Polish, as I understand it

After booking a visit to The Poznań Potato Museum I found the tour was not available in English*, so I would need to translate as best I can for my family.  Which, considering I struggle to understand spoken Polish at normal speed, will probably result in me making it up as I go along.  But: best foot forward; I shall do my best. (*The reply from the museum said the tour was mainly in Polish, which is fair enough considering the Museum is situated in Poland) A bit of advance preparation is needed, so I will note some spud related vocabulary here.  I first learned that Ziemniak is the word for potato, but just as we have spuds, tatties, and taters, the Polish have other words for potato.  There is the Germanic word kartofel , but in the Poznań area the dialect word pyra is used, pyry being the plural, but also the genitive singular. What other vocabulary may crop up? uprawa / uprawy     -     crop / crops uprawiać     -     to grow / cultivate uprawa polowa     -     field crop bulwa

Some vocabulary on climate change from reading a page on the European Commission website: zmiana     -     change / shift, feminine noun klimat     -     climate / atmosphere / vibe, masculine inanimate noun klimatu     -     genitive singular of klimat Czym jest zmiana klimatu?     -     What is climate change? czym     -     instrumantal form of co (what) Obecna sytuacja     -     The current situation obecny     -     present / current, existing or occurring now obecna     -     feminine nominative from of obecny Jakie są skutki zmiany klimatu?     -     What are the effects of climate change? skutek     -     effect / result / consequence, masculine inanimate noun skutki     -    plural nominative  ( but also accusative / vocative) of skutek zmiany     -     genitive singular of zmiana Działania UE w dziedzinie zmiany klimatu     -     EU actions in the field of climate change działanie     -     action / verbal noun of dzialać (to act / work / function correctly) działania     -  

Today I learned that  co  is not just  what , but can also mean  each . Also, with najmniej (least) it means at least Co 5 minut w Ukraine ginie co najmniej jeden okupant Every 5 minutes in Ukraine at least one invader dies (ginąć - to be killed / to die / to perish) Also, everyday can be written co dnia and codziennie.

Dzisiejszy Having read a report about today's Mata concert being evacuated, I noticed the word dzisiejszy in context and realised it must mean today's.   „Dzisiejszy koncert rapera Maty w Krakowie został przerwany, a fanów ewakuowano. Burza, która przeszła nad miastem, uszkodziła scenę, o czym raper poinformował na Instagramie.” I made an incorrect assumption that it was the genitive form of dzisiaj because of the possessive nature of its English equivalent, but dzisiaj is an adverb and thus does not decline.  Dzisiejszy is an adjective to mean today's / present. Rapera, I am pretty sure is the genitive case of raper (rapper) and  Maty is the genitive form of Mata (using the diminutive Kuba as an example) został     -     became przerwany     -      interrupted Burza     -     storm przeszła     -     passed, feminine 3rd person past perfective of przejść uszkodziła     -     damaged,  feminine 3rd person past perfective of uszkodzić Dzisiejszy is the nominative form, but

car     -     samochód Mam problem z samochedem...   -   I have a problem with the car ... wymaga wymiany    -   ... needs replacing accelerator - przyśpieszenia / pedał gazu back seat - siedzenie tylne battery - akumulator body - karoseria bonnet - maska brake disc - tarcza hamulcowa brake fluid reservoir - zbiornik płynu hamulcowego brake light - światła hamowania brake light bulb - żarówka hamowania brake pad - klocek hamulcowy brake pads - klocki hamulcowe bumper - zderzak carburettor - gaźnik chassis - podwozie clutch - sprzęgło coolant reservoir - zbiornik płynu chłodzącego dashboard - tablica rozdzielcza dipped beam - światła mijania dipstick - miarka poziomu oleju silnikowego door - drzwi DRL - światła do jazdy dziennej engine - silnik engine oil filler cap - korek wlewu oleju silnikowego exhaust - wydech exhaust pipe - rura wydechowa fire extinguisher - gaśnica flat tire - przebicie opony footbrake - hamulec nożny f

Something I need to remember is that although you use the instrumental case following conjugations of być.  This only applies to adjectives if they describe a noun following conjugations of być.  To illustrate: He is a man     -     On jest mężczyzną the noun mężczyzna,  because it follows jest,  takes the instrumental form:  mężczyzn ą. If we add an adjective, its case must be the same as the noun, so he is a happy man    -    on jest szczęśliwym mężczyzną      [instrumental] he is a happy guy     -     on jest szczęśliwym facetem     [instrumental] However, if we do not have a noun after conjugations of być and just use an adjective, then the adjective stays in the nominative case. he is happy     -    on jest szczęśliwy [masculine nominative] Not forgetting to get the gender correct. she is happy     -    ona jest szczęśliwa [feminine nominative] And just to show the instrumental declension of szczęśliwa: she is a happy woman     -     ona jest szczęśliwą kobietą [feminine instrume

Following an over-the-counter consultation with a patient, where the patient's translator / relative / friend wandered off partway through leaving us to make do with his total lack of English and my very basic Polish, I decided to note down a bit of vocabulary for future use, because a description of the kind of pain or discomfort, makes quite a difference when assessing what the trouble is.  Note that ból can mean pain, ache or soreness, so it is helpful to get some adjectives into the mix. ból     -     pain     /    ache / soreness ostry ból     -     sharp pain tępy ból     -     dull ache swędzący     -     itchy palenie     -     burning

Translation of a news headline about information Russia hide's from its own people Rosjanie ukrywają prawdziwe straty, które zadała im armia ukraińska i — jak wynika z danych wywiadu — aby nie wypłacać odszkodowań krewnym żołnierzy, organizują masowe pochówki na terytorium Ukrainy. Część Rosjan niezdolnych do walki miała zostać pochowana żywcem. The Russians are hiding the real losses inflicted on them by the Ukrainian army and - according to intelligence data - in order not to pay compensation to relatives of soldiers, they organize mass burials on the territory of Ukraine. Some of the Russians unable to fight were to be buried alive. Vocabulary Translated pochowana buried* żywcem alive (adverb) niezdolnych incapable (adj, gen) walki fighting Rosjan Russians (masc. gen/acc plural) część part (feminine noun) *pachowana     -     passive adjectival feminine participle. I guess feminine because część is a feminine noun, even though, Rosjan - the Russians to be buried aliv

It would seem the stereotypical holidaying Brit and Janusz are not poles apart Białe skarpety do sandałów i parawan to część z tych wakacyjnych elementów, które kojarzą się ze stereotypowym Polakiem na urlopie. I wszytko to mamy w najnowszym spocie Wojewódzkiego Funduszu Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej w Gdańsku. Nagranie z "typowym Januszem" na plaży ma jednak zaskakujący zwrot akcji, który bardzo przypadł do gustu internautom. White sandal socks and a screen are some of those holiday elements that are associated with the stereotypical Pole on vacation. And we have it all in the newest spot of the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Gdańsk. The recording with "typical Janusz" on the beach, however, has a surprising twist, which the Internet users liked very much. Vocabulary Translated parawan windbreak