1.

LEKCJA PIERWSZA

NOUNS AND NOUN GENDER.

MODIFIERS OF NOUNS.
INTRODUCING-SENTENCES.
PREDICATE ADJECTIVES.
FUNCTION WORDS.

1. Lekcja
pierwsza

jeden, jedna, jedno one. pierwszy, pierwsza, pierwsze first

hydraulik plumber. Wodnik Aquarius

Znaki Zodiaku signs of the Zodiac. The signs of the Zodiac at the beginning
of each lesson are based on a series of regular-issue Polish postage stamps.
Konwersacje Conversations:
A. Cze!
Meeting and greeting. Informal style.
B. Dzie dobry!
Meeting and greeting. Formal style.
C. Co to jest?
Asking what something is.
D. Kto to jest?
Asking who someone is.
E. Autobus
Waiting for the bus. Informal introductions.

22

1.A. Cze!
Informal style. Two class-mates meet somewhere near or on campus.
Agata: Cze, Andrzej!
Andrzej: Cze, Agata! Jak si
masz?
Agata: Tak sobie. Co sycha?
Andrzej: Nic nowego. Gdzie
teraz idziesz?
Agata: Id na zajcia. Jak
zwykle, jestem spniona.
Andrzej: A ja id do domu, to
na razie.
Agata: Cze, do zobaczenia!

Hi, Andrzej!
Hi, Agata! How are you?
So-so. What's new?
Nothing new. Where are you going
now?
I'm going to classes. As usual I'm
late.
And I'm going home, so see you.
Hey, see you!

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
For active knowledge and dictation practice:
Co sycha?
Id do domu
Do zobaczenia!
Gdzie teraz idziesz?
Id na zajcia
Jak si masz?

Jak zwykle, jestem spniony

(f. spniona).
Na razie!
Nic nowego.
Cze!
Tak sobie.

Pytania questions (for both written and oral responses)

Questios: co what? czy yes/no? gdzie where? jak how? kiedy when? kto who?
1. Gdzie teraz idzie Agata? Where is Agata going now? Gdzie idzie Andrzej?
Where is Andrzej going?
2. Jak si ma Agata? How is Agata? Co sycha u Andrzeja? What's new with
Andrzej?
3. Kto jest spniony? Who is late? Czy Agata jest zwykle spniona? Is Agata
usually late?
4. Kto idzie na zajcia? Who is going to class? Kto idzie do domu? Who is going
home?
Answer 'yes' tak or 'no' nie:
1. Agata jest spniona.
2. Andrzej idzie na zajcia.

3. Agata idzie do domu.

4. Andrzej jest spniony.

Uwagi notes
co sycha? what's up, literally, 'what's to hear?'
cze hi, bye. An informal greeting.
do zobaczenia see you, so long
i to go. id I go, idziesz you go, idzie he, she, it goes (on foot)
jak zwykle as usual
jestem I am. jeste you are, jest he, she, it is.
na razie so long. Literally, 'for the moment, for the time being'.
on he, ona she
spniony (f. spniona) aj late
to (here): so, then

24

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
GRAMATYKA 1.A.
REVIEW OF POLISH CONSONANT SOUNDS AND LETTERS.
a. Equivalent Polish/English sounds using the same letters: p b f m t
d s z n k g.
b. Equivalent Polish/English sounds using different letters: w "v", "w",
j "y", ch "h". Polish ch, also sometimes spelled h, is more heavily aspirated
than English "h".
c. More or less equivalent Polish/English sounds, but pronounced
noticeably differently: r (trilled r, rolled on the tip of the tongue); l (soft l,
like r, pronounced on the tip of the tongue).
d. Sounds which are considered double (two sounds) in English, but
single (one sound) in Polish: c "ts", dz "dz".
e. Special letters and letter-combinations for the hushing sounds and :
"soft"
(ci-)
(si-)
(zi-)
d (dzi-)
(ni-)

"hard"
cz
sz
rz or
d

closest English sound

"ch"
"sh"
"zh"
"j"
"ni" in onion

For a more thorough treatment of the consonants, with examples, see the
Introduction.
NOTES ON CERTAIN CONSONANTS
ch The letter-combination ch is similar to English "h", but with slightly
more friction. Do not pronounce ch like English ch in cheese or patch because
this is interpreted as Polish cz. The difficulty with the sound ch is partly
visual; however, it also has to do with the fact that the English "h" sound
does not occur between vowels and at the end of words, as Polish ch does, so
English speakers do not expect it to occur there. Practice: chyba probably,
chory sick, cichy quiet, ucho ear, dach roof, szachy chess, niech let, miech
laughter, orzech nut, kuchnia kitchen, ruch movement, traffic, duch spirit.
c Before the letter i, the letter c (without any mark above it) is
pronounced like : , ciasto "asto" dough, cicho "icho" quiet. Otherwise, c is
pronounced like English ts in cats. Do not pronounce c like "hard English c"
in cough, because this is inerpreted as Polish k. The difficulty with this sound
is partly visual, but it also has to do with the fact that the English "ts" sound
does not occur between vowels and at the beginning of words, as c does in
Polish. Practice: co what, cay "CA-y" whole, cena "CE-na" price, cudzy "CUdzy" foreign, cyrk circus, taca "TA-ca" tray, dziecko "DEC-ko" child, koc
blanket, noc night, nic nothing.
z Before the letter i, the letter z (without any mark above it) is
pronounced like : ziarno "arno" grain, zima "ima" winter. Otherwise, z is
pronounced just like English z in zoo. While the letter z is not frequent in
English, the letter and sound "z" is common in Polish. Do not slur plain
Polish z, for this becomes confused with the Polish sound . Practice: za in

