced creative and fun-loving teachers.

4. We will let you decide what you want to learn and give advice on what you should know.

5. We will not bore you with nuances of Polish grammar but let you speak and listen in order to communicate efficiently.

6. We will improve your pronunciation during classes and on professional workshops.

7. We will ask you to practice grammar at home and ask your partner/friend to work on vocabulary with you (it's much easier once you get support).

8. We will tailor the teaching methods to your needs and advise you how to learn.

9. We will lead you through your entire journey with Polish.

10. We will inform you of Polish cultural events.

And to lose weight and start writing a book. So far each year the first ten were the ones I managed to stick to.

Some of the students have their own resolutions: "... speak Polish with my girlfriend", "move to Poland...", "go to Poland for an intensive Polish course", "start talking to my friends in Polish..." - well done guys !!!!

New Year means new challenges too. This time for you - our students.

Your first challenge will wait for you at our meeting in a restaurant.

Everyone will have to introduce themselves (and their partners) in Polish.

More advanced students will have to talk to waitresses in Polish.

See you in class,

Ola

Polish Christmas Eve traditions part 1

2009-12-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular Christmas pop songs in Polish start with words: "There is a day very warm although in December, Day - one day which 'puts out' all the arguments" For Polish people that day is Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is the most organised day in a year. Everything has its time and there is a way to prepare every dish. We all know that we shouldn't eat meat on Christmas Eve and we all know that the whole forthcoming year will look exactly the same as our Christmas Eve (so no quarrels and a lot of joy is a recipe for a good next year).

It's not easy to stay calm and relaxed when you should fast on Christmas Eve day (till dinner/supper) and you might find it difficult to share a bathroom with a carp swimming in a bath.
Carp's sad story is not as old as you might think. It was introduced to Polish people during communism to 'help' us preserve our tradition of eating fish on Christmas Eve.

Before 5.00 we should prepare 12 dishes to be served at Christmas Eve dinner. Carp, pierogi z kapustą (dumplings with sauerkraut and wild mushrooms), śledzie (herrings), barszcz z uszkami (borsch with ear-shaped dumplings), kluski z makiem (noodles with poppyseed and honey) or kutia are the most popular of them.

The table should be covered with a white table cloth and underneath a table cloth there should be some hay, which symbolises a stable where Christ was born.

Now we can wait for a first star to appear on sky. The star will tell us when to start the dinner. All children who were looking for a star and went outside to have a clearer view will realise that The Star (of Bethlehem) brought them some presents and put them underneath the christmas tree (choinka).

Just before Christmas Eve

2009-11-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

"In Poland Christmas starts with Christmas Eve which is celebrated as a common family meal on the evening of 24th of December. After dinner many people go to church to participate in the midnight mass called pasterka. The christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) starts with wishes and breaking the wafer (opłatek). 25th December is a day for the family and holiday visits are usually paid on 26th December, on the second day of Christmas. Christmas is the most family-oriented holiday in Poland and for this reason just before holiday people travel to be together with their family".

Władysław Miodunka: Cześć, jak się masz cz.I.

The Ultimate Guide to Polish Christmas

2009-11-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Dzień dobry,

"Wieczór wigilijny"

Biały obrus lśni na stole,
Pod obrusem siano.
Płoną świeczki na choince,
Co tu przyszła na noc.

Na talerzach kluski z makiem,
Karp jak księżyc srebrny.
Zasiadają wokół stołu
Dziadek z babcią, krewni.

Już się z sobą podzielili
Opłatkiem rodzice,
Już złożyli wszyscy wszystkim
Moc serdecznych życzeń.

Kiedy mama się dzieliła
Ze mną tym opłatkiem,
Miała w oczach łzy, widziałem,
Otarła ukradkiem.

Nie wiem co też mama chciała
Szepnąć mi do ucha.
Bym na drzewach spodni nie darł?
Pani w szkole słuchał?
Niedojrzałych jabłek nie jadł?
Butów tak nie brudził?
Nagle słyszę, mama szepce:
Bądź dobry dla ludzi.

The above poem by Tadeusz Kubiak (known by many Polish children) will be our guide through Polish Christmas.
Please translate the poem and hand it in during your next lesson ;-) (joke), or maybe not... Try to find in it as many Polish Christmas traditions as possible.

