Whether it’s the holidays, your babcia’s birthday (Sto lat, sto lat) or you’re just an amazing wnuczek (grandchild) that visits your grandmother regularly, here is some refresher Polish that is sure to make her smile:
Check out our pronunciation cheat sheet at the end!
1. Greet her with love
Let her know how happy you are to see her with a big “Dzień
Ask her how she is with a “Jak się
When she answers “Dobrze, a ty?” you can know she’s well and that she’s asking you how you are. Y
- Źle / Niedobrze (bad)
- Tak sobie (so-so)
- Dobrze (good)
- Świetnie (excellent)
2. Be polite!
Chances are Babcia will be filling your tummy with all sorts of savory and sweet treats and possibly your pocket with a little gotówka (cash)… so make sure you let her know how grateful you are.
- Proszę (please)
- Dziękuję (thank you)
- Przepraszam (excuse me / sorry)
3. Be prepared to drink!
Chances are Babcia can still hang with the best of us – she’s Polish, isn’t she?? So if the Krupnik comes out or Babcia offers something to drink (
4. Most importantly, let her know she’s loved
Either “Kocham cię” or “Ja cię
Need help pronouncing? Check it out:
- Cześć (
che –sch ) – Hello - Dzień
dobry (jine –dobree ) – Good Morning - Jak się
masz ? (yak-she-mash) – How are you? - Dobrze, a ty? (dub-
zje -ah-teh ) – Good, and you? - Źle / Niedobrze (zj-le) / (nieh-dub-zje) – Bad / Not good
- Tak sobie (tahk-sobe) – So, so
- Dobrze (dub-zje) – Good
- Świetnie (shvet-nieh) – Excellent
- Gotówka (go-tuv-ka) – Cash
- Proszę (proshe) – Please
- Dziękuję (jen-koo-yea) – Thank you
- Przepraszam (psheh-pra-shum) – Excuse me / Sorry
- Piwo (pee-vo) – Beer
- Wino (vee-no) – Wine
- Wódka (vood-ka) – Vodka
- Na Zdrowie (nas-dro-v-yea) – Cheers
- Ja cię kocham (yea-chi-ko-ham) – I love you
- Daj mi buzi (die-me-boujee) – Give me a kiss
- Sto Lat! (sto-laht) – Happy Birthday! (100 Years)
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