25

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
exchange for, zebra zebra, zysk profit, ze mn "ZE-mn" with me, faza phase,
beze mnie "be-ZE-me" without me. In word-final position, z is pronounced
"s": bez "bes"without, paz "pas" reptile, raz "ras" once, wz "vus" cart, car.
LETTER-COMBINATIONS WITH z
cz The letter-combination cz represents a sound similar to "tch" in
English watch. Practice: czas time, czsto often, oczy eyes, uczy teach, poczta
mail, post-office.
dz Before the letter i, the letter-combination dz is pronounced like d:
dzib "dup" beak, dziki "diki" wild. Otherwise, the letters dz (without any
mark above the z) are pronounced like English dz in adze. Practice: chodz
"CHO-dz" I walk, widz "WI-dz" I see. In word-final position, dz is
pronounced "c": wdz "wuc" leader.
rz The letter-combination rz is an alternate way of spelling the same
sound as (similar to s in treasure). The words morze sea and moe maybe
are pronounced exactly the same. Practice: rzeka river, dobrze "DO-be"
fine, twarze "TFA-e" faces, orze "O-e" eagle. In final position, and after t,
p, k, the letter-combination rz is pronounced "sz": trzeba "TSZE-ba" one
must, przepraszam "psze-PRA-szam" excuse me, krzeso "KSZE-so" chair,
twarz "tfasz" face. The basis for spelling rz or has to do with etymology.
The sound spelled rz is etymologically related to r, which will often be
found in related words; see morze "MO-e" sea, related to morski maritime.
sz The letter-combination sz is pronounced close to English "sh" as in
shop. Practice: kasza ""KA-sza" buckwheat groats, szampan "SZAM-pan"
champagne, szukam "SZU-kam" I am searching, tusz mascara.
NOUNS AND NOUN GENDER. Polish nouns may be of masculine,
feminine, or neuter gender. Gender is a purely grammatical property of
nouns, with little or no meaning. However, from the point of view of
grammatical correctness, gender is of great practical importance, because
modifiers and some verb endings agree with a noun in gender, i.e., they
change endings according to the gender of the noun.
1. MASCULINE NOUNS usually end in a consonant: budynek building,
dugopis ball-point, dom house, home, hotel hotel, obraz picture, owek
pencil, samochd car, automobile, st table, sufit ceiling, uniwersytet
university, zeszyt notebook. A good many masculine names for persons end
in -a: kolega colleague, class-mate, mczyzna man.
2. FEMININE NOUNS usually end in -a: kobieta woman, koleanka f.
colleague, class-mate, kreda chalk, ksika book, lampa lamp, light, mapa map,
Polska Poland, podoga floor, szkoa school, ciana wall, tablica blackboard.
Some feminine nouns end in consonants: noc night, rzecz thing, twarz face.
3. NEUTER NOUNS usually end in -o: biurko desk, drzewo tree,
dziecko child, krzeso chair, ko bed, okno window, piro pen, feather,
radio radio, sowo word. Some neuter nouns end in -e: pytanie question,
zadanie assignment, zdanie opinion, sentence, ycie life; some end in -: imi
first name, zwierz animal; and a few end in -um: muzeum museum,
laboratorium laboratory.

26

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns: st, lampa, ko.

4. NOUNS REFERRING TO PEOPLE are generally masculine or

feminine according to sex; and many personal nouns have separate male
and female forms: kolega (m.), koleanka (f.) colleague, class-mate, lektor
(m.), lektorka (f.) language teacher, nauczyciel (m.), nauczycielka (f.)
(school)teacher, student student (m.), studentka (f.) student, ssiad (m.),
ssiadka (f.) neighbor, ucze (m.), uczennica (f.) school-boy/girl. However, the
word osoba person is simply a noun of feminine gender. It always takes
feminine agreement, whether it refers to a man or woman. The word
profesor professor does not have special male and female forms. Instead, one
distinguishes reference if necessary by prefacing the word with the titles pan
or pani: pan profesor (m.), pani profesor (f.).
5. ADJECTIVAL NOUNS are adjectival in form, but have the function of
nouns in sentences. They usually refer to people. Examples are krewny (f.
krewna) relative, znajomy (f. znajoma) friend, acquaintance.
ABSENCE OF DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES. Polish does not
have correspondents to the English definite and indefinite articles a(n), the.
One determines the definiteness of an item from context:
Tu jest dugopis. Here is a/the ball-point.
Tu jest ksika. Here is a/the book.
Tu jest krzeso. Here is a/the chair.
The pronominal adjective ten (m.) ta (f.) to (n.) may be used for definite
emphasis:
Gdzie jest ten dugopis? Where is this/that ball-point?
Gdzie jest ta ksika? Where is this/that book?
Gdzie jest to krzeso? Where is this/that chair?
The modifier tamten (m.) tamta (f.) tamto (n.) is used for especially
contrastive emphasis: 'that other one', 'that one over there'.
Ten dom jest nowy, a tamten jest stary. That house is new, while that one
is old.

27

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
MODIFIERS (ADJECTIVES AND PRONOMINAL ADJECTIVES). An
adjective is a word which modifies a noun as to quality or type. Adjectives
and most pronominal modifiers (like 'this', 'that', 'our', etc.) agree with the
modified noun according to the noun's gender. In practice, this means that
the adjective or pronominal modifier changes endings according to the
gender of the noun modified. The adjective endings are -y (m.), -a (f.), and e (n.). Adjectives are cited in dictionaries in the masculine form.
dobry good
duy big, large
adny pretty
may small
miy nice
mody young
nowy new
pierwszy first
stary old
wany important
zy bad

masculine
dobry
duy
adny
may
miy
mody
nowy
pierwszy
stary
wany
zy

feminine
dobra
dua
adna
maa
mia
moda
nowa
pierwsza
stara
wana
za

neuter
dobre
due
adne
mae
mie
mode
nowe
pierwsze
stare
wane
ze

See also interesujcy -a -e interesting, wymagajcy -a -e demanding,

wspaniay -a -e great, marvelous, and so on, for all adjectives. Examples:
nowy dom new house
wspaniay hotel a great hotel
nowa lampa new lamp
wspaniaa szkoa a great school
nowe piro new pen
wspaniae muzeum a great museum.
After k and g, the
ending -e:
drogi expensive
jaki what kind, what sort
taki such (a), so

ending -y is respelled -i; and -i- is added before the

drogi
jaki
taki

droga
jaka
taka

drogie
jakie
takie

Pronominal modifiers may have slightly different masculine or neuter

endings from adjectives:
ten this, that
ten
ta
to
tamten that over there
tamten
tamta
tamto
jeden one
jeden
jedna
jedno
nasz our
nasz
nasza
nasze
Examples:
m. ten nowy samochd that new car
f. ta nowa szkoa that new school
n. to nowe sowo that new word
m. nasz nowy lektor our new language instructor
f. nasza nowa szkoa our new school
n. nasze nowe zadanie our new assignment

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
m. jeden dobry student one good student (m.)
f. jedna dobra osoba one good person
n. jedno mae dziecko one small child.
Masculine nouns for persons ending in -a take masculine gender agreement:
nasz nowy kolega our new class-mate, colleague.
'HERE' AND 'THERE'
The word for the adverb 'here' is tu or, slightly emphatically, tutaj. The
word for 'there' is tam. Both these words answer questions posed with gdzie
where:
Nowa szkoa jest tutaj. The new school is here.
Tu jest nasz dom. Here is our house.
Tam jest nasz nowy lektor. There's our new language-teacher.
Note that 'existential' there in English is not translated by tam in Polish, but
is included in the sense of jest (there) is:
Tu jest dobre muzeum. There is a good museum here.

