PRESENT TENSE OF

2. Lekcja VERBS.
REPORTING VERBS.
druga QUESTION WORDS.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS.
dwa (m. or n.), dwie (f.) two. drugi, druga, drugie second

Ryba fish. Ryby fish(es), Pisces

Konwersacje:
2.A. Warszawa, Kraków
Finding for names and information about someone.

2.B. Jak masz na imi´?

Discussing first names.

2.C. Nie rozumiem

Speaking foreign languages.

2.D. JesteÊ pewien?

Appliances, and how well they work.

2.E. Co to znaczy?
Asking for the meaning of a word.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
Warszawa: Pa∏ac Kultury i Nauki Warsaw: Palace of Culture and Science.

Built in 1952-1955 as a "gift" from the occupying Soviet Union to Poland in

the center of the war-destroyed capital, this immense monument of
“Stalinist” architecture still dominates the modern Warsaw skyline. The
clock at the top, a recent addition, can be seen from all around downtown
Warsaw.

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 2. LEKCJA DRUGA

2.A. Warszawa, Kraków

Formal style. Trying to find out information about someone.

Pan: Gdzie pani mieszka? Where do you live?

Pani: Mieszkam i studiuj´ <pracuj´>
w Warszawie <w Krakowie>.
Pan: A jak si´ pani nazywa?
Pani: Nazywam si´ Maria Zieliƒska.
Dlaczego pan pyta?
Pan: Po prostu jestem ciekawy.
A czy pani jest zam´˝na?
Pani: To jest tylko moja sprawa, prosz´
pana.
I live and study <work> in Warsaw <in
Krakow>.
And what's your name?
My name is Maria Zielinska. Why do you
ask?
I'm simply curious. And are you married?
That is only my business, if you please,
sir.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
For active learning and dictation practice:

Dlaczego pan(i) pyta? Po prostu jestem ciekawy

Jak si´ pan(i) nazywa? (ciekawa).
Gdzie pan(i) mieszka? Pracuj´ i studiuj´ w Krakowie.
Mieszkam w Warszawie. Czy pani jest zam´˝na?
To jest tylko moja sprawa. Czy pan jest ˝onaty?
Nazywam si´ Maria Zieliƒska
(Marian Zieliƒski).

Pytania

Answer questions beginning with dlaczego why with bo because.

Dlaczego on pyta? Why does he ask?
Bo on jest ciekawy (bo ona jest ciekawa). Because he (she) is curious.
For some questions, you may want to answer nie wiem I don't know. or nie
wiemy we don't know. The word for 'her' is jej; for 'his', jego (Lesson 3).

1. Gdzie mieszka ta pani? Czy ona te˝ tam pracuje? Czy ona studiuje? Co?
2. Jak ona si´ nazywa? Dlaczego ten pan pyta, czy ona jest zam´˝na?
3. Czy ta pani jest zam´˝na? Jak myÊlisz, czy ten pan jest ˝onaty?

4. A jak ty si´ nazywasz? Czy studiujesz? Co? Gdzie? Czy pracujesz? Gdzie?
5. Czy jesteÊ ˝onaty? (zam´˝na?) Czy myÊlisz, ˝e to jest tylko twoja sprawa?
6. By∏eÊ (by∏aÊ) w Warszawie? W Krakowie? Widzia∏eÊ (widzia∏aÊ) Pa∏ac
Kultury w Warszawie? KoÊció∏ Mariacki w Krakowie?

Uwagi

by∏eÊ (by∏aÊ) you were, you have
been
mieszkaç mieszkam mieszkasz live,
reside
mo˝e maybe, perhaps
myÊleç myÊl´, myÊlisz think
nazywaç si´ nazywam si´ nazywasz si´
be called, call oneself. The verb
implies both first and last name.
pan X "pan iks", pani Y "pani igrek"
po prostu simply, merely. From
prosty simple.
pracowaç pracuj´ pracujesz work
prosz´ pana if you please, sir
pytaç pytam pytasz ask (a question)
studiowaç studiuj´, studiujesz study
(as a main subject)
uwa˝aç uwa˝am uwa˝asz consider,
think
w Warszawie in Warsaw, w
Krakowie in Krakow. Locative case
forms of Warszawa, Kraków.
widzia∏eÊ (widzia∏aÊ) you saw, have
seen
zam´˝na aj married (of a woman)
˝onaty asj married (of a man)

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GRAMATYKA 2.A.

REVIEW OF POLISH VOWEL SOUNDS

There are six Polish plain-vowel sounds (a e y i o u/ó) and two nasal-
vowel sounds (à ´), produced by adding nasality to the plain vowels o and
e, respectively. The plain vowels are always pronounced predictably the
same, wherever they occur. All plain vowels are pronounced short, achieved
by not moving the lips or tongue during pronunciation. The letters u and ó
are two ways of spelling the same sound.
a. a is pronounced like a in English father, but shorter: adres address, tak
yes, thus, pada falls, cia∏o body, zdania opinions.
b. e is pronounced like e in English get: echo echo, wtedy then, ten that-
masc. In English the sound "e" does not occur in final position; in Polish, it
often does. Practice: dobre good-neut., ∏adne pretty-neut., mo˝e maybe.
c. The letter i before another vowel never goes with the vowel but
always indicates that the preceding consonant is soft. Final ie is always
pronounced the same as any e. Practice nie "ƒe" no, not, zdanie "ZDA-ƒe"
sentence, ludzie "LU-dêe" people, umie "U-m'e" (s)he knows how. Here are
some words containing both an internal and a word-final ie. Pronounce both
instances of ie identically, as "e" niesie "¡E-Êe" (s)he carries, wiezie "W'E-êe"
(s)he transports, wiedzie "W'E-dêe" (s)he leads, u ciebie "u åE-b'e" with you, at
your place.
d. y is pronounced like i in English sit: czy whether, myd∏o soap, py∏
dust. In English this sound does not occur in final position; in Polish it often
does. Practice: ty you- sg., ∏adny pretty-masc., lody ice-cream.
e. i is pronounced like ee in English beet, but shorter: ig∏a needle, mi∏y
nice-masc., tani "taƒi" cheap.
f. o is pronounced like o in English coat, but shorter, without moving the
lips: to that, okno window, blisko close, motor motor.
g. u and ó are pronounced like oo in English toot, but shorter, without
moving the lips: tu here, nudny boring, po polsku in Polish, stó∏ "stu∏" table,
wódka "wutka" vodka.

The letter ó designates the vowel "u" when it alternates with o in other
forms of the same word. See mój "muj", moja, moje my (m./f./n.), stó∏
"stu∏" sto∏y table(s).

h. à is pronounced like on in English tone, but without completely

closing the n. This sound occurs in its pure state only in final position and
before s, Ê, sz, z, ê, ˝. Practice: sà they are, tà that-fem.sg.Inst, mà˝ "màsz"
husband, wàski narrow.

Superficial appearances to the contrary, the letter à has nothing to do

with the sound of a in, say, tam there; à represents nasal o, not a nasal a.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
i. ´ is pronounced like en in English tense, but without closing the n.
Like à, the sound ´ occurs in its pure state only in final position and before s,
Ê, sz, z, ê, ˝. Its pronunciation in final position is optional alongside
pronunciation as "e". Practice: g´Ê goose, w´˝ej more narrowly, k´s hunk. In
final position: id´ "ide or id´" I am going, robi´ "robie or robi´" I am doing.

SINGULAR PERSONAL PRONOUNS AND THEIR USE; THE 1ST PERS.

PL. PRONOUN.
1st person sg. ja I
2nd person sg. ty you (singular)
2nd person sg. formal pan sir, "you" pani madam, "you"
3rd person sg. on he ona she ono it

Plural Pronouns (for passive recognition until Lesson 8):

1st person pl. my we
2nd person pl. wy you (plural)
2nd pers. pl. formal paƒstwo you-masc. pers. pl.
3rd person pl. oni they-masc. pers. one they-non masc. pers.

NOTES ON USING PRONOUNS

1. In general, do not use the 1st and 2nd person pronouns ja and ty with
the verb; instead, allow the verb ending by itself to express the person:
robi´ I do, idziesz you go, and so on. The 1st and 2nd person pronouns are
reserved for emphasis or contrast:
Mo˝e on rozumie, ale ja nie rozumiem. Maybe HE understands, but I do
not understand.
Czy ty pami´tasz, bo ja nie? Do YOU remember, because I don't?
Over-use of the personal pronouns sounds inelegant.
2. The formal pronouns pan, pani occur with the 3rd-person form of the
verb, but they have the practical effect of 2nd-person expressions of formal
address:
Gdzie pani mieszka? Where do you (f. formal) live?
Czy pan rozumie? Do you (m. formal) understand?
Co pan ma? What do you have?
The pronouns pan and pani are omitted only infrequently; it is permissible
never to omit them.
When preceded by ten or ta, the words pan, pani have the
meanings 'man' and 'woman':
Ten pan jest bardzo stary. That man is very old.
Ta pani jest bardzo mi∏a. That woman is very nice.

