Polish Your Expressions in Krakow
Under normal circumstances, as a tourist you don’t need any
knowledge of the Polish language in
Krakow. Basic English seems ubiquitous these days in all
places frequented by travelers and most of the locals know at least
a bit of English while some speak it fluently. Also, one can meet
Krakow residents with a command of German or Russian or French.
On the other hand, mastering a few useful expressions in Polish may
help you to smooth things over while in Krakow, whether you want to
ask a stranger for directions, do the shopping, make friends, or
whatever. And an effort at speaking their mother tongue, even a
clumsy one, will almost certainly win you sympathy of the locals.
Finally, you’ll be rewarded with satisfaction at having got a touch
of one of the world’s three most difficult languages (the other two
being Chinese and Hungarian).
Polish phrase book, useful Polish words and phrases.
Following is a catalogue of English expressions alongside their
popular Polish equivalents in both phonetic transcription and
original spelling as much as it was possible using letters of the
English alphabet and the English standard pronunciation. We’ve
chosen to transliterate characters unique to the Polish alphabet
because they produce illegible strings of signs unless you have the
Polish letters installed on your computer. And it’s good to remember
that almost always the penultimate syllable is stressed in Polish
words.
Polite phrases
Please – prosze pronounced ‘prosheh’.
Thank you – dziekuje pronounced ‘dsyenkooyeh’.
I’m sorry – przepraszam pronounced ‘pshehpraasham’.
Excuse me – przepraszam pronounced ‘pshehpraasham’.
Good morning – dzien dobry pronounced ‘dsyeni dobry’.
Good afternoon – dzien dobry pronounced ‘dsyeni dobry’.
Good evening – dobry wieczor pronounced ‘dobry vyechoor”,
Good night – dobranoc pronounced ‘dobra notz’.
Hi – czesc pronounced ‘cheshch’.
Bye – czesc pronounced ‘cheshch’.See you – do
widzenia pronounced ‘doh vidsenya’.
Yes – tak pronounced ‘tahk’.
No – nie pronounced ‘nye’.
Dining out in Krakow.
Restaurant – restauracja pronounced ‘restaauratzya’.
Table for two / four – stolik dla dwoch / czterech osob
pronounced ‘stolick dlah dvookh / chterekh osoob’.
Waiter / waitress – kelner / kelnerka pronounced ‘klener /
kelnerka’.
Dinner – obiad pronounced ‘obyad’ in daytime,
kolacja pronounced ‘kolatsya’ in the evening.
Menu – menu pronounced ‘menyi’.
Wine
– wino pronounced ‘vhinoh’.
Wine list – karta win pronounced ‘karta vin’.
Second helping – druga porcja pronounced ‘druka portzya’.
Vegetarian dish – danie wegetarianskie pronounced ‘danye
vegetaryanskyeh’.
Can we have the bill please? – prosze o rachunek pronounced ‘proshe
o rakhooneck’.
Staying in a hotel in Krakow.
Single / double room – pokoj jednoosobowy / dwuosobowy
pronounced ‘pokooy yedno-osobovy / dvoo-osobovy’.
Bathroom – lazienka pronounced ‘uazienka’.
Check-in / checkout – zameldowanie / wymeldowanie pronounced
‘zameldovanye / wymeldovanye.
Reception desk – recepcja pronounced ‘rehtzeptzya’.
Bellboy – boy hotelowy pronounced ‘boy khotelovy’.
Manager – kierownik pronounced ‘kyerovnik’.
Key – klucz pronounced ‘klootch’.
Shopping in Krakow.
Price – cena pronounced ‘tzenah’.
Do you accept credit cards? – czy moge zaplacic karta?
pronounced ‘tchi mokeh zaplatsits kartom?’.
How much for this? – ile to kosztuje? pronounced ‘ileh toh
koshtooye?’.
To wrap – zapakowac pronounced ‘zapakovatz’.
Could you gift-wrap it for me? – prosze zapakowac na prezent
pronounced ‘prosheh zapakovatz nah prezent’.
I need a bigger size – potrzebuje wiekszy rozmiar pronounced ‘potchebooyeh
vyenkshee rozmyar’,
I need a smaller size – potrzebuje mniejszy rozmiar pronounced ‘potchebooyeh
mnyeyshee rozmyar’,
Do you have other colors? – czy macie inne kolory? Pronounced ‘tchi
matsye inneh kolory?’
Note: Please see Polish words for various stores at our page about
shops in Krakow.
Travel to and from Krakow.
Airport
– lotnisko pronounced ‘lotnyiskoh’.
Flight
– lot pronounced ‘lot’.
Train
– pociag pronounced ‘pohtsionk’.
Train station – dworzec kolejowy pronounced ‘dvozhetz
koleyovy’.
Bus – autobus pronounced ‘autoboos’.
Bus station – dworzec autobusowy pronounced ‘dvozhetz
autoboosovy’.
Ticket office – kasa biletowa pronounced ‘kasa beeletova’.
One ticket to (Krakow) – bilet do (Krakowa) pronounced ‘beelet
doh (Krakova)’.
Booking – rezerwacja pronounced ‘rezervatzya’.
Return ticket – bilet powrotny pronounced ‘beelet povrotny’.
Sleeping car – wagon sypialny pronounced ‘vakon sipialny’.
First / second class – pierwsza / druga klasa pronounced ‘pyervsha
/ druka klasa’.
Nonsmoking
car – wagon dla niepalacych pronounced ‘vakon dlah
nyepalontsikh’.
Timetable
– rozklad jazdy pronounced ‘rozquad yazdy’.
Asking for directions
Street
– ulica (common abbreviation ul.) pronounced ‘ulitsa’.
Square
– plac (common abbreviation pl.) pronounced ‘platz’.
How can I get to... – jak moge dojsc do... pronounced ‘yak
mokeh doyshch doh...’
Bus / tram stop – przystanek autobusowy / tramwajowy
pronounced ‘pshistanek autoboosovy / tramvayovy’.
Right / left – prawo/lewo pronounced ‘pravo / levo’.
Nightlife in Krakow
Cheers! - na zdrowie! pronounced ‘nah zdrovyeh!’.
One beer please – jedno piwo prosze pronounced ‘yedno
peevoh prosheh’.
Can I smoke here? – czy mozna tu palic? pronounced
‘tchi mohzhnah too paleetz?’.
May I sit here? – czy moge tu usiasc? pronounced ‘tchi
moke too usiyonshch?’
May I buy you a drink?
– czy moge postawic ci drinka? pronounced ‘tchi moke
postavich tsi drinka?’.
My name is Andy - mam na imie Andy pronounced ‘mam
nah eemyeh Andy’.
Shall we dance?
– zatanczymy?
? pronounced ‘zatanichimi?’
Let’s go to my place – chodzmy do mnie pronounced ‘khochmi
doh mnye’.
Some other useful expressions in Polish.
Where are the toilets? – gdzie jest toaleta? pronounced ‘gdsie
yest toaleta?’
I don't speak Polish – nie mowie po polsku pronounced ‘nye
moovyeh poh polskoo’.
Please write it down – prosze to napisac pronounced ‘prosheh
toh napeesach’.
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