Cze! Poles tend to shake hands more often than Americans when meeting
chance friends and acquaintances .

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
WICZENIA 1.A.
1.1. Give a logical response:
Cze!
Jak si masz?
Co sycha?
Do zobaczenia!

Gdzie teraz idziesz?

Jeste spniona?
Idziesz na zajcia?
Na razie.

1.2. Demonstrative pronoun ten ta to. Gender agreement.

biurko: to biurko that desk.
budynek, dugopis, imi, kobieta, kolega, koleanka, kreda, krzeso,
ksika, laboratorium, lektor, mczyzna, muzeum, noc, obraz, osoba,
pytanie, radio, rzecz, ssiad, sowo, st, szkoa, zadanie, zeszyt, znajoma,
znajomy, zwierz.
1.2.
1.3. 'our nasz nasza nasze. From Exercise 1.2, choose at least six appropriate
nouns of different genders to use with 'our'.
nasze zadanie our assignment
1.3.
1.4. What sort of jaki jaka jakie.
biurko:
Jakie jest to biurko: What's that desk like?
Use the vocabulary of exercise 1.2, choosing at least six words.
1.4.
1.5. Identity statements with to jest. In b, use the adjective 'new', or any other
adjectives that makes sense.
lampa: a. To jest lampa. That's a lamp.
b. To jest nowa lampa. That's a new lamp.
tablica, sufit, krzeso, kreda, st, zeszyt, owek, biurko, ciana, obraz,
szkoa.
1.5.

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.6. 'Here' tu 'there' tam; adjective and modifier agreement. Vary the adjective.
szkoa: a. Tu jest dobra szkoa. Here's a good school.
b. Tam jest nasza nowa szkoa. There is our new school.
st, samochd, radio, muzeum, ksika, uniwersytet.
1.6.
1.7. 'That one over there' tamten tamta tamto.
nowa szkoa: Tamta szkoa jest nowa. That school over there is new.
wane sowo, drogi samochd, adny obraz, interesujca ksika, wspaniae
muzeum.
1.7.
1.8. 'one' jeden jedna jedno. In b., supply your own adjective.
krzeso:
a. jedno krzeso.
b. Tu jest jedno dobre krzeso. Here is one good chair.
lampa, radio, owek, drzewo, szkoa, student, zdanie, dugopis, imi,
lekcja.
1.8.
1.9. such a taki taka takie.
due krzeso: To krzeso nie jest takie due. That chair is not so large.
adny obraz, drogi hotel, interesujca ksika, wymagajca szkoa, dobry
student, adne imi, wane sowo.
1.9.

Ticket from the Battle of Grunwald Museum, outside Olsztyn. Grunwald

was the site of a renowned late medieval victory of Polish Commonwealth
troops over the Knights of the Teutonic Order, in 1410.

31

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Dzie dobry! Hello!

A man and woman, maybe neighbors or old acquaintances, have an

encounter on the street. In Poland, people often stand closer to one another
when speaking than in the U.S.

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

1.B. Dzie dobry!

Formal style. Two older people out shopping, casual acquaintances, meet on a street
corner.
Pan Karol: Dzie dobry pani!
Hello (madam)!
Pani Maria: Dzie dobry panu! Jak
Hello (sir)! How are you?
si pan ma?
Pan Karol: Dobrze, dzikuj. A
Fine thanks. And you?
pani?
Pani Maria: Te dobrze. Co pan tu Also fine. What are you doing here?
robi?
Pan Karol: Robi zakupy.
I'm doing (some) shopping. Excuse
me, but I'm in a big <a bit of a>
Przepraszam, ale bardzo <troch> si
hurry.
piesz.
I have to go too. So good-bye.
Pani Maria: Ja te musz i. To do
widzenia.
Pan Karol: Do widzenia.
Good-bye.

For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Bardzo si piesz.
Dzie dobry panu!
Co pan(i) tu robi?
Ja te musz i.
Do widzenia.
Jak si pan(i) ma?
Dobrze, dzikuj.
Przepraszam.
Dzie dobry pani!
Robi zakupy.

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Pytania (for both written and oral responses)
In your anwers, you may want to make use of the phrases Tak yes. Nie no.
Chyba tak probably so. Chyba nie probably not. Nie wiemy we don't know.
1. Jak si ma pan Karol? A jak si ma pani Maria?
2. Co robi pan Karol? A co robi pani Maria?
3. Kto si pieszy? Kto robi zakupy?
4. Kto musi ju i?
Tak/Nie
1. Pan Karol robi zakupy.
2. Pan Karol bardzo si pieszy.

3. Pani Maria te robi zakupy.

4. Pan Karol musi jui.

Uwagi
co pan (pani) tu robi? What are you doing here? Literally, 'what is sir
(madam) doing here?'. An ordinary level of formality with casual
acquaintances.
do widzenia good-bye
dzie dobry hello. Literally, 'good day'. This greeting is used as a general
all-purpose greeting in the morning, daytime, and early evening. In the
late evening one uses dobry wieczr good evening.
dzie dobry panu (pani). literally, 'good day to you, sir (madam)'. The
expression uses Dative-case forms of pan and pani.
ja te I too ("me too")
jak si pan(i) ma? how are you? A fairly earnest inquiry about someone's
health. Informal jak si masz is more frequent (see conversation B).
musz i I have to go. musz wraca I have to be getting back.
Pan Karol Mr. Karol, Pani Maria Ms. Mary. The titles Pan Mr. and Pani Ms.
are used with first names in normal friendly conversation.
pan gentleman, sir. pani lady, madam (southern U.S. ma'am) These are
forms of polite address, used as de facto 2nd-person pronouns in the sense
"you". dzie dobry panu/pani. Dative case forms of pan/pani (Lesson 7).
przepraszam excuse me, I'm sorry, I beg your pardon. The lettercombination prze- is pronounced "psze-": "prze-PRA-szam".
robi to do robi I do robisz you-sg. do robi he, she, it, sir, madam does.
pieszy si to be in a hurry piesz si I am in a hurry pieszysz si you
are in a hurry, pieszy si (s)he is in a hurry. bardzo si pieszs I'm in a
big hurry. troch si piesz I'm in a bit of a hurry
te also
u pana, u pani with you, in your world (to a man, woman).