The words pan, pani are never used as third-person pronouns in the
sense of 'he', 'she'. The words for 'he', 'she' are on, ona, respectively.

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3. The third-person pronouns are on he, ona she, ono it. Because these
pronouns agree with the referred-to noun in gender, they can all be used in
the sense 'it':
Samochód jest zepsuty. On jest zepsuty. The car is broken. It is broken.
Ta winda jest dobra. Ona jest dobra. That elevator is fine. It is all fine.
To drzewo jest m∏ode. Ono jest m∏ode. That tree is young. It is young.
In contrast to the 1st and 2nd person pronouns, one usually does use the 3rd
person pronoun with a verb, unless it is clear from context who or what is
being discussed. Often a person will first be referred to first by name, next
by the 3rd-person pronoun, and then only by the verb form itself, without
the pronoun:
Tam jest pan Janowski. On bardzo si´ Êpieszy, bo jest spóêniony. There
is Mr. Janowski. He is in a big hurry, because (he) is late.

åWICZENIA 2.A.

2.1. For the objects in the picture below, say whether there is one in your
house/apartment, along the lines of: Czy w twoim domu jest stó∏? Is there a
table in your house? Tak, tam jest stó∏. Yes, there is table there. Practice these
words with the gender forms of polski, polska, polskie Polish and jeden,
jedna, jedno one.

2.2. Respond logically. Then change the item to informal speech.

a. Gdzie pan(i) mieszka?
b. Jak si´ pan(i) nazywa?
c. Czy pan(i) jest ˝onaty (zam´˝na)?
d. Dlaczego pan(i) pyta?
e. Czy pan(i) pracuje?

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA

przedmioty domowe household objects

biurko desk, fotel armchair, kanapa sofa, krzes∏o chair, kwiat flower, lampa
lamp, lustro mirror, ∏ó˝ko bed, pó∏ka shelf, stó∏ table, szafa wardrobe, zegar
clock.

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 2. LEKCJA DRUGA
Kraków: KoÊció∏ Mariacki Church of St. Mary.

Located on the edge of Rynek Glówny (Main Square) in the center of the
city. From its upper tower a trumpeter hourly plays an interrupted bugle
call (hejna∏), recalling an ancient invasion by the Tatars.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
2.B. Jak masz na imi´?
Two classmates talk about first names.

Zenon: Jak masz na imi´? What's your (first) name?

Margaret: Mam na imi´ Margaret.
Zenon: To nie jest polskie imi´.
Margaret:Nie, jest angielskie. Jak to
b´dzie po polsku?
Zenon: Margaret to po polsku
Ma∏gorzata albo Ma∏gosia. A jak
d∏ugo jesteÊ w Polsce?
Margaret: Nied∏ugo.
My (first) name is Margaret.
That's not a Polish name.
No, it's English. How would that be
in Polish?
In Polish Margaret is Ma∏gorzata, or
Ma∏gosia. And how long have you
been in Poland?
Not long.

For active learning and dictation practice:

Jak d∏ugo jesteÊ w Polsce? Mam na imi´ Ma∏gosia (Marek).

Jak masz na imi´? Margaret to po polsku
Jak to b´dzie po polsku? Ma∏gorzata.
Jestem tu nied∏ugo. To nie jest polskie imi´.

Pytania

1. Jak pierwsza osoba ma na imi´? A druga osoba?

2. Czy to jest polskie imi´? Jakie to jest imi´? Jak to b´dzie po polsku?

3. Jak ty masz na imi´? Czy to jest angielskie imi´? Jak to b´dzie po polsku?
4. Jak twój kolega albo twoja kole˝anka obok ma na imi´?
5. Kto tu ma polskie imi´? Jak to b´dzie po angielsku?

Uwagi

b´dzie will be osoba f person

jak masz na imi´? literally, 'how do
you have for a first name?' imi´
first name. nazwisko last name.
Ma∏gosia diminutive or familiar
form of Ma∏gorzata
mieç mam masz have
obok av alongside, next to
po polsku in Polish. po angielsku in
English. Used in expressions like
"speak, understand, write Polish,
English".
w Polsce in Poland. Locative form of
Polska Poland

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GRAMATYKA 2.B

THE PRESENT TENSE OF VERBS (INTRODUCTION). Verbs are listed in

the glossary in the infinitive (the form that is translated as 'to go', 'to do',
etc.), plus the 1st pers. sg. and 2nd pers. sg. forms of the present tense. The
other forms of the verb may be inferred from these three forms.
While the present tense forms of the verb often bear a regular
relationship to the infinitive, many do not. It is most reliable to approach
verbs by learning three forms for each verb, even if this sometimes seems
repetitive.
Verbs are classified into four main types ('conjugations') on the basis of
the present-tense endings. There are (1) -´, -esz, -e verbs, (2) -´, -isz -i or -´, -
ysz, -y verbs, (3) -am, -asz, -a verbs, and (4) -em -esz -e verbs.
The 3rd person singular form of verbs of all conjugations may be
obtained by dropping sz from the 2nd person form: idziesz you go, hence
idzie he/she/it goes; robisz you do, hence robi he/she/it does; pytasz you ask,
hence pyta he/she/it asks.

PLURAL VERB ENDINGS (FOR PASSIVE RECOGNITION UNTIL LESSON 8)

The 1st person plural form of the present may be obtained by adding
-my to the 3rd person singular: idziemy we go; robimy we do, pytamy we ask.
The 2nd person plural form of the present may be obtained by adding
-cie to the 3rd person singular: idziecie you (pl.) go; robicie you (pl.) do,
pytacie you (pl.) ask.
The 3rd person plural form of the present may be obtained by
substituting -à for 1st pers. sg. -´; or -jà for 1st pers. sg. -m: id´ I go, hence
idà they go; robi´ I do, hence robià they do; pytam I ask, hence pytajà they ask.

Conjugation 1: verbs that take -´ -esz -e:

iÊç go chcieç want dzi´kowaç thank
id´ I go chc´ I want dzi´kuj´ I thank
idziesz you go chcesz you want dzi´kujesz you thank
idzie goes chce wants dzi´kuje thanks
idziemy we go chcemy we want dzi´kujemy we thank
idziecie you go chcecie you want dzi´kujecie you thank
idà they go chcà they want dzi´kujà they thank

Conjugation 2: verbs that take -´ -isz -i or -´ -ysz -y:

mówiç say, speak robiç do Êpieszyç si´ be in a hurry
mówi´ I speak robi´ I do Êpiesz´ si´ I 'm in a hurry
mówisz you speak robisz you do Êpieszysz si´ you're in a hurry
mówi speaks robi does Êpieszy si´ is in a hurry
mówimy we speak robimy we do Êpieszymy si´ we're in a hurry
mówicie you speak robicie you do Êpieszycie si´ you're in a hurry
mówià they speak robià they do Êpieszà si´ they're in a hurry

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Conjugation 3: verbs that take -am -asz -a:

mieç have pytaç ask pami´taç remember
mam I have pytam I ask pami´tam I remember
masz you have pytasz you ask pami´tasz you remember
ma has pyta asks pami´ta remembers
mamy we have pytamy we ask pami´tamy we remember
macie you have pytacie you ask pami´tacie you remember
majà they have pytajà they ask pami´tajà they remember

Conjugation 4: verbs that take -em -esz -e, of which there are very few.
Some have exceptional 3rd pers. pl. in -dzà.
wiedzieç know jeÊç eat rozumieç understand
wiem I know jem I eat rozumiem I understand
wiesz you know jesz you eat rozumiesz you understand
wie knows je eats rozumie understands
wiemy we know jemy we eat rozumiemy we understand
wiecie you know jecie you eat rozumiecie you understand
wiedzà they know jedzà they eat rozumiejà they understand

The verb byç be stands alone as to conjugation, and it is also exceptional

in having a special future tense:
byç be future:
jestem I am b´d´ I will be
jesteÊ you are b´dziesz you will be
jest he, she, it is. b´dzie he, she, it will be.
jesteÊmy we are b´dziemy we will be.
jesteÊcie you are b´dziecie you will be.
sà they are b´dà they will be.

