Polish, as I understand it

 Dictionaries in print and online, including Google translate, seem to be at odds with what native Polish speakers call these fruits. Bilberries (on the left) are called jagody (jagoda, singular).  According to wiktionary, this is a colloquial use.  Bilberries are smaller than blueberries and tend to be foraged and not widely sold in the shops.  You may find them sold by volume in markets.  They are the essential ingredient for jagodzianki - bilberry filled buns. Blueberries (on the right) are called borówki (borówka, singular). They are larger and sold widely. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - jagoda The common bilberry is a deciduous ( liściasty in Polish), suckering shrub (it can send up new shoots from its roots around the perimeter of the original plant.  It has glossy green leaves, wider at the base, tapering to the apex, often turning red / orange in autumn and blue-black berries.  Tends to be 10cm to 50cm tall. Blueberry   (Vaccinium c...

More a note for myself on useful vocabulary for consultations concerning bacterial conjunctivitis. Bakteryjne     -     neuter nom sing     -     bacterial zapalenie     -     inflammation.  Used before a part of the body =  -itis suffix  spojówka     -     conjunctiva spojówek     -     gen plural of spojówka wydzielina ropna     -     purulent discharge wydzielina     -      discharge ropna     -     purulent sklejenie brzegów powiek     -     edges of eyelids sticking together sklejać     -     to glue / stick together brzeg     -     edge brzegów     -     gen plural of brzeg powieka     -     eyelid powieki     -     eyelids powiek     -     gen plural of powieka Rega...

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 f...

As a verb,  piec is the imperfective form upiec is the perfective form I am an Englishman, therefore... piekę wołowinę     -     I am roasting beef piekłem wołowinę     -     I was roasting beef upiekłem wołowinę     -     I roasted beef będę piec wołowinę     -     I'll be roasting beef upiekę* wołowinę     -     I'll roast beef      [*amended, dzięki Tomaszowi]

From duolingo, I learned that a bag is torba in Polish. However, I was stumped in a Polish shop when this was not the word used when I was offered a carrier bag. Torba is, perhaps, a more suitable word for a handbag kind of bag.  For a carrier bag  it's reklam ówka, jednorazówka or foliówka . Reklamówka may remind you of the word for advertising.  I believe the word, reklamówka , came about because carrier bags advertised the name of the store, but even plain carrier bags can be called reklamówka . Jednorazówka  comes from is disposable nature, its single, one-time use. Foliówka  comes from the thin nature of the bag.  Plastic film and metal foils are folie , folia singular, foliowy being the adjective. Siatka (maybe most common) Siateczka Zrywka Worek / worek foliowy Woreczek / woreczek foliowy Torba Torebka Tytka (used in Poznań) Epa / epka (used in katowice) Click here for a useful video on this subject

Adidasy are trainers.  Possibly not the official dictionary word for trainers, but it seems that in common use this is the word used.  Unsurprisingly, like the Polish saying termos for any brand of vacuum flask, adidasy  comes from the brand Adidas .  Adidas trainers are therefore adidasy Adidas, Nike trainers are adidasy Nike, Reebok trainers are adidasy Rebok and so on.  Some dictionaries and translation software will translate trainers as Trampki .  However, trampki  are more like the style of shoes that are like Converse and Vans, skateboarding shoes perhaps.

One of the more tricksy facets of language learning is when you come across a false friend, a word that looks similar or identical to a word in your native language, but is not related to it at all.  Facet is such a word.  In English, facet means an aspect of something and is related to the word face .  The English word facetious is related to the Polish word facet .  They both come from the Latin facētus to mean courtly, elegant, witty or amusing.  Over time, in Polish, facet moved from being an elegant, courtly man to being a less noble and more colloquial term for a man.  Just some guy.  Tylko jakiś facet. - Kto to jest?    Who's that? - Nie wiem.  Jakiś facet.         Dunno.  Some guy.

I was totally engrossed in the book, it was fascinating. To be engrossed in something is to have all your attention in it.  When I am engrossed in a book, I don't notice if someone is trying to talk to me. People can be engrossed in conversation (especially if it is gossip) Gossip is a kind of conversation, often about other people's private lives and rumour. If people are engrossed in conversation it is probably salacious gossip. Salacious is an adjective to describe the topic as being of a sexual nature. Byłem całkowicie pochłonięty tą książką, ona była fascynująca. Być pochłoniętym czymś , to mieć całą swoją uwagę w czymś.  Kiedy jestem pochłonięty książką, nie zauważam kiedy ktoś mówi do mnie. Ludzie mogą być pochłonięci rozmową (szczególnie jeżeli jest to plotkowanie) Plotkowanie to rodzaj rozmowy, często o prywatnym życiu innych ludzi i plotkach. Kiedy ludzie są pochłonięci rozmową, to jest to prawdopodobnie lubieżna (sprośna) plotka. Lubieżny to przymiotni...