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
GRAMATYKA 1.B.
THIRD-PERSON SINGULAR PRONOUNS. The 3rd-person pronouns on he,
it, ona she, it, ono it refer to nouns according to grammatical gender, not
according to sex. Hence one refers to szkoa school with ona she, to hotel hotel
with on he, and to muzeum museum with ono it. See:
To jest nasz hotel. On jest nowy. That is our new hotel. It is new.
To jest nasza szkoa. Ona jest nowa. That is our new school. It is new.
To jest nasze muzeum. Ono jest nowe. That is our new museum. It is
new.
The 3rd-person titles pan sir, Mr. and pani madam, lady, Mrs., Ms. are
used in the sense of 'you' when addressing strangers and persons with
whom one is on a formal basis. They never mean 'he', 'she'. These de facto
2nd-person pronouns take the 3rd-person form of the verb:
Co pan (pani) robi? What are you doing? (formal; literally, 'what is
sir/madam doing?'). Contrast with:
Co robisz? What are you doing? (informal).
When preceded by modifiers, especially by the pronominal modifiers ten
and ta, these words acquire the meaning 'gentleman', 'lady' or, more
generally, 'man', 'woman':
Ten pan jest bardzo stary. That man (gentleman) is very old.
Ta pani jest bardzo mia. That woman (lady) is very nice.
VERBS; FORMAL VS. INFORMAL ADDRESS (INTRODUCTION). Verbs are
listed in the glossary in the infinitive (the form that means 'to go', 'to do',
and so on). Next to the infinitive are the 1st person singular (the "I" form)
and the 2nd person singular (the "you" form):
verb (infinitive):
by be
i go (on foot)
mie to have
mwi say
myle think
pyta ask
robi do

1st pers. sg.

jestem
id
mam
mwi
myl
pytam
robi

2nd pers. sg.

jeste
idziesz
masz
mwisz
mylisz
pytasz
robisz

he, she, formal 'you'

on, ona, pan(i) jest
on, ona, pan(i) idzie
on, ona, pan(i) ma
on, ona, pan(i) mwi
on, ona, pan(i) myli
on, ona, pan(i) pyta
on, ona, pan(i) robi

For all verbs except by to be, the 3rd pers. sg. may be derived from the
2nd pers. sg. by subtracting -sz:
2nd pers. sg.
idziesz you go
pytasz you ask
robisz you do,
and so on.

3rd pers sg.

idzie he, she, it goes
pyta he, she, it asks
robi he, she it does

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
The 1st pers. and 2nd pers. forms of a verb are usually used without any
pronoun; robi all by itself means 'I do, I am doing', and robisz means 'you
do, you are doing'. The 2nd pers. sg. form of a Polish verb is used for
informal address, with persons with whom one is on a familiar, first-name
basis (family members and close friends). Otherwise, one uses pan sir or
pani madam in combination with the third-person singular form of the verb:
Informal:
Co robisz?
Gdzie idziesz?
Jak mylisz?
Co mwisz?
O co pytasz?
and so on.

Formal:
Co pan(i) robi? What are you doing?
Gdzie pan(i) idzie? Where are you going?
Jak pan(i) myli? What (how) do you think?
Co pan(i) mwi? What are you saying?
O co pan(i) pyta? What are you asking (about)?

WICZENIA 1.B.
1.10. Respond logically:
Dzie dobry!
Jak si pan(i) ma?
Co pan(i) tu robi?
Przepraszam, musz i.

Gdzie pan idzie?

Czy pan robi zakupy?
Bardzo si piesz.
Do widzenia!

1.11. Formal versus informal verb use. Use either pan or pani.
Jak si masz?
Jak si pani ma? How are you (formal)
Gdzie idziesz?
Czy robisz zakupy?
Co robisz?
Czy idziesz na zajcia?
Gdzie jeste?
Jak mylisz?
Czy jeste spniona?
Jak si masz?
Bardzo si pieszysz?
Jeste spniony (spniona)?
1.11.
1.12. Logical adjective use; gender agreement. Use of third-person pronouns.
Choose from: dobry, drogi, duy, interesujcy, adny, mody, may, miy,
nowy, spniony, stary, wany, wspaniay, wymagajcy, zy:
dom:

a. Jaki jest ten dom? What's that house like?

b. On jest nowy. It is new.

krzeso, obraz, sowo, ssiadka, profesor, osoba, uniwersytet, lekcja, zwierz,

radio, sufit, ksika, pytanie, muzeum, hotel.
1.12.

36

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.13. Give the verb in the 1sp person sg.
i:
id I am going.
robi, myle, by, pyta, mie, mwi.
1.13.

stara szkoa old school. Sign outside a school in the old part of Toru

37

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

Hotel i Casino Centrum The Centrum Hotel and Casino in Ld. The
word casino is pronounced and usually spelled "kasyno".
1.C. Co to jest?
Two people walking along the street, one a local, the other a stranger.
Mietek: Co to jest?
What's that?
Magosia: Gdzie?
Where?
Mietek: Ten budynek tam <tutaj>.
That building there <here>.
Magosia: To jest nowy hotel <nowa
That's a new hotel <new school, new
szkoa, nowe muzeum>.
museum>.
Mietek: On <ona, ono> jest wspaniay
It's marvelous.
<wspaniaa,
You think so?
wspaniae>.
Yes.
Magosia: Tak mylisz?
Well I think it's ordinary.
Mietek: Tak.
Magosia: A ja myl, e jest
zwyczajny<zwyczajna, zwyczajne>.

38

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
For active knowledge and dictation practice:
Co to jest?
Ja myl, e on jest zwyczajny.
Jak mylisz?
On jest wspaniay.
Ona jest wspaniaa.

Ono jest wspaniae.

Tak mylisz?
To jest nowa szkoa.
To jest nowe muzeum.
To jest nowy hotel.

Pytania (refer to the picture on the preceding page)

1. Co to jest? Jaki jest ten budynek? Czy jest duy czy may? Czy jest
nowy czy stary?
2. Kto mwi, e hotel jest wspaniay?
3. Jak mylisz: czy ten hotel jest wspaniay czy zwyczajny?

Tak/Nie
1. To jest nowe muzeum.
2. Ten budynek jest may.

3. Ten budynek jest stary.

4. To jest i casino, i hotel.
Uwagi

budynek building
jak mylisz? what do you think?
Magosia. Diminutive or familiar form of Magorzata Margaret.
Mietek Diminutive or familiar form of Mieczysaw.
nowy hotel new hotel, nowa szkoa, new school, nowe muzeum new
museum.
on he, it, ona she, it, ono it. These items refer to nouns by grammatical
gender, not by sex; hence hotel: on; szkoa: ona; muzeum: ono.
myle: myl, mylisz think. jak mylisz? what do you think? tak mylisz?
you think so? nie mylisz? don't you think so?
wspaniay (wspaniaa, wspaniae) great, 'neat', 'swell' (uncritical approval)
zwyczajny aj ordinary