SOME IMPORTANT VERBS. Recall that, except for the present tense of byç,
the 3.p.sg. is obtained by dropping -sz from the 2.p.sg. One may obtain the
1.p.pl. by adding -my to the 3.p.sg.

infinitive 1.p.sg 2.sg. 3.p.sg. 3.p.pl.

byç be (present ) jestem jesteÊ jest jesteÊmy
byç be (future ) b´d´ b´dziesz b´dzie b´dziemy
chcieç want chc´ chcesz chce chcemy
iÊç go (on foot) id´ idziesz idzie idziemy
mieç have mam masz ma mamy
mieszkaç live, reside mieszkam mieszkasz mieszka mieszkamy
mówiç speak, talk mówi´ mówisz mówi mówimy
myliç si´ be wrong myl´ si´ mylisz si´ myli si´ mylimy si´
myÊleç think myÊl´ myÊlisz myÊli myÊlimy
pami´taç remember pami´tam pami´tasz pami´ta pami´tamy

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pracowaç work pracuj´ pracujesz pracuje pracujemy

pytaç ask pytam pytasz pyta pytamy
robiç do, make robi´ robisz robi robimy
rozumieç understand rozumiem rozumiesz rozumie rozumiemy
studiowaç study studiuj´ studiujesz studiuje studiujemy
wiedzieç know info. wiem wiesz wie wiemy
˝yç live, be alive ˝yj´ ˝yjesz ˝yje ˝yjemy

Illustrations of use:
byç (present): Jestem spóêniony. I am late.
byç (future): Jak to b´dzie po polsku? How will that be in Polish?
chcieç: Chc´ ci coÊpokazaç. I want to show you something.
iÊç: Musz´ ju˝iÊç. I have to go.
mieç: Czy masz samochód? Do you have a car?
mieszkaç: Gdzie pani mieszka? Where do you (f. formal) live?
mówiç: On mówi zbyt szybko. He's talking too quickly.
myliç si´: Cz´sto si´ mylisz. You are often wrong.
odpowiadaç: Jak on odpowiada? How does he answer?
pami´taç: Nie pami´tam, jak on si´ nazywa. I don't remember what his
name is.
pracowaç: Pracuj´ w Warszawie. I work in Warsaw.
pytaç: Dlaczego pan pyta? Why do you (m. formal) ask?
robiç: Co pan tu robi? What are you (m. formal) doing here?
rozumieç: Nie rozumiem, co on mówi. I don't understand what he is
saying.
studiowaç: Gdzie studiujesz? Where do you study?
Êpieszyç si´: Bardzo si´ Êpiesz´. I'm in a big hurry.
wiedzieç: Nie wiem, gdzie ona mieszka. I don't know where she lives.
˝yç: Mój dziadek ju˝nie ˝yje. My grandfather is no longer alive.

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dzi´kujemy we thank (you). Where can one not find a McDonalds?

åWICZENIA 2.B.

Rules for pronoun omission/retention with verbs:

a. Omit ja, ty.
b. Retain on, ona, ono, pan, pani.

2.3. English glosses. Match the English glosses with the Polish verbs; then use in a
sentence in the 1st pers. sg.:
ask: a. pytaç
b. Pytam, jak si´ nazywasz. I'm asking what your name is.
be, be alive, be mistaken, do, eat, go on foot, have, hurry, know
(information), remember, speak, understand, want, work.

2.3.
2.4. The singular forms of the present tense.
wiedzieç: wiem, wiesz, wie
pytaç, chcieç, pracowaç, iÊç, mieç, myÊleç, byç, jeÊç, mówiç, rozumieç,
Êpieszyç si´, ˝yç.

2.4.

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2.5. Pronoun-verb agreement. Use the rules for pronoun retention or deletion.
ty, chcieç: chcesz you want.
ona, byç; ja, iÊç; ona, jeÊç; ja, robiç; ty, mieç; ja, mówiç; pani, myÊleç; on,
wiedzieç; ja, pami´taç; ty, pracowaç; ona, mieç; pan, pytaç; ja, robiç; on, ˝yç;
ona, rozumieç; ja, Êpieszyç si´; ty, wiedzieç; ja, przepraszaç; ona, mieszkaç;
ty, myÊleç.

2.5.

2.6. 'I want' plus the infinitive. Retain the person of the cue. With 2nd person
cues, form a yes-no question.
wiem I know: Chc´ wiedzieç. I want to know.
wiesz you know Czy chcesz wiedzieç? Do you want to know?
pytam, ona pracuje, robi, id´, on ma, jestem, jesz, ona mówi, ona mieszka,
rozumiem, studiujesz, Êpiesz´ si´.

2.6.

Polski orze∏ bia∏y Polish white eagle.

These various versions of the Polish white eagle (orze∏ bia∏y) call to mind
different stages in the history of the Polish nation. The "Communist eagle,"
without a crown, logically belongs in the blank space, but the stamp was
never issued. Polska Poland. w Polsce in Poland. polski -a -ie Polish. po
polsku in Polish. bia∏a plama white or blank spot.

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2.C. Nie rozumiem
Listening to a third person, speaking an unknown language, possibly French.
Krzysiek: Czy rozumiesz, co mówi ten Do you understand what that man
pan (ta pani) <bo ja nie>? (lady) is saying <because I don't>?
Krysia: Nie, nie rozumiem, co on (ona) No, I don't understand what he's (she's)
mówi. <Nie, prawie nic nie rozumiem.>saying. <No, I almost don't
Krzysiek: Przecie˝ mówisz po francusku. understand anything.>
Krysia: Troch´ mówi´, ale on (ona) But you speak French.
mówi bardzo szybko i niezbyt I speak a little, but he (she) is speaking
wyraênie. too quickly and not too distinctly.

For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Czy rozumiesz, co mówi ten pan (ta Ona mówi zbyt szybko.
pani)? Prawie nic nie rozumiem.
Nie rozumiem, co on(a) mówi. Przecie˝ mówisz po francusku.
On mówi niezbyt wyraênie. Troch´ rozumiem po francusku.

Pytania
1. Co mówi ten pan (ta pani)?
2. Czy Krysia rozumie, co on(a) mówi? Dlaczego Krysia nie rozumie, co ten
pan (ta pani) mówi?
3. Dlaczego Krzysiek myÊli, ˝e Krysia rozumie, co on(a) mówi?

4. Czy ty rozumiesz po francusku? Czy dobrze rozumiesz i mówisz, czy

s∏abo?
5. Czy rozumiesz lepiej po francusku, czy po polsku?
6. Czy znasz jakiÊ inny j´zyk?

Uwagi
inny pron aj other, different s∏abo av weakly (here: poorly)
jakiÊ jakaÊ, jakieÊ some kind of szybki quick, szybko quickly
j´zyk mi -a language. j´zyk polski wyraêny distinct. wyraênie
Polish language distinctly. niewyraêny indistinct.
mówiç mówi´, mówisz speak, talk, say niewyraênie indistinctly
po francusku (in) French znaç -am -asz impf know (someone or
przecie˝ 'but' of surprise or protest something)
rozumieç -em -esz understand

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 GRAMATYKA 2.C.

NOTES ON VERB USE

1. LACK OF HELPING VERBS. Polish does not use verbs like 'is', 'do', or
'have' as helping verbs in compound verb expressions. In this respect the
Polish verb system is simpler than the English. The form robi´ expresses all
by itself 'I do, I am doing, I have been doing'. Similarly, the question Co
robisz? can mean 'what are you doing', 'what do you do', or 'what have you
been doing'. It is important to remember that an English expression like
Where are you going? will not ever be rendered in Polish with the help of a
form of the word 'are', but only by a single verb form: Gdzie idziemy?
Where are we going? Similarly, Do you speak Polish? will not be translated into
Polish with a form of the verb 'do,' but with a single form of the verb mówiç
speak: Mówisz po polsku? Do you speak Polish?

To summarize: the verbs byç (jestem jesteÊ) be, mieç (mam masz) have,
and robiç (robi´ robisz) do are used only as independent verbs in Polish.
They do not have a use as helping verbs in compound verb expressions.

2. LACK OF THE PRO-VERB 'DO'. In English, it is usual to use the verb

do when answering a question, instead of repeating the verb of the question:
Do you know where he lives? Yes, I do. Polish has no such use, and must repeat
the main verb. Often, in answering a yes-no question, repetition of the verb
substitutes for, or is used in addition to, saying 'yes' or 'no':
Czy wiesz, gdzie on mieszka? Do you know where he lives?
Tak, wiem. (Nie, nie wiem.) Yes, I do. (No, I don't.)

Czy mówisz po francusku? Do you speak French.

Troch´ mówi´. I do a little.

Czy masz samochód? Do you have a car?

Mam. Yes, I have, I do.

