Basic Polish phrases

with pronunciations

 

The Polish language
and its pronunciation
are difficult for most
English speakers

To give you a head start before you arrive, I list below some common Polish phrases and words that are helpful to travelers.

Learning to pronounce the words can be challenging to and a poor investment in time for the short-term traveler (which most visitors are).

To make the learning process as easy and quick as possible for you, I use simplified phonetics.

The phonetics are good enough to communicate with the people you meet. Once in Poland, you can fine tune your pronunciations when you speak with the natives.

List and phonetics ©2013 HQP /hillmanwonders.com


Greetings

 Hello/hi/bye (informal)
Czesc
cheshked

 Goodbye
Do widzenia
oe-wid-zen-yah>

 Good morning
Dzien dobry
jeen doe-brah

 Good evening
Ddobry wieczor
doe-brah vee-ech-cho

 Good night
Dobranoc
doe-bran-nok


Yes/no

 Yes
Tak
tahk

 No
Nie
nee-eh


Being polite

 Please
Prosze
proh-sheh

 Thank you
Dziekuje
jink-wee-ah

 Sorry
Phrzepaszam
Shep-prah-zham


Questions

 Who?
Kto
kuh-toe

 What?
Co
tsoh

 When?
Kiedy
key-yeh-duh

 Where?
Gdzie
guh-jay

 Why?
Dlaczego
dlah-cheh-goh

 How?
Jak
yawk


Numbers

 One
Jeden
yeh-den

 Two
Dwa
dwah

 Three
Trzy
zweeh


How to pronounce
oft-mispronounced
Polish letters

General guidelines:

W = Like letter "V"
J = Like letter "Y"
A = "a" in "father"
I = "e" in "pet"
O = "o" in "hot"
U = "u" in "foot"


Know these Poland tips and insights

Poland medal winners
Gdansk Old Town
Krakow Market Square
Lublin Old Town
Malbork Castle
Warsaw Market Square
Wawel Castle & Cathedral
Wielicska Salt Mine
Zamosc Old Town

Also read
Poland Wonders - Rankings
Basic Polish phrases

 

 

Polish National Tourist Office

 

Share this page

World's Top 100 Wonders
World's Top 1000 Wonders

Site map
My credentials
About my website and criteria
Reader testimonials