39

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
GRAMATYKA 1.C.
INTRODUCING AND IDENTITY STATEMENTS. One asks what or who
something "is", i.e. what is their identity, with the constructions Co to jest?
What is that? and Kto to jest? Who is that?, respectively. One answers both
kinds of questions with the construction To jest --- That is (a, the) ---. To jest
acts as a unit; the item to never changes according to the gender of the thing
or person being introduced:
Co to jest? What is that?
To jest nasz nowy obraz. That is our new picture.
Kto to jest? Who is that?
To jest nasza nowa lektorka. That is our new language instructor.
The word jest is frequently omitted (the item to may never be omitted in a
statement of identity): To nasza ssiadka. That's our neighbor.
To jest AS A LINKING PHRASE. The phrase to jest may be used to link two
nouns, in case the second noun is used to identify the first:
Ten pan to (jest) nasz ssiad. That man is our neighbor.
Ta pani to (jest) nasza lektorka. That woman is our language-teacher.
PREDICATE ADJECTIVES. Adjectives which are linked to the subject of a
sentence with the verb 'be' are called PREDICATE ADJECTIVES. They agree
in gender with the subject-noun referred to:
Ten pan jest bardzo miy. That man is very nice (masculine agreement).
Ta pani jest do moda. That woman is fairly young (feminine agreement).
To radio nie jest zbyt stare. That radio is not too old (neuter agreement).
A predicate-adjective question can be formed with jaki jaka jakie what (kind
of) in combination with the to jest construction; jest may be omitted:
Jaki to (jest) dom? What house is that?
Jaka to (jest) osoba? What person is that?
Jakie to (jest) radio? What radio is that?
This construction is more or less the equivalent of the more frequent
construction Co to jest za ___, in which only the item under question
changes; jest may be omitted.
Co to (jest) za budynek? What sort of building is that?
Co to (jest) za szkoa? What sort of school is that?
Co to (jest) za muzeum? What sort of museum is that?
While it might seem like a subtle distinction, there is a difference between
asking, say,
Jaka to (jest) szkoa? What school is that?
with a possible answer To (jest) szkoa podstawowa. That's an elementary
school, and
Jaka jest ta szkoa? What's that school like?
with a possible answer Ona jest bardzo dobra. It's very good.

40

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
The first kind of question, with co to jest za, asks for an identification, while
the second question, with jaka jest, takes the identity for granted and asks
for a descriptive answer.
Co to jest za budynek?

Zamek krlewski w Warszawie The Royal Castle, Warsaw . The Royal Palace
in Warsaw was one of the first objects bombed in World War Two. In 1944, it
was dynamited to the ground by the retreating Nazi army. Beginning in the
1960s, it was painstakingly rebuilt; it was opened to the public as a museum
beginning in 1971.
YES-NO QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS. Questions expecting 'yes' or 'no'
for an answer are usually preceded by the interrogative particle czy,
literally meaning 'whether'. It is important to remember that czy does not
mean or substitute for the verb "is"; it simply signals a following yes-no
question. One answers a yes-no question with either tak yes or nie no.
-Czy ten obraz jest nowy? Is that picture new?
-Tak, on jest nowy. Yes, it is new.
-Nie, on nie jest nowy. No, it is not new.
Czy also means 'or' in choice-questions of the type
Czy to jest st czy biurko? Is that a table or a desk?
The word tak, besides meaning 'yes', can mean 'thus, so, as':
Ten samochd nie jest tak stary. That car isn't so old.
The word nie, besides meaning 'no', can mean 'not':
Adam nie jest spniony. Adam is not late.

41

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
WICZENIA 1.C.
1.14. For each of the objects in the picture below, point to it, repeat a., and
answer with a statement of form b.
ksika book: a. Co to jest? What is that
b. To jest ksika. That's a book.

biurko desk, dugopis ballpoint, dom house, krzeso chair, ksika book, mapa
map, owek pencil, okno window, piro pen, st table, tablica blackboard,
zeszyt notebook.

42

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.15. Identity statements. yes-no questions and answers.
lampa: a. To jest lampa. That's a lamp.
b. Czy to jest lampa? Is that a lamp?
c. Tak, to jest lampa. Yes, that is a lamp.
d. Nie, to nie jest lampa. No, that is not a lamp.
tablica, sufit, krzeso, kreda, st, zeszyt, owek, biurko, ciana, obraz.
1.15.
1.16. Logical adjective use. Choose a meaningful adjective.
dom: a. To jest nowy dom. That's a new house.
b. Czy ten dom jest nowy? Is that house new?
muzeum, osoba, praca, radio, hotel, zadanie,
uniwersytet, ksika, budynek, samochd, mapa.

twarz, laboratorium,

1.16.
1.17. Gender agreement with adjectives and pronominal modifiers. You may keep
the adjective nowy -a -e:
lektor:
To jest nasz nowy lektor. That is our new language-teacher.
szkoa, st, krzeso, lektorka, muzeum, dom, ssiadka, profesor, znajomy,
koleanka.
1.17.
1.18. Identity statements. Choose between ten pan and ta pani.
lektor:
Ten pan to nasz nowy lektor. That man is our new
language-teacher.
ssiad, kolega, koleanka, lektorka, ssiadka, profesor.
1.18.
1.19. 'a little too' troch za. Think of a logical adjective.
lektor:
Ten lektor jest troch za wymagajcy. That teacher is a little too
demanding.
dom, osoba, uniwersytet, samochd, muzeum.
1.19.

43

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

Kazimierz Wielki Kazimierz the Great (1310-1370), ruler at the time of the
great architectural expansion of Krakw and founder of the Krakw
Academy, now known as Jagiellonian University. The portrait hangs in the
Royal Castle in Warsaw, and is taken from its brochure.
1.D. Kto to jest?
On campus, two students talk about their new teacher.
Magda: Kto to jest?
Marek: Kto? Gdzie?
Magda: Tamten pan (tamta pani).
Marek: To jest nasz nowy lektor
(nasza nowa lektorka).
Magda: On (ona) jest raczej
<troch za> stary (stara), nie mylisz?
Marek: Skd. On (ona) nie jest
taki stary (taka stara).
Magda: Podobno jest bardzo
wymagajcy (wymagajca).

44

Who is that?
Who? Where?
That gentleman (lady) there.
That's our new instructor (m./f.).
S(he) is rather <a little too> old, don't
you think?
Not-at-all. (S)he's not so old.
Supposedly (s)he is very demanding.

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
For active knowledge and dictation practice:
On jest do stary.
Ona jest do stara.
Kto to jest?
Nie mylisz?
Ta pani to nasza nowa lektorka.
Ten pan to nasz nowy lektor.

On jest troch za mody.

Ona jest bardzo wymagajca.
Raczej nie.
On nie jest taki stary.
Ona nie jest taka stara.
To prawda.