3. USING THE 2ND PERSON FORM OF THE VERB. When addressing

non-intimates, it is important not to use the 2nd pers. sg. or "you" form of
the verb, which is reserved for close friends, class-mates in school, and the
very young. Instead, address non-intimates as either pan (m.) or pani (f.), in
combination with the 3rd person form of the verb. These forms are the
rough equivalents of southern American sir, ma'am:
Przepraszam, czy pan (pani) wie, gdzie jest dobry hotel? Excuse me (sir,
ma'am) do you know where a good hotel is?
Most European languages have similar distinctions in degree of formality.
Improper use of the 2nd person form of the verb is not ungrammatical but is
apt to be taken as impolite. Poles, who are generally quite tolerant of
language errors, will tend to interpret the use of the 2nd pers. form by a
non-intimate as a mistake in social manners, not as a lack of knowledge of
Polish. In sum:
2. LEKCJA DRUGA

2nd-person informal 2.p.sg. form of verb by itself:

czy wiesz? do you know?
2nd-person formal pan(i) + 3.p.sg. form of verb:
czy pan(i) wie? do you know?

4. THE PLACEMENT OF THE REFLEXIVE PARTICLE si´

The reflexive particle si´, literally meaning 'self', accompanies
various verbs. If a verb occurs with the particle si´ in the infinitive, it will
occur with si´ throughout its conjugation. In spoken Polish, the particle si´
usually goes in front of the verb, but it cannot occur in the initial position of
a clause or sentence:
Âpiesz´ si´. I am in a hurry.
Bardzo si´ Êpiesz´. I am in a big hurry.

5. THE PLACEMENT OF THE NEGATIVE PARTICLE nie.

When a verb is negated, the negative particle nie is placed immediately
before the verb.
Nothing can ever come between the verb and its negating particle nie.
Ona nie jest spóêniona. She is not late.
Ja si´ nie Êpiesz´. I'm not in a hurry.

VERBS OF MENTAL FACULTY: 'KNOW", 'UNDERSTAND', 'REMEMBER.

The following verbs are particularly important, in both positive and,
especially, in negative uses:
pami´taç pami´tam, pami´tasz, pami´ta remember
rozumieç rozumiem, rozumiesz, rozumie
wiedzieç wiem, wiesz, wie know (information).
Examples:
Nie pami´tam, jak on si´ nazywa. I don't remember what his name is.
Nie rozumiem, co ten pan mówi. I don't understand what that man is saying.
Nie wiem, gdzie ona mieszka. I don't know, where she lives.

In combination with the one-syllable forms wiem wiesz wie, stress falls on
the negative particle nie: NIE wiem. I don't know.

REPORTING VERBS. Verbs used to report information given in a

declarative sentence are introduced by the conjunction ˝e that:
Ona mieszka w Krakowie. She lives in Krakow.
Wiem, ˝e ona mieszka w Krakowie. I know that she lives in Krakow.

On pracuje w Warszawie. He works in Warsaw.

Pami´tam, ˝e on pracuje w Warszawie. I remember that he works in
Warsaw.
Ona b´dzie spóêniona. She will be late.
Ona mówi, ˝e b´dzie spóêniona. She says that she will be late.

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 2. LEKCJA DRUGA

The conjunction ˝e is never omitted, contrasted to the usual colloquial

practice in English, and it is not to be confused with the pronouns co
what or to that.

Verbs which report information given in a question make use of the

question-word as the introducing conjunction:
- Gdzie on pracuje? Where does he work?
- Nie pami´tam, gdzie on pracuje. I don't remember where he works.

- Co ona mówi? What is she saying?

- Nie rozumiem, co ona mówi. I don't understand what she is saying.

- Kto to jest? Who is that?

- Nie wiem, kto to jest. I don't know who that is.

- Czy ta winda dobrze dzia∏a? Does that elevator work all right?
- Nie wiem, czy ta winda dobrze dzia∏a. I don't know whether that elevator
works all right.

The word for 'if' is jeÊli. It is important not to use jeÊli in place of czy
whether after negated verbs of knowledge: Nie wiem, czy on pracuje.
I don't know whether he works.

The adjectives pewien (m.), pewna (f.) certain, sure and ciekaw(a) curious
also function in a reporting function:
Jestem pewien (pewna), ˝e on tam b´dzie. I'm sure he will be there.
Nie jestem pewien (pewna), czy ona tam b´dzie. I'm not sure, whether
she will be there. It is possible to use the form pewny instead of pewien, but
pewien is more common in this use.
Jestem ciekaw(a), jak to b´dzie po polsku. I'm curious how that will be in
Polish.

LANGUAGE ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS.

Proper adjectives like polski, polska, polskie Polish and angielski,
angielska, angielskie English are not capitalized in Polish: polski samochód
Polish car, polska ksià˝ka Polish book. Language adjectives are often used in
combination with the word j´zyk tongue, language, as in j´zyk polski Polish
language, j´zyk angielski English language. In these expressions the adjective
is placed after the noun j´zyk.
One expresses "in Polish, in English" with adverbial forms po polsku,
po angielsku, which are used in conjunction with verbs referring to
language use:
Troch´ mówi´ po polsku. I speak a little Polish.
On nie rozumie dobrze po angielsku. He doesn't understand English well.
Some other language adjectives and adverbs are chiƒski Chinese po chiƒsku
in Chinese, francuski French po francusku in French, japoƒski Japanese po
japoƒsku in Japanese, niemiecki German po niemiecku in German,

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
hiszpaƒski Spanish po hiszpaƒsku in Spanish, rosyjski Russian po rosyjsku
in Russian, w∏oski Italian po w∏osku in Italian.

SOME ADVERBS TO USE WITH VERBS OF SPEECH.

Mówisz za ---. You are speaking too ---.
szybko quickly niewyraênie indistinctly
wolno slowly g∏oÊno loudly
wyraênie clearly cicho quietly, softly.
Comparatives:
Mów ---. Speak ---.
szybciej more quickly g∏oÊniej more loudly
wolniej more slowly ciszej more quietly.
wyraêniej more clearly.

© The New Yorker, 1941

"Mów wyraêniej, Jerzy! Mówisz bardzo niewyraênie."
(original caption: "Oh, speak up, George. Stop mumbling!")

mà˝ husband, wà˝ snake.

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 2. LEKCJA DRUGA

åWICZENIA 2.C.

2.7. Informal to formal address:

Gdzie mieszkasz? Where do you live? (informal)
Gdzie pan (pani) mieszka? (same meaning, formal)
Gdzie pracujesz? Co mówisz? Gdzie jesteÊ?
Dlaczego pytasz? Co jesz? Czy ˝yjesz?
Co robisz? Co pami´tasz? Co masz?
Gdzie idziesz? Kiedy b´dziesz? Dlaczego si´ Êpieszysz?

2.7.

2.8. Lack of helping verbs; omit 1st and 2nd person pronouns. Translate the verb
expressions with a single verb-form.
he is talking: on mówi
I am going, you are working, he understands, she is doing, I am living, she asks,
you are eating, he is asking, I am in a hurry, she lives, you think-m. formal, you
are mistaken.

2.8.

2.9. Negative vs. positive reporting verb. Choose between ˝e and czy.
On mieszka w Warszawie.
i. Wiem, ˝e on mieszka w Warszawie. I know that he lives in Warsaw.
ii. Nie wiem, czy on mieszka w Warszawie. I don't know whether he lives
in Warsaw.
Ona b´dzie spóêniona. Ta winda dzia∏a. To radio jest zepsute. Ten hotel jest
drogi. On si´ Êpieszy. Ona mieszka w Poznaniu. On mówi po polsku.

2.9.

2.10. Being 'certain'; being 'curious'. Use the cues of exercvise 2.9.
i. Jestem pewien (pewna), ˝e on mieszka w Warszawie. I'm sure that he
lives in Warsaw.
ii. Nie jestem pewien (pewna), czy on mieszka w Warszawie. I'm not
sure whether he lives in Warsaw.
or: Jestem ciekaw(a), czy on mieszka w Warszawie. I'm curious whether
he lives in Warsaw.

2.10.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
2.11. 'know' wiedzieç, 'remember pami´taç', or 'understand' rozumieç:
Co mówi ten pan? What is that man saying?
Nie wiem, co on mówi. I don't know what he is saying.
Gdzie mieszka ta pani? Kto to jest?
Gdzie pracuje ten pan? Czy ta ksià˝ka jest dobra?
Co mówi ta pani? Gdzie idziesz?
Co robi ten pan? Kiedy on b´dzie?
Co to jest? Czy ten hotel jest dobry?

2.11.

2.12. 'What will that be in Polish? '

notebook: a. Jak b´dzie notebook po polsku? What will 'notebook' be in
Polish?
b. Notebook po polsku to zeszyt.'Notebook' in Polish is zeszyt.
chair, floor, pencil, wall, tree, person, animal, book, picture, hotel.

2.12.

2.13. The adjective 'Polish'.

stó∏: To nie jest polski stó∏. That's not a Polish table.

obraz, imi´, radio, telewizor, lampa, nazwisko, szko∏a, muzeum.

2.13.

2.14. Country of origin. In the answer, choose different countries.

French picture: -Czy to jest francuski obraz? Is that a French picture?
-Nie, jest niemiecki. No, it's German.
German book, Russian student (f.), Italian last name, Spanish first name,
English automobile, Japanese television set (telewizor), Chinese last name
(nazwisko).