See you in class,
Ola

Święty Mikołaj

2009-11-18T04:53:00.000-08:00

- It is snowing - says Łukasz and runs to the window -He should arrive very soon.
-You know we will not see him, we have never met him - says little girl standing next to him.
- But that's the point, he is getting older and we are getting better each year. Even you can run faster now.... Did you hear that?... a door bell.... No it can't be him, he always leaves it underneath pillows or in shoes or in....
- Ola, Łukasz, could you please answer the door ....
- But mum, this way we can miss him... You go Ola, I will keep an eye on pillows....

- Ojej, Łukasz! Święty Mikołaj był u nas. - She shouts too excited to stick to English. - I didn't see him, but he left us plenty of sweets.

Typical ? Maybe it is. The only difference is that it is an eve of 6th of December and we will not see him on Christmas Day - a star will bring us presents on Christmas Eve.

See you in class,
Ola

Polish teacher vs. Polar Bear ('s ghost)

2009-11-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

First of all - thank you all for your advice on getting rid of the ghost of polar bear from classroom.
All comments are appreciated and articles have been read. I enjoyed the most the one about a sequence of moves that kills live and dead polar bears. I didn't know that Polish army has such a sophisticated technology and that they monitor and register all cases of use of the "secret sequence" in order to keep Polish citizens from killing polar bears which are not members of Bafia (Bears' Mafia).
The article about bipolar bears was also very interesting although twice that complex.

However the article about the polar bears camouflage techniques was the one that made me think. It is said that if you look at 4 photos taken in Poland, a polar bear will appear at least in 3 of them (just hidden of course). I investigated my photos of Wroclaw and see yourself - I couldn't believe it!

I know, I couldn't believe it either.

See you in class,

Ola

Three magical words in Polish

2009-10-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Witam,

They say that words change reality and that learning a language is more than learning words and structures - it is (forgive pathos) experiencing a totally new world.

Have you thought about the way we think? European people think from left to right (that's how the text is written). What is on the left in a book (even comic book) was for us before the things on the right. Which page is a previous page? Does it work the same way for a Japanese person?

Is it important for a Polish person to put words in order when creating a sentence or it doesn't really matter "are what in words the order"? Why is that? Why do Polish people keep pronouncing every single "-ing" in "going", "doing" and "asking"? What is so special about endings of words?

Finally, is that a coincidence that there is no word meaning "flexible" in Polish when describing a personality and the nearest equivalent would mean "two faced"?

Oh, I nearly forgot about the magical words. Here they go:

- hokus pokus,
- abrakadabra,
- czary mary :-).

See you in class,
Ola

normal day they say?

2009-10-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

Czesc Wszystkim,

Normal day started at 2.00 pm. I came to class, opened a window and turned a heater on (this is when I heard a quiet yawn). "Those are the books waking up for classes" - I thought (even though they haven't slept for so long before). Usual tea and preparations in progress. When..., suddenly (we all knew that suddenly was going to come) I heard a roar. What..., who and why? Of course - a ghost of the killed polar bear... "No problem, I will turn the heating down" - I said and started thinking how to get rid of polar bear in time for classes. "Know your enemy"- I thought. I found some articles on how polar bears appeared in Poland and (just in case you had the same problem) I pasted them below.

"(...) Niedzwiedz polarny (polar bear) migrated to Poland in 1923 during the great migration of polar bears.(...) Most of the polar bear families settled down in Russia and started their communities (at first very primitive - vodka and poker kept them together) which have grown with time and became very influential. (...)Nowadays FNP (Federacja Niedzwiedzi Polarnych) is unofficially the main shareholder of "Russian vodka" and "Russian poker cards" companies. (...) However some of the polar bears (much more resistant to Polish hot summers + 30 oC ) decided to choose Poland for their new home."

["Studies on Polar Bears", The White, 2007]

Dzien dobry

2009-10-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is Aleksandra. Your Polish language teacher. Today in our school we managed to single-handedly kill a bear (a polar one as everyone knows we have brought them over from Poland :-).

We also continued with our courses of Polish and learned some new words not mentioning our struggle with Polish Instrumental. This vile creature can take different shapes and crawl to the end of any noun (innocent object or even more innocent names like Karol or Rebecca - I would say that Rebecca is even more innocent) and stick to it just to slightly change the role that word plays in the sentence.

Do not miss the pictures from our last meeting in The Knaypa restaurant in London.

More are displayed on main page of our website

See you in class,
Ola