Pytania (direct your attention to some unknown person you can see, or to
some picture). You may find helpful the following phrases using myle
myl mylisz think:
Jak mylisz? What (literally, 'how') do you think?
Tak mylisz? You think so?
Dlaczego tak mylisz? Why do you think so?
Myl, e I think that as in Myl, e on jest do mody. I think that
he's rather young. Note: do not omit the subordinating conjunction e.
Myl, wic jestem.I think, therefore I am..
1. Jak mylisz: kto to jest?
2. Czy on (ona) jest stary (stara) czy raczej mody (moda)?
3. Jak mylisz: co on(a) robi? Jaki (jaka) on(a) jest?
4. Kto to jest na obrazie-on the picture? Czy on jest mody czy raczej stary?

Uwagi
lektor (f. lektorka) lecturer. Used to
refer to one's language instructor.
Magda. Familiar form of
Magdalena.
podobno supposedly
raczej rather (contrastive)
skd not at all, by no means, what
do you mean? Slightly slang.
Literally, 'from where'?
tamten pan that gentleman, tamta
pani that lady.

to jest nasz lektor (f. nasza

lektorka) that's our
(language)instructor.

45

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
GRAMATYKA 1.D.
'SAY THAT', 'ASK WHETHER'.
The verb 'say' (mwi: mwi, mwisz) is followed by
subordinating conjunction e that when reporting speech:
On mwi, e bardzo si pieszy. He says that he is in a big hurry.
Ona mwi, e idzie do domu. She says that she's going home.

the

The verb 'ask' (pyta:pytam, pytasz) is followed by various question

words, just as in English, especially czy whether:
Marek pyta, czy Agata idzie na zajcia. Marek asks whether Agata is going
to class.
On pyta, gdzie ona idzie. He asks where she is going.
Agata pyta, co on robi. Agata asks what he is doing.
Observe how one uses 3rd-person verb forms in reporting on the words of
others:
Asking (2nd person):
On: - Gdzie idziesz? Where are you going?
Telling (1st person):
Ona: - Id na zajcia. I'm going to class.
Reporting (3rd person):
On pyta, gdzie ona idzie. Ona mwi, e
idzie na zajcia. He asks where she is going.
She says she is going to class.
NEGATING PREDICATE ADJECTIVES
One negates a predicate-adjective statement by placing the negative
particle nie directly before the verb 'be':
Ten dom nie jest taki stary. That house is not so old.
Ta osoba nie jest mia. That person is not nice.
Adjectives may be negated by using nie as though it were a negative prefix
similar to English un- or in-:
Ta osoba jest niemia. That person is not nice ("unnice").
Ta ksika jest nieza. That book is not bad.
One may form adjective opposites in this way: wany important, hence
niewany unimportant; interesujcy interesting, hence nieinteresujcy
uninteresting; and so on.
'VERY', 'RATHER', 'TOO', 'NOT TOO', 'A LITTLE TOO'.
The item bardzo very is used to intensify predicate adjectives:
Nasz lektor jest bardzo stary. Our language-teacher is very old.
Ta studentka jest bardzo moda. That student (f.) is very young.
The adjective modifiers do rather and niezbyt not too function in a
positive/negative reciprocal relationship:
To pytanie jest do wane. That question is fairly important..
To pytanie nie jest zbyt wane. That question is not too important.
The word zbyt can also be used in the sense 'excessively':
On jest zbyt wymagajcy He is too (excessively) demanding.

46

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
The word za is the usual correspondent of English too, especially in
combination with troch a little, hence the phrase troch za a little too:
Ten hotel jest troch za drogi. That hotel is a little too expensive.
SOME OTHER FUNCTION WORDS
'AND' and 'BUT'
1. The conjunction i and indicates pure additive conjunction: Marek i
Agata Marek and Agata, kreda i owek chalk and pencil. st i krzeso table
and chair, Warszawa i Krakw Warsaw and Krakow.
2. If there is any contrast implied, that is, if a conjunction can be
translated as either 'and' or 'but', or possibly as 'while', then the correct
conjunction is a and, but, while:
To jest piro, a to jest owek. That's a pen and (but, while) that's a
pencil.
3. A strong contrast as to logical expectation is indicated with ale but:
Ten hotel jest nowy i drogi, ale nie jest zbyt dobry. That hotel is new and
expensive, but it is not especially good.
4. The sense of 'but' in a sentence like That's not a pen but a ball-point is
usually expressed with tylko only; however, ale but may also be used:
To nie jest piro, tylko (ale) dugopis. That's not a pen but a ball-point.
'BOTH... AND...', EITHER... OR...', 'NEITHER... NOR...'
1. The idea of 'both... and...' is expressed with i..., i...:
Ona jest i mia, i adna. She is both nice and pretty.
2. 'Either... or...' is expressed with albo... albo...:
To jest albo owek, albo dugopis. That's either a pencil or a ball-point.
3. 'Neither... nor...' is expressed with ani... ani...:
Ona nie jest ani moda, ani stara. She is neither young nor old.
4. Questions of the type 'is that an X or a Y' are formed with czy... czy...:
Czy to jest piro, czy dugopis? Is that a pen or a ball-point?
'AS ASThe 'as' of comparison is expressed with ' tak, jak:
Ten budynek nie jest tak duy, jak tamten. That building is not as large as
that other one.
QUESTION TAG prawda? right?
Polish often places prawda 'right, true' (literally, 'truth') as a tag at the
end of a sentence, as if encouraging agreement:
Nasz lektor jest do wymagajcy, prawda? Our language teacher is rather
demanding, right?

47

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
WICZENIA 1.D.
1.20. 'either/or' albo, albo, 'neither/nor ani, ani', 'not X, but Y' nie, ale/tylko.
st, krzeso:
a. Czy to jest st, czy krzeso? Is that a table or a chair?
b. To nie jest ani st, ani krzeso. That's neither a table nor a
chair.
c. To jest albo st, albo biurko. That's either a table or a desk.
d. To nie jest st, tylko biurko. That's not a table but a desk.
sufit, podoga; ciana, tablica; owek, dugopis; student, studentka; lektor,
student; ksika, zeszyt.
1.20.
1.21. Modifiers of predicate adjectives: do and niezbyt.
stary uniwersytet a. Ten uniwersytet jest do stary.
That university is fairly old.
b. Ten uniwersytet nie jest zbyt stary.
That university is not too old.
moda osoba, drogi hotel, due krzeso, nowy dom, wymagajca praca,
interesujcy obraz, wane sowo, stary samochd.
1.21.
1.22. Modifiers of predicate adjectives: taki taka takie so
adne imi: To imi nie jest takie adne. That first-name is not so pretty.
za ksika, nowy uniwersystet, drogi hotel, mia pani, may budynek,
dobre zadanie, moda osoba, wymagajcy lektor, wspaniay budynek,
wane pytanie.
1.22.
1.23. Use the cues of exercise 22:
adne imi:
To imi nie jest takie adne, jak tamto.
This name isn't as pretty as that one.
1.23.
1.24. Informal address from formal:
Jak si pani ma?
Jak si masz? How are you?
Gdzie pan idzie? Czy pani robi zakupy? Co pani robi? Czy pan idzie na
zajcia? Gdzie pan jest? Jan pan myli? Czy pani jest spniona?
1.24.