2.14.

2.15. Speech adverbs.

softly: Mówisz za cicho. You are speaking too softly.
slowly, distinctly, loudly, quickly.

2.15.

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Czy ten bankomat dzia∏a? Does this ATM machine work?The pigeons seem to
think so.

2.D. JesteÊ pewien?

In front of a bank of elevators. Do they work?Are you sure?

|ten telewizor |dobry

Zyta: Czy |ta winda | dzia∏a? <jest |dobra >?
|to radio |dobre
Does that television-set (elevator, radio) work <is OK.>?
|zepsuty,
Zenon: Nie, jest |zepsuta, | jak zwykle <jak prawie zawsze>.
|zepsute,
No, it's broken, as usual <as almost always>.
Zyta: JesteÊ pewien (pewna)? Are you sure?
Zenon: Tak. Yes.
|tamten? |on |zepsuty?
Zyta: A |tamta? Czy |ona te˝ jest |zepsuta?
|tamto? |ono |zepsute?
And that one over there? Is it broken too?
Zenon: Nie wiem. Chyba <dobrze> dzia∏a.
I don't know. It probably works <fine>.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
For active learning and dictation practice:

Czy ta winda dzia∏a? Nie wiem, czy ta pralka dzia∏a.

Czy tamten telewizor te˝ jest Ta winda nie dzia∏a.
zepsuty? Ten telewizor chyba dzia∏a.
JesteÊ pewien? To radio dobrze dzia∏a.
JesteÊ pewna?

Pytania

1. Czy ta winda jest dobra? A tamta, czy ona te˝ jest zepsuta? JesteÊ pewien
(pewna)?
2. Czy ta winda zwykle jest zepsuta? Czy ona zawsze jest zepsuta?

3. Czy masz samochód, czy telewizor? Czy on dobrze dzia∏a? Co masz w

domu, co nie dziala dobrze?

Uwagi

chyba probably, I suppose. chyba adverb sounds better when placed

tak I suppose so. chyba nie
probably not
dzia∏a (of machinery) it works, runs
dobrze dzia∏a works fine. The
before the verb (not at the end of
the sentence).
pewien, f pewna aj sure, certain
te˝ nie also not, not either
zepsuty aj ruined, broken, spoiled

THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE THAT "WORK" (OR NOT)

aklimatyzacja air conditioning ogrzewanie heating

aparat camera piec stove, oven
drukarka printer pralka washer
dzwonek bell radio radio
elektrycznoÊç electricity rower bicycle
komórka cell phone suszarka dryer
komputer computer telefon telephone
lodówka refrigerator, ice box telewizor television set
maszyna typewriter wideo VCR
mikrofalówka microwave zmywalka dishwasher
odkurzacz vacuum cleaner

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 2. LEKCJA DRUGA
GRAMATYKA 2.D.

PARAPHRASING A DIALOGUE

One of the most important skills one can acquire in a foreign language is
the ability to retell the contents of a conversation, putting the conversation
into reported speech. Four important Polish verbs for reporting on speech
are
mówiç mówi´, mówisz, mówi 'say', followed by the conjunction ˝e that;
pytaç pytam, pytasz, pyta 'ask', followed by a question word (czy whether,
jak how, gdzie where, dlaczego why, kiedy when)
odpowiadaç odpowiadam, odpowiadasz, odpowiada 'answer', followed by the
conjunction ˝e that.
dowiadywaç si´ dowiaduj´ si´, dowiadujesz si´, dowiaduje si´ find out,
learn, followed by the conjunction ˝e that (or, if negated, by czy whether).
There are many other reporting verbs than these four, but the content of
almost any conversation can be conveyed by using only these.

Here is a paraphrase of Conversation A, using verbs of reported speech:

Original conversation:
Pan X: Gdzie pani mieszka?
Pani Y: Mieszkam i studiuj´ w Warszawie.
Pan X: A jak si´ pani nazywa?
Pani Y: Nazywam si´ Maria Zieliƒska. Dlaczego pan pyta?
Pan X: Po prostu jestem ciekawy. A czy pani jest zam´˝na?
Pani Y: To jest tylko moja sprawa.

Paraphrase:
Pan X pyta, gdzie pani Y mieszka. Ona odpowiada, ˝e mieszka i
studiuje w Warszawie. Potem then Pan X pyta, jak pani Y si´ nazywa. Ona
odpowiada, ˝e nazywa si´ Maria Zieliƒska. Ona pyta, dlaczego on pyta.
Pan X odpowiada, ˝e po prostu jest ciekawy, a potem pyta, czy pani Y jest
zam´˝na. Ona odpowiada, ˝e to jest tylko jej her sprawa. Pan X nie
dowiaduje si´, czy pani Y jest zam´˝na.

Observe the shift from 1st-person to 3rd-person verb forms under reported
speech: Jestem ciekawy. I am curious.
Ten pan mówi, ˝e jest ciekawy. He says that he is curious.

QUESTION WORDS AND CORRESPONDING INDEFINITES AND

NEGATIVES. The usual word for asking questions as to 'why' is dlaczego
why. Questions asked with dlaczego may be answered with bo because:
Dlaczego si´ Êpieszysz? Why are you hurrying?
Bo jestem spóêniony. Because I am late.

Dlaczego pytasz? Why do you ask?

Bo chc´ wiedzieç. Because I want to know.

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA
Other common question-words include co what, kto who, gdzie where, kiedy
when, and jak how. The word czy whether functions in introductions to yes-no
questions (Lesson 1).

Most question words have corresponding negative, indefinite, and (optional,

for the moment) all-inclusive forms:

question words negatives in ni- indefinites in -Ê inclusive in -kolwiek

co what nic nothing coÊ something cokolwiek anything
kto who nikt no one ktoÊ someone ktokolwiek anyone
gdzie where nigdzie nowhere gdzieÊ somewhere gdziekolwiek anywhere
kiedy when nigdy never kiedyÊ sometime kiedykolwiek anytime
jak how nijak nohow jakoÊ somehow jakkolwiek anyhow
The word dlaczego why stands somewhat apart from other question
words. It is best learned in combination with bo because, and with dlatego
that's why: Jestem ciekawy, dlatego pytam. I'm curious. That's why I'm asking.

NOTES ON INDEFINITE AND NEGATIVE PRONOUNS:

1. The suffix -Ê creates a word that is indefinite in the sense of something
in particular that is not yet known. Thus, coÊ means 'something, but I don't
know what'; ktoÊ means 'someone, but I don't know who'; and so on.
Occasionally, these words translate English words beginning in 'any-':
CoÊ pami´tam. I remember something.
Czy coÊrozumiesz? Do you understand something/anything?
Czy on gdzieÊ pracuje? Does he work somehere/anywhere?
Czy ktoÊ tu mieszka? Does someone/anyone live here?

2. The suffix -kolwiek creates an open-ended indefinite in the sense "any

possible person, thing, place, way":
Czy cokolwiek rozumiesz? Do you understand anything?
- Gdzie chcesz mieszkaç? - Gdziekolwiek. - Where do you want to live?
- Any place at all.

3. THE POLISH 'DOUBLE NEGATIVE'. The use of a word beginning

with ni- requires that the verb of the sentence be negated, creating the
superficial impression of a double negative:
Nic nie wiem. I don't know anything.
On nigdy nie jest spóêniony. He is never late.
On nic nie rozumie. He doesn't understand anything.
No matter how many words there are in a sentence beginning with ni-, the
verb requires only a single negation:
Nikt nigdy nic nie wie. No one ever knows anything.

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NIE! A Polish Triple Negative.

The use of T-shirts to express personal opinions has been imported to Poland
from the US. The small print reads: Nie za takà cen´. Not at such a price.
The matter of concern is not known to the author.

åWICZENIA 2.D.
2.16. 'broken' vs. 'working'; 3rd-person pronouns.
winda: a. Czy ta winda dzia∏a? Does that elevator work?
b. Nie wiem, czy ona dzia∏a. I don't know whether it words.
b. Nie, ona jest zepsuta. No it's broken.
c. Tak, ona dobrze dzia∏a. Yes, it works fine.
telewizor, pralka, radio, magnetofon, krzes∏o, samochód, lampa, video.

2.16.

2.17. Use of tamten, tamta, tamto. Expression of 'either'

telewizor: Tamten telewizor te˝ nie dzia∏a. That televison set doesn't work
either.
pralka, samochód, radio, magnetofon, lampa, video.

2.17.