Peppa Pig - Swimming Initially, I thought the Polish version of Peppa Pig, always had Peppa's little brother George called Jacek.  However, there are plenty of episodes where he is called George.   Pływanie.   Swimming Vocabulary Deseczka - diminutive of deska - board / float.  Deska na basen / Deska do pływania Motylki - Butterflies , but refers to motylki do pływania - water wings / armbands Spróbować - to try Nurkować - to dive Chlapać - to splash (imperfective) (Po)skakać - to jump (Po)patrzeć - to take a look Głuptas - silly (noun) Doskonały - perfect (Po)trzymać - to hold  Widok - view (noun) Bliżej - closer Suszyć - to  dry Konewka - watering can Polewać - to wet  by pouring Upuścić - to drop / let go of Umieć - to know (have learnt) Potrafić - to be able / can  (auxiliary verb) Trafić - to hit (the target etc) Po polsku / in Polish Jestem Świnka Peppa I'm Peppa Pig To mój mały brat George This is my little brother George T...

Peppa Pig - George has a cold. Firstly, in some Polish versions of Peppa Pig, her little brother George is called Jacek. In my translations into English I will use George.  The diminutive form of Jecek is Jacuś, like saying Georgie.  Jacek jest przeziębiony.   Przeziębienie is a cold.  Przeziębiony is an adjective form.  Literally: George is coldy, but best translation is: George has a cold.  In the original English, the title is George Catches a Cold. Po polsku / in Polish Jestem Świnka Peppa I'm Peppa Pig To mój młodszy brat Jacek This is my younger brother George To Świnka Mama This is Mummy Pig A to Świnka Tata And this is Daddy Pig Ale dzisiaj leje! Oh, today it's pouring! Ale means but, but is also used at the beginning of statements for emphasis. Peppo, Jacku! Włóżcie płaszcze od deszczu Peppa, George! Put on [your] raincoates Kiedy pada deszcz, Peppa i Jacek muszą włożyć nieprzemakalne ubrania When it rains, Peppa and George must put...

😊😔 In English we respond to someone telling us about how well or badly they are doing with little phrases like: I'm glad or Oh, I am sorry to hear that How about in Polish?  What do you want first, the good news or the bad? Let's start with the bad news.  Someone has just told you that they are feeling unwell. Przykro mi to słyszeć - I'm sorry to hear that or just Przykro mi - I'm sorry With any luck, a few days later they will tell us that they are feeling much better. Cieszę się - I'm glad To super - That's super To świetnie - That's great Cieszę się, że jest ci lepiej - I'm glad you are better Cieszę się, że lepiej się czujesz - I'm glad you are feeling better.

mother matka father ojciec mum mama dad tata daughter córka son syn sister siostra brother brat grandma babcia grandad dziadek aunt ciocia uncle wujek male cousin kuzyn female cousin kuzynka mother-in-law teściowa father-in-law teść sister-in-law szwagierka brother-in-law szwagier

I was chatting to a Polish acquaintance about ways to say that you understand.  In English there is the simple: I understand - rozumiem, in Polish. but we often mix things up and say: I follow you.   The closest equivalent to using a word that sounds like you are following someone on a journey through what they are telling you, uses the verb for travelling on foot: chodzić Wiem o co chodzi - which seems to mean, I know what's going on Other phrases with chodzi: Chodzi o to... - the point is... Chodzi mi o to - I mean it. Możesz mi wytłumaczyć o co chodzi...? - Can you explain...? Nie mam pojęcia o co ci chodzi - I have no idea what you are talking about.

I was drawn to this word because the English translation seemed unusual to me.  It comes down to the difference in American and English usage.  In the film, Kobiety mafii 2, Anna invites the mayor into a raised hunting hide with the words, i zapraszamy na ambonę subtitled as: welcome to the blind.  A blind is a US term for a hide.  In Polish, ambona, specifically refers to a raised observation platform, used in hunting.  Whereas a blind or a hide can be at ground level or raised.  Primarily, ambona is a word for the pulpit in a church.  As well as its use to describe a raised hide, it can also describe the safety rail at the prow of a yacht, which is also called a pulpit in English.

Following on from yesterday's stony theme. Today's broadens from stone to geographical features.  Clue: Przylądek w pd. Chile .  Firstly, pd. is an abbreviation of południe (south).  Przylądek is a cape as in a large / high headland that juts out into a body of water.  An example of this, found in south Chile, is Cape Horn. Answer: Horn. In working this one out, I learned that another word for a headland in Polish is cypel , which is a very narrow headland, like Hel on the Baltic coast of Poland. And for a peninsula, the polish word would be  półwysep . As far as I can see in both English and Polish, peninsula / półwysep is a broad term for a landform projecting into a body of water that covers cypel and przylądek Elsewhere in the crossword book, there was a clue involving archipelago.  The Polish word, archipelag , being very similar.  I was aware that it described a collection of numerous small islands, but not much more than that. The word seems t...