48

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Autobus bus

1.E. Autobus
Waiting for a bus, two classmates after the first day of class introduce themselves.
As classmates, they automatically consider themselves on a first-name basis.
Janek: Interesujce zajcia, prawda?
Agnieszka: Bardzo.
Janek: Janek jestem.
Agnieszka: Bardzo mi mio. Agnieszka.
Janek: Czekasz na autobus <na
tramwaj>?
Agnieszka: Tak.
Janek: Ja te. Mieszkasz tu blisko?
Agnieszka: Nie, raczej daleko. <Tak,
do blisko.> O, jedzie mj autobus.
Janek: To do jutra.
Agnieszka: Hej! Cze!

Interesting class, right?

Very.
I'm Janek.
Very nice (to meet you). Agnieszka.
Are you waiting for the bus <trolley>?
Yes.
Me. too. Do you live close?
No, fairly far. <Yes, rather close.> Oh,
here comes my bus.
Then till tomorrow.
Hey, so long.

For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Bardzo mi mio.
Czekasz na autobus?
Do jutra.
Interesujce zajcia, prawda?
Ja te czekam na autobus.

Janek jestem.
Jedzie mj autobus.
Mieszkam do blisko.
Mieszkam raczej daleko.
Mieszkasz tu blisko?

49

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Pytania (for both written and oral responses)
1. Co Agnieszka teraz robi? A Janek?
2. Czy Agnieszka mieszka blisko, czy daleko? A Janek?
3. Dlaczego Janek mwi "to do jutra"?
4. Jakie s zajcia?
5. Czy ty masz interesujce zajcia? Jakie? Czy s wymagajce?
6. Mieszkasz blisko czy daleko tu?
Uwagi
bliski aj near, close. adv blisko.
mieszka blisko live close by.
czeka czekam czekasz czeka wait. czekam
na autobus I'm waiting for the bus
daleki aj far. adv daleko.
do siebie to one another
do rather, fairly
hej! (slang) hi!, so-long!
Janek jestem I'm Janek. This way of
introducing oneself is an invitation

to call one by one's first name.

jecha jad jedziesz jedzie ride. go, come
(of vehicle)
jutro av tomorrow. do jutra phr till
tomorrow.
mieszka mieszkam mieszkasz live,
reside.
mj moja moje pron aj my, mine
s are (agrees with zajcia class(es),
which is plural).

Jestem-I am (women's magazine cover)

50

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.E. WICZENIA
1.25. Give the question that the statement answers;
To jest tablica.
Co to jest?
To jest lektor. Id na zajcia. Tak, to jest obraz. Robi zakupy. Nie, ten
obraz nie jest adny. To nie jest ani st, ani biurko.
Ta szkoa jest nowa. To jest nasze nowe muzeum.
1.25.
1.26. Statements and responses based on the conversations. Translate into Polish.
Unless otherwise indicated, choose between formal and informal address.
1. Hello!
11. What's new ("What's to hear")?
Hello. How are you?
Nothing new.
2. What's new with you?
Nothing new.

12. Where are you going?

I'm going to class(es).

3. What are you doing here?

I'm doing some shopping.

13. Are you in a hurry?

Yes, I'm late, as usual.

4. Excuse me, but I have to go.

Well then good bye.

14. That hotel is marvelous.

You think so?

5. Excuse me, I have to go. I'm late.

Me too.

15. Who is that?

That's our new teacher (m).

6. So long.
Bye, see you.

16. That is our new neighbor (f.).

She is very pretty.

7. What kind of building is that?

What building? Where?

17. He is very young, don't you

think?
Not at all. He's not that young.

8. That's a new hotel.

It's marvelous.
9. Hi Marek!
Hi, Agata. How are you?
10. How are you? (formal, m. or f.)
So-so. And you?

18. Are you waiting for the bus?

Yes.
19. Here comes my bus.
Then till tomorrow.
20. Do you live far away?
No, rather close.

51

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.27. Fill in the blanks, translating the English words and using correct Polish
forms.
1. Bardzo ---.
22. Ona nie jest ani moda, --- stara.
in a hurry
nor
2. Co pan (pani) tu ---?
23. Ta lampa nie jest --- droga.
are doing
so
3. Co to jest za ---?
24. Ta pani jest --- mia.
building
very
4. Gdzie ---?
25. Ta pani jest --- moda.
are you going
rather
5. Id ---.
26. Ta pani to --- ssiadka.
home
our new
6. Id ---.
27. Ten dom jest nowy, --- tamten
to classes
jest stary. and (while)
7. Jestem ---.
28. Ten hotel jest nowy, --- nie jest
late
dobry. but
8. Musz ju ---.
29. Ten hotel jest --- drogi.
go
a little too
9. No to ---.
30. Ten hotel jest wspaniay, ---?
good-bye
don't you think
10. Ona jest bardzo ---.
31. Ten obraz nie jest tak adny, --young
tamten. as
11. On jest bardzo ---.
32. Ten uniwersytet nie jest ---.
demanding
too demanding
12. On nie jest --- mody.
33. To jest albo owek, --- dugopis.
so
or
13. To jest ---.
34. To nie jest piro, --- dugopis.
our new teacher-f.
but
14. To jest --- muzeum.
35. Ten pan jest raczej stary, ---?
a marvelous new
right
15. Agata nie jest ---.
36. Ten hotel jest --- drogi.
late
a little too
16. Co to jest za ---?
37. Bardzo si piesz, ---.
a school
as usual
17. Czy to piro jest ---?
38. ---.
new
Nice to meet you.
18. Czy to jest piro --- dugopis?
39. Czekasz ---?
or
for the bus
19. --- jest ta szkoa?
40. Ona pyta, --- on jest spniony.
What kind
whether
20. --- jest to radio?
41. On mwi, --- idzie do domu.
What kind
that
21. Ona jest --- mia, i adna.
both

brakujce wyrazy

52

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
VOCABULARY TO LESSON 1
a conj and, but, while
albo... albo... conj either... or...
ale conj but
ani... ani... conj neither nor
bardzo av very, very much
biurko -rek n desk
budynek -nku mi building
by be, jestem am, jeste are-sg, jest
is
ciekawy aj curious, interesting. nic
ciekawego nothing of interest
co pron what. co to jest? what is that?
co sycha? phr what's to hear? what's
new?
cze excl hi!, bye!
czy part or conj whether, or. yes-no
question particle
dugopis mi ball-point pen
do widzenia phr good-bye
do zobaczenia phr see you!
dobry aj good
dobry wieczr aj good evening!
dobrze av fine, well, good
dokd av where to
dom mi house, home. do domu to
home
do av rather, fairly, enough
drogi aj expensive
drzewo n tree
duy aj large, big
dziecko n child
dzikuj phr thank you
dzie dobry! phr hello!
gdzie av where
hotel mi hotel
i conj and. i..., i... both... and...
i id idziesz impf det go (on foot)
imi n imienia first name
interesujcy aj interesting
ja pron I
jak av how, as. jak si pan (pani) ma?
how are you (formal)? jak si
masz? how are you (informal)?
jak mylisz? phr what do you think?
jak zwykle phr as usual