2.18. Paraphrase Conversation 2.C., between Zenon and Margaret.

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2.19. Indefinite pronouns. With 2nd persons cues, form a yes-no question.
Co ona mówi? Ona coÊ mówi. She is saying something.
Co mówisz? Czy mówisz coÊ? Are you saying something?
Gdzie on mieszka? Co ona pami´ta? Kiedy on jest w domu?
Co ona myÊli? Kto tu mieszka? Co jesz?
Gdzie ona pracuje? Co on studiuje? Gdzie ona jest?
Gdzie idziesz? Kto mówi? Co on rozumie?

2.19.

2.20. Negative pronouns. Give negative responses in the 1.p.sg.

Co masz? What do you have? Nic nie mam. I don't have anything.
Co robisz? Co pami´tasz? Gdzie pracujesz? Co studiujesz?
Gdzie idziesz? Co jesz? Gdzie mieszkasz? Co rozumiesz?
Co wiesz? O co pytasz? Co mówisz? Gdzie jesteÊ?

2.20.

2.21. Use the cues of the previous exercise.

Co robisz? a. Co on robi? What is he doing?
b. Nikt nigdy nic nie robi. No one ever does anything.

2.21.

2.22. 'Not either'. The use of the 1st person pronoun for emphasis with te˝ nie 'not
either'.
On nie pracuje. Ja te˝ nie pracuj´. I don't work either.

Ona nie jest spóêniona. On nie studiuje.

On nie pami´ta. On si´ nie Êpieszy.
Ona nie rozumie. Ona nic nie robi.
On nic nie wie. On nigdy nie jest w domu.
Ona nie mówi po polsku. Ona nic nie mówi.
On dobrze rozumie po angielsku. Ona pracuje w Polsce.
On wie, co chce. Ona b´dzie spóêniona.
On mieszka w Krakowie. Ona idzie do domu.

2.22.

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2.23. Answer the following sentences in some sensible, but negative, way:
Czy ona idzie na zajécia? Nie, ona idzie do domu. No, she's going home.

Czy to jest polskie imi´? Czy ten hotel nie jest zbyt drogi?
Czy ona mieszka w Warszawie? Czy gdzieÊ pracujesz?
Czy jesteÊ pewny/pewien (pewna)? Czy ktoÊ tu mieszka?
Czy tamta winda dzia∏a? Czy on idzie do domu?
Czy ta ksià˝ka jest dobra? Czy on coÊ studiuje?

2.24. 'as far as I know'. Use different verbs with o ile wiem:
Czy to radio jest zepsute? Is that radio broken?
Tak, o ile wiem, ono jest zepsute. Yes, as far as I know it's broken

Choose five items from the preceding exercise for which the construction makes
sense.

Trudne pytanie a difficult question

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2. LEKCJA DRUGA

Co znaczy ten znak? What does this sign mean?

wypadek accident pl. wypadki accidents. znak drogowy road sign. Polish
road signs are often quite expressive. Apparently, car-pedestrian accidents
take place along this road regularly enough to warrant erecting a sign.

2.E. Trudne pytanie a difficult question

Investigating the meaning of an unknown word.

Halina: Co to znaczy? What does that mean?

Henryk: Co?
Halina: To s∏owo.
Henryk: Jakie s∏owo?
Halina: "Przecie˝". <"Chyba.">
Henryk: To trudne pytanie. Nie
wiem <dok∏adnie>, jak si´ mówi
"przecie˝" <chyba> po angielsku.
What?
That word.
What word?
"Przecie˝." <"Chyba.">
That's a difficult question. I don't
<exactly> know how one says
"przecie˝" <"chyba"> in English.

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 2. LEKCJA DRUGA

For active learning and dictation practice:

Co to znaczy? Jak si´ mówi "przecie˝" po

Co znaczy "przecie˝"? angielsku?
Co znaczy to s∏owo? Nie wiem, jak to si´ mówi.
Jakie s∏owo? To jest trudne pytanie.
Jak to si´ mówi po angielsku?

Pytania

1. Co znaczy s∏owo "chyba"? "przecie˝"? Jak si´ mówi po polsku "mean"?

2. Jak b´dzie po angielsku "prawie"?
3. Dlaczego to mo˝e byç trudne pytanie?
4. Czy rozumiesz tu wszystkie s∏owa?
5. Jak myÊlisz, jak ten cz∏owiek na obrazie ma na imi´?

Uwagi

co (here: as. to samo, co the same przecie˝ after all, but

(thing) as
co to znaczy? what does that mean?
jak si´ mówi? how does one say?
mo˝e byç can be
na obrazie in the picture
trudny aj difficult. ∏atwy aj easy
wszystkie pl pron aj all. wszystkie
s∏owa all words
znaczyç -czy us. in 3rd pers. mean

GRAMATYKA 2.E.

GOOD, BETTER, BEST. The adjective dobry good has the irregular
comparative lepszy better, and the superlative najlepszy best:
To radio jest dobre. This radio is good.
Tamto radio jest lepsze. That radio over there is better.
Tu jest nasze najlepsze radio. Here is our best radio.

The opposite of dobry is z∏y bad, whose irregular comparative is gorszy

worse, and whose superlative is najgorszy worst. Since in the positive degree
the word z∏y also means 'angry', the adjectives kiepski 'bad, lousy, poor' or
niedobry not good often substitute for z∏y, especially with objects:
To radio jest kiepskie (niedobre). That radio is not good.
To radio jest gorsze. That radio is even worse.
To jest nasze najgorsze radio. That is our worst radio.

87
2. LEKCJA DRUGA
The word jeszcze still, even is often used with comparatives for emphasis:
Ten samochód jest jeszcze lepszy. That car is even better.
Ta szko∏a jest jeszcze gorsza. That school is even worse.

Comparative and superlative adjectives take endings in the same way as

other adjectives. The comparative conjunction "than" is ni˝:
Ten magnetofon jest lepszy ni˝ tamten. That tape recorder is better than
that other.
To jest nasza najlepsza szko∏a. That is our best school.

Each degree of a Polish adjective (positive, comparative, superlative) has a

corresponding unchanging adverbial form, used when the adjective does not
describe a noun but, instead, a verbal action, an adjective or other adverb.
Here is a chart of the adjectives dobry, lepszy, najlepszy and z∏y, gorszy,
najgorszy, placed next to their corresponding adverbial forms:

ADJECTIVE ADVERB
positive dobry -a -e good dobrze well
comparative lepszy -a -e better lepiej better (adv.)
superlative najlepszy -a -e best najlepiej best (adv.)

ADJECTIVE ADVERB
positive z∏y -a -e bad êle badly
comparative gorszy -a -e worse gorzej worse (adv.)
superlative najgorszy -a -e worst najgorzej worst (adv.)

Examples of adverbial uses:

Ona dobrze (êle) rozumie. She understands well (badly).
On mówi jeszcze lepiej (gorzej) ni˝ ja. He speaks even better (worse) than I.
On chyba rozumie najlepiej. He probably understands the best.

EASY WAY TO COMPARE ADJECTIVES. While most common Polish

adjectives have special comparative and superlative forms (like trudniejszy
more difficult, najtrudniejszy most difficult, from trudny difficult), Polish is
more liberal than English about accepting bardziej more and najbardziej
jmost in front of an adjective in order to express comparison.
To jest bardzo trudne pytanie. Here is a very difficult question.
Tu jest jeszcze bardziej trudne pytanie. Here is an even more difficult
question.
Jakie s∏owo tu jest najbardziej wa˝ne? What word here is the most
important?

The corresponding words for negative comparison are mniej less and
najmniej least:
To s∏owo nie jest zbyt wa˝ne. This word is not very important.
Tamto slowo jest jeszcze mniej wa˝ne. That word is even less important.

88
 2. LEKCJA DRUGA
SOME USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES.
THAN, BY A LOT. Some function-words which are important in
comparative expressions are ni˝ than, jeszcze still, even, and o wiele (by) a
lot:
Ona mówi lepiej ni˝ ja. She speaks better than I.
Ten magnetofon jest dobry, ale tamten jest jeszcze lepszy. That tape
recorder is good, but that other one is even better.
Ja rozumiem o wiele lepiej ni˝ ona. I understand a lot better than she does.

'PROBABLY'. The normal colloquial word for 'probably' is chyba, which

has the sense of 'I suppose', 'perhaps', as in
To chyba nie jest polskie imi´. That's probably not a Polish first name.

- Czy to radio dzia∏a? Does that radio work?

- Nie wiem, chyba dzia∏a. I don't know, I suppose it does.
- Czy on b´dzie w domu? Will he be at home?
- Chyba tak. Probably so. (Chyba nie. Probably not).

Kto tu mówi najlepiej? Who here speaks the best?

Chyba ja. Probably me (I).

A more formal way to say 'probably' is prawdopodobnie.

Ona prawdopodobnie b´dzie teraz w domu. She will probably be at home
now.

'EVEN'. The usual word for the adverb of surprise 'even' is nawet:
Nawet ja to rozumiem. Even I understand that.
However, with comparative adjectives and adverbs, one may also express
'even' with jeszcze:
On mówi jeszcze lepiej ni˝ja. He speaks even better than I.
'EITHER'. One expresses 'either' in the since of 'not either' witº te˝ nie:
- Nie rozumiem zbyt dobrze. I don't understand very well.
- Ja te˝ nie rozumiem zbyt dobrze. I don't understand either.

'STILL', 'EVEN', 'ONE MORE': jeszcze. The usual meaning of jeszcze is

the 'still' of continuation:
Czy jeszcze tam pracujesz? Do you still work there?
As we have seen just above, jeszcze also can mean 'even' in combination
with comparatives:
Ten samochód jest jeszcze lepszy. That car is even better.

The word jeszcze can also mean 'one more', 'one additional', 'else', as in:
coÊ jeszcze something else ktoÊjeszcze someone else
gdzieÊ jeszcze someplace else jeszcze raz one more time

89
2. LEKCJA DRUGA
åWICZENIA 2.E.

2.25. Comparative adverbs with the phrases even', 'a lot'. Because of the contrast, in
this exercise, do not omit the pronouns.
ty, ja, mówiç: a. Ty mówisz jeszcze lepiej ni˝ ja. You speak even better than
I.
b. Ja mówi´ o wiele gorzej ni˝ ty. I speak a lot worse than you.
on, ona, pami´taç; ja, ty, rozumieç; ona, ja, pracowaç; pan, ja, ˝yç; ty, ona,
mieszkaç.

2.25.

2.26. English, French: Mówi´ po angielsku lepiej ni˝ po francusku. I

speak English better than French.
Italian, Spanish; Polish, Russian; German, French.

2.26.

2.27. Superlative degree of 'good'.

telewizor: a. Czy ten telewizor jest dobry? Is that television set good?
b. Tak, to jest nasz najlepszy telewizor. Yes, that's our best
television set.
or: Nie, to jest nasz najgorszy telewizor. No, that's our
worst television set.
pralka, samochód, radio, magnetofon, lampa, video.

2.27.

2.28. Contrast of ten and tamten; contrast of 'good' and 'better', 'bad' and 'worse'.

telewizor: Ten telewizor jest dobry, ale tamten jest jeszcze lepszy. That
television set is good, but that one is even better.

ksià˝ka, krzes∏o, stó∏, hotel, student, lektorka, radio.

2.28.

2.29. Do exercise 28 using z∏y and gorszy.

telewizor: Ten telewizor jest z∏y, ale tamten jest jeszcze gorszy. That
television set is good, but that one is even better.

90

2.30. Give a question that the statement could answer.
Mieszkam w Warszawie: Gdzie pan(i) mieszka?
1. Pracuj´ w Krakowie.
2. Nazywam si´ Maria Zieliƒska.
3. Ta winda jest zepsuta.
4. Tamta winda te˝ nie dzia∏a.
5. Mam na imi´ Michael.
6. Mówi´ dobrze po polsku.
2.31. Sentence pairs based on the conversations. Translate into Polish.
1. Where do you live?
I live in Warsaw.
2. Where do you work?
I work in Krakow.
3. What is your name?
My name is Jan Zieliƒski (Joanna
Zieliƒska).
4. Why are you asking?
I'm simply curious.
5. Are you married (m/f)?
That's only my affair.
6. I don't understand why he is
asking.
I don't understand either.
7. What's your (first) name?
My (first) name is KrzyÊ (Krysia).
8. That's not a Polish name.
No, it's English.
9. How would that be in Polish?
I don't know.
10. I'm curious how Chris would be
in Polish.
In Polish Chris is KrzyÊ (Krysia).
91
2. LEKCJA DRUGA
7. Nie rozumiem, co mówi ta pani.
8. Ona mówi zbyt szybko.
9. Margaret to jest angielskie imi´.
10. Po polsku Michael to Micha∏.
11. "Przecie˝" znaczy to samo, co
"after all" po angielsku.
11. Do you understand what that
man is saying?
No, he's speaking French.
12. Do you understand French?
Yes, but that man is speaking too
quickly.
13. Do you understand what that
lady is saying?
No, she is speaking too indistinctly.
14. Is that TV set any good?
No, it's old and broken.
15. Is that radio any good?
Yes, it probably works.
16. Is that elevator over there also
broken?
I don't know.
17. What does that word mean?
What word?
18. How does one say "almost" in
Polish?
I don't know how one says that.
19. I don't know what that word
means.
I don't know either.
20. Where do you work?
I live and work in Krakow.
 2.32. FILL IN THE BLANKS, TRANSLATING THE GIVEN WORD OR
PHRASE, AND PUTTING IT IN THE CORRECT FORM.
1. Jak to b´dzie ---? 24. Czy on --- pracuje?
in English someplace
2. Co znaczy to ---? word 25. Czy wiesz, --- on mieszka?
3. Czy ta pralka jest ---? where
broken 26. Dlaczego ---?
4. Czy pan (pani) jest ---? are you asking
married 27. To jest ---.
5. Czy rozumiesz, co mówi ---? our new museum
that gentleman (that lady) 28. Kto tu mówi po polsku ---?
6. Czy ta winda --- jest dobra? the best
also 29. Nasz samochód jest ---.
7. Dlaczego pan (pani) ---? better
want to know 30. Jestem pewien, --- on tam b´dzie.
8. Gdzie pan (pani) ---? work that
9. JesteÊ ---? 31. ---, gdzie on pracuje.
certain I don't remember
10. Mieszkam w ---. 32. Nie rozumiem, --- ona mówi.
Krakow what
11. Ta winda --- dzia∏a. 33. Nikt --- nic nie wie.
probably never
12. On (ona) mówi bardzo ---. 34. On mówi --- ni˝ ja.
indistinctly better
13. On (ona) mówi --- szybko. 35. Ona mówi --- lepiej ni˝ ja.
too even
14. Ta pralka --- dzia∏a. 36. Tamto radio jest ---.
not either better
15. --- jestem ciekawy (ciekawa). 37. To radio jest lepsze -- tamto.
Simply than
16. --- nic nie rozumiem. 38. To --- nie jest polskie imi´.
Almost probably
17. --- mówisz po francusku. 39. To jest --- radio.
But (After all) our worst
18. "Przecie˝" znaczy ---"ale". 40. To jest --- szko∏a.
the same (thing) as our best
19. To jest ---. 41. Nie wiem, --- on mówi po polsku.
my business whether
20. To nie jest ---. 42. To jest ---.
a Polish first name difficult question
21. Mówi´ ___ po polsku. 43. To s∏owo nie jest zbyt ---.
a little important
22. Czy idziesz ---? home 44. Tamto s∏owo jest --- wa˝ne.
23. Czy --- tu mieszka? more/most
someone