53

jaki jaka jakie pron aj what kind?

what sort?
jeden, jedna, jedno num or pron aj
one
jestem, jeste, jest. see by
jeli conj if
kobieta f woman
kolega mp colleague, friend, mate. f
koleanka
kreda f chalk
krewny mp decl like aj relative. f
krewna
krzeso -se n chair
ksika -ek f book
kto pron who. kto to jest? who is
that?
laboratorium n laboratory
lampa f lamp, light
lecie lec lecisz impf fly, run
lekcja f lesson
lektor mp language teacher. f
lektorka
adny aj pretty
ko -ek n bed
may aj small, little
mapa f map
mczyzna mp man
mie si. see jak si pan ma?
miy aj nice
mody aj young
mwi mwi mwisz say, speak, talk
muzeum n museum
myle myl mylisz think, consider
na razie phr for the time being. so
long!
nasz, nasza, nasze pron aj our, ours
nauczyciel mp (school)teacher. f
nauczycielka
nic pron nothing. nic nowego
nothing new
nie no, not. nie? isn't it?
nie mylisz? don't you think so?
no interj well. no to... well then...
noc f night
nowy aj new
obraz mi picture

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
okno okien n window
owek -wka mi pencil
on pron he, ona she, ono it
osoba osb f person
pan title, mp pron you (formal). ten
pan mp that gentleman, that man
pani title, f pron you (formal). ta pani
that lady, that woman
pierwszy num aj first
piro n pen, feather
podoga -g f floor
podobno av supposedly
Polska f Poland
praca f work, job
prawda f truth. prawda? right?
profesor mp professor
przepraszam phr excuse me, I beg
your pardon
pyta pytam pytasz ask
pytanie n question
raczej av rather, instead
radio n radio
robi robi robisz impf do, make
rzecz f thing
samochd -chodu mi car, automobile
ssiad mp neighbor. f ssiadka
skd av from where. skd? what do
you mean, not at all, why no
sowo sw n word
spniony aj late
stary aj old
st stou mi table
student mp student. f studentka
sufit mi ceiling
szkoa szk f school. szkoa
podstawowa elementary school
ciana f wall
pieszy si -sz -szysz be in a hurry.
bardzo si piesz I'm in a big
hurry
tablica f black-board, chalkboard
tak part or av yes, as, that way
tak sobie phr so-so

taki, taka, takie pron aj so, such a

tam av there
tamten, tamta, tamto pron aj that
there
ten, ta, to pron aj this, that
te aj also, too. ja te I also, me too
to conj then
troch quant a little, a bit. troch za
a little too
tu, tutaj av here
twarz f face
tylko av only
uczennica f pupil, school-girl
ucze -cznia mp pupil, school-boy
uniwersytet mi university
wany aj important
wcale nie phr not at all
wic av so, hence, thus
wspaniay aj great, marvelous
wymagajcy aj demanding
za part 1 too. 2 co to jest za dom?
what sort of house is that?
zadanie n assignment
zajcia pl form class(es)
zakupy pl form shopping
zamek -mku castle
zbyt part excessively, particularly,
too
zdanie n opinion, sentence
zeszyt mi notebook
zy aj 1. bad av le badly 2. angry.
znajomy mp decl like aj acquaintance.
f znajoma
zwierz zwierzcia, pl zwierzta animal
zwyczajny aj ordinary
zwykle av usually. jak zwykle as
usual
e subord. conj. after reporting verb
that
ycie n life
y yj yjesz be alive, live

sowniczek

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1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
SUPPLEMENTARY CONVERSATION.
Samochd
- Masz samochd w Polsce? <w
Ameryce>?
- Owszem, mam.
- Jaki masz samochd?
- Jaki typ?
- Tak.
- Fiat <Mercedes, Buick>.
- Czy on jest nowy czy stary?
- Jest raczej stary, ale jest duy,
szybki i bardzo wygodny.

Do you have a car in Poland?

<America>?
Why sure, I do ("I have")..
What kind of car do you have?
What kind?
Yes.
A Fiat <Mercedes, Buick>.
Is it new or old?
It's rather old, but it's large, fast,
and very comfortable.

Ameryka f America. w Ameryce

in America
mercedes mi "mer-TSE-des"
mie mam masz have
owszem av why yes, of course

Polska f Poland. w Polsce in P.

szybki aj fast. adv szybko
typ m type, model, sort
wygodny aj comfortable

Historical Polish vehicles.

autobus bus, ciarwka truck, samochd automobile

55

1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Przygody biura podry "Zefir"
Rozdzia pierwszy. Pan Wiktor Orowski
To jest pan Wiktor Orowski. On czeka na autobus. Jedzie do domu po
pracy. Pan Wiktor jest bardzo zmczony. On pracuje jako urzdnik w biurze
w Warszawie. Jego praca nie jest zbyt interesujca i jego szef, Pan Jzef
Kowalczyk, nie jest zbyt miy. Jest bardzo wymagajcy.
Wiktor nie mieszka zbyt daleko. Mieszka sam. Nie jest onaty. Nie ma
dobrych kolegw. Jego ycie nie jest zbyt szczliwe. On myli, e jest
niedoceniany.
biuro office. w biurze in an office.
biuro podry travel office
jako conj as, in the capacity of
jecha jad jedziesz ride, drive
nie ma dobrych kolegw he
doesn't have any good friends
niedoceniany unappreciated
praca job, work. po pracy after
work. w pracy at work
przygody adventures
rozdzia mi chapter
sam sama samo alone
szczliwy happy

szef boss
urzdnik clerk, office-worker
Warszawa Warsaw. W Warszawie
in Warsaw
zbyt adv too
zefir mi zephyr
zmczony tired, weary
onaty married (of man)
ycie life
Rozdzia pierwszy

Autobus. Painting by B. W. Linke.

56