brakujàce wyrazy
 VOCABULARY TO LESSON 2
albo conj either j´zyk mi -a language, tongue. j´zyk
angielski aj English. av po angielsku in polski Polish language
English kiedy av when, kiedyÊ sometime
bardziej av more kiepski aj colloquial bad, lousy
b´d´, b´dziesz see byç Kraków -kowa mi Krakow. w Krakowie
bo conj because, since in Krakow
byç jestem jesteÊ jest be. future b´d´ kto pron who, ktoÊ someone
b´dziesz lepiej comp av of dobry better. sup av
chcieç chc´, chcesz impf want najlepiej best
chyba av probably. chyba nie probably lepszy comp aj of dobry better. najlepszy
not. chyba tak probably so sup aj of dobry best
cichy aj quiet. av cicho. comp av ciszej ∏atwy aj easy. av ∏atwo
ciekaw(y), f ciekawa aj curious. magnetofon mi tape recorder
ciekaw(a) jestem,... I wonder... mieç mam, masz impf have
co pron what, coÊ something mieszkaç mieszkam, mieszkasz impf live,
czy sub conj whether dwell, reside
dlaczego av why mniej av or quant less. mniej wi´cej
dobry aj good. comp aj lepszy better. more or less
sup aj najlepszy best mój, moja, moje pron aj my, mine
dobrze av of dobry good, fine, well mówiç mówi´, mówisz impf speak, say,
drugi, druga, drugie num aj second talk
dwa (m, n), dwie (f) num two musieç -sz´, -sisz +infin must, have to
dzia∏aç dzia∏am, dzia∏asz impf intr. myliç si´ -l´ -lisz be mistaken
operate, work (of equipment), myÊleç myÊl´, myÊlisz think
function najbardziej av most
francuski aj French. av po francusku in najlepiej see lepiej
French najmniej av less
gdzie av where, gdzieÊ somewhere nazwisko n last name
g∏oÊny aj loud. av g∏oÊno. comp av nazywaç si´ nazywam si´, nazywasz si´
g∏oÊniej impf be called
gorszy comp aj of z∏y worse. najgorszy nic pron nothing. nic nie rozumiem I
sup aj worst don't understand anything
gorzej comp av of z∏y worse. najgorzej niemiecki aj German. av po niemiecku
comp av worst in German
hiszpaƒski aj Spanish. av po niewyraêny aj indistinct. av
hiszpaƒsku in Spanish niewyraênie indistinctly
ja pron I niezbyt av not too
jak av how nigdy av never
jak masz na imi´? phr what's your (first) nigdzie av nowhere
name? nijak av nohow
jakoÊ av somehow nikt pron no one
jeÊç jem jesz impf eat ni˝ conj than
jeÊli conj if o wiele av phr by a lot
2. LEKCJA DRUGA
odpowiadaç -am -asz impf answer trzeba +infinitive one must, one should
owszem av why yes, but of course ty pron you (sg. informal)
pami´taç -am,-asz impf remember tylko av only
pewien, f pewna aj certain, sure uwa˝aç uwa˝am,, uwa˝asz consider
polski aj Polish. av po polsku in Polish Warszawa f Warsaw. w Warszawie in
powoli av slowly Warsaw
Poznaƒ -ania mi Poznan (town). w wiedzieç wiem wiesz imp know
Poznaniu in Poznan. (information)
praca f job, work wiele see o wiele
pracowaç pracuj´, pracujesz impf work wi´cej comp av or quant more
prawie av almost winda f elevator
prosiç prosz´, prosisz impf ask, request Wroc∏aw -wia mi Wroclaw (town). we
prosty aj simple. av po prostu simply Wroc∏awiu in Wroclaw
prosz´ pana (pani) phr if you please, sir wyraêny aj distinct. av wyraênie
(madam) distinctly
przecie˝ av after all, but zam´˝na aj married (of a woman)
pytaç pytam, pytasz impf ask a question zawsze av always
rosyjski aj Russian. av po rosyjsku in zbyt an too, too much
Russian zepsuty aj spoiled, broken, ruined
rozumieç -em -esz impf understand z∏y aj bad. comp aj gorszy worse. sup aj
si´ refl part self, oneself najgorszy worst
s∏abo av weakly. s∏abo mówiç speak znaczyç znaczy us 3.p. mean, signify. co
poorly to znaczy? what does that mean?
sprawa f matter, affair, concern. To znak mi sign
moja sprawa. That's my business zupe∏nie av completely
studiowaç studiuj´, studiujesz impf êle av badly. comp av gorzej worse. sup
study a subject av najgorzej worst
szybki aj quick. av szybko quickly ˝e sub conj that
telewizor mi -a television set ˝onaty aj married (of a man)
te˝ nie av phr not either
troch´ quant a little bit
trudny aj difficult s∏owniczek

94
 2. LEKCJA DRUGA
SUPPLEMENTARY CONVERSATIONS

Pies i pan. Dog and master.

kaganiec muzzle. ∏awka bench. na ∏awce on the bench. park park. w

parku in the park. spacer stroll. na spacerze on a stroll. trawa grass. na
trawie on the grass. pies dog. z psem with a dog. pan (here:) master.

Myd∏o i ˝yletki

- Idziesz na spacer? Are you going on a walk?

- Nie, do sklepu. Chc´ kupiç No, to the store. I want to buy cigarettes.
papierosy.
- Chodêmy razem. Ja te˝ musz´ Let's go together. I also have to buy
coÊkupiç.. something.
- Co? What?
- Myd∏o i ˝yletki, jeÊli musisz Soap and safety razors, if you must
wiedzieç. know.

chodêmy let's go razem av together

kupiç -pi´ -pisz pf buy
musieç musz´ musisz +infin must,
have to
myd∏o n soap
papierosy pl cigarettes
sklep mi store. do sklepu to the store
spacer mi walk, stroll. na spacer for a
walk. na spacerze on a walk
˝yletka –tek f safety razor

95
2. LEKCJA DRUGA
B. Mówisz dobrze po polsku
- Mówisz bardzo dobrze po
polsku.
- Dzi´kuj´, ale rozumiem o wiele
lepiej, ni˝ mówi´..
- Skàd znasz tak dobrze j´zyk
polski?
- Moi rodzice mówià po polsku w
domu.
- Czy twoja siostra (twój brat)
mówi po polsku tak dobrze jak
ty?
- Nie, niestety, on (ona) prawie nie
mówi po polsku, ale du˝o
rozumie.
brat mp brother
du˝o quant a lot
mój, moja, moje poss aj of ja my
niestety av unfortunately
moi rodzice mppl my parents
C. Lubi´ Êpiewaç
Dobrze Êpiewasz.
Dzi´kuj´, lubi´ Êpiewaç i graç na
gitarze.
Znasz jakieÊ polskie piosenki?
OczywiÊcie, znam bardzo du˝o.
No to prosz´ zagraj <zaÊpiewaj>
coÊ <dla mnie (nas)>.
Nie, wstydz´ si´.
dla prep for (the benefit of). dla
mnie for me. dla nas for us
gitara f guitar. na gitarze on the
guitar
graç gram, grasz play. graç na
gitarze play the guitar
jakieÊ piosenki any kind of songs
lubiç lubi´, lubisz + infin like (to)
96
You speak Polish very well.
Thanks, but I understand a lot better
than I speak
Where do you know Polish so well
from?
My parents speak Polish at home.
Does you sister (brother) speak Polish
as well as you?
No, unfortunately he (she) almost
doesn't speak Polish, but he (she)
understands a lot.
rodzina f family
siostra f sister
twój, twoja, twoje poss aj of ty your
something)
You sing well.
Thanks, I like to sing and play the
guitar.
Do you know any Polish songs?
Of course, I know a lot.
Well then please play <sing>
something <for me (us)>
No, I'm embarrassed.
piosenka f song. piosenki songs
Êpiewaç Êpiewam, Êpiewasz sing
wstydziç si´ wstydz´ si´, wstydzisz
si´ be embarrassed.
zagraj coÊ play something
zaÊpiewaj coÊ sing something
znaç znam, znasz know someone or
something
 2. LEKCJA DRUGA
Przygody biura podró˝y "Zefir"
Rozdzia∏ drugi: Pan Józef Kowalczyk

Pan Józef Kowalczyk pracuje jako dyrektor biura podró˝y w Warszawie.

Pan Kowalczyk jest bardzo wymagajàcy i punktualny. Ma szwajcarski
zegarek, na który patrzy co chwil´. Nie lubi, kiedy jego pracownik, pan
Wiktor Or∏owski, jak zwykle jest spóêniony.

Józef nie jest ˝onaty. Mieszka sam. Jego mieszkanie jest du˝e, wygodne i
bardzo drogie. Józef ma prywatny gara˝, gdzie trzyma swój nowy
samochód. Samochód jest du˝y, wygodny i bardzo drogi. Jest to niemiecki
samochód, mercedes.

Pan Józef jest bardzo bogaty. A czy jest te˝ szcz´Êliwy? OczywiÊcie, ˝e
nie. On jest zbyt ambitny, ˝eby byç naprawd´ szcz´Êliwym. On chce mieç
lepszà prac´, wi´ksze mieszkanie i dro˝szy samochód, ni˝ma. ˚ycie,
niestety, jest zbyt krótkie, ˝eby mieç wszystko.

Chocia˝ Pan Kowalczyk pracuje jako dyrektor biura podró˝y, mówi

tylko po polsku i sam nie lubi podró˝owaç. Woli byç w domu. Przecie˝w
domu jest zawsze najlepiej i najwygodniej.

ambitny aj ambitious oczywiÊcie of course. oczywiÊcie,

bogaty aj rich
biuro podró˝y travel agency.
biura podró˝y of a travel
office (Genitive case, Lesson 9)
chocia˝ conj although
co chwil´ av every so often
drogi aj expensive, dear. comp aj
dro˝szy
du˝o aj a lot
dzisiaj av today
dyrektor mp director, manager
jako as, in the function of
krótki aj short
lubiç lubi´, lubisz +infin like (to)
mieszkanie n apartment
najwygodniej compv av most
comfortable
na który patrzy at which he
glances
naprawd´ av really
niestety aj unfortunate
˝e nie phr of course not
patrzyç -rz´ -rzysz na+A look at
podró˝owaç -˝uj´ -˝ujesz travel
praca f work, job. chce mieç lepszà
prac´ He wants to have a
better job. (Accusative case,
Lesson 4)
pracownik mp worker
punktualny aj punctual
sam, sama, samo pron oneself,
alone, same
szcz´Êliwy aj happy, fortunate
szwajcarski aj Swiss
trzymaç -am -asz keep, hold
wi´kszy comp aj larger
woleç wol´, wolisz prefer
wszystko n pron aj everything
zaj´ty aj busy
zawsze av always
zegarek -rka watch
˝eby in order to

Rozdzia∏ drugi

97