1.

LEKCJA PIERWSZA

NOUNS AND NOUN GENDER.

1. Lekcja MODIFIERS OF NOUNS.
INTRODUCING-SENTENCES.
pierwsza PREDICATE ADJECTIVES.
FUNCTION WORDS.

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. CzeÊç!
Meeting and greeting. Informal style.

B. Dzieƒ 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. CzeÊç!

Informal style. Two class-mates meet somewhere near or on campus.

Agata: CzeÊç, Andrzej! Hi, Andrzej!

Andrzej: CzeÊç, Agata! Jak si´
masz?
Agata: Tak sobie. Co s∏ychaç?
Andrzej: Nic nowego. Gdzie
teraz idziesz?
Agata: Id´ na zaj´cia. Jak
zwykle, jestem spóêniona.
Andrzej: A ja id´ do domu, to
na razie.
Agata: CzeÊç, do zobaczenia!
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!

23
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Co s∏ychaç? Jak zwykle, jestem spóêniony

Id´ do domu (f. spóêniona).
Do zobaczenia! Na razie!
Gdzie teraz idziesz? Nic nowego.
Id´ na zaj´cia CzeÊç!
Jak si´ masz? 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 s∏ychaç u Andrzeja? What's new with
Andrzej?
3. Kto jest spóêniony? Who is late? Czy Agata jest zwykle spóêniona? Is Agata
usually late?
4. Kto idzie na zaj´cia? Who is going to class? Kto idzie do domu? Who is going
home?

Answer 'yes' tak or 'no' nie:

1. Agata jest spóêniona. 3. Agata idzie do domu.

2. Andrzej idzie na zaj´cia. 4. Andrzej jest spóêniony.

Uwagi notes

co s∏ychaç? what's up, literally, 'what's to hear?'

czeÊç hi, bye. An informal greeting.
do zobaczenia see you, so long
iÊç to go. id´ I go, idziesz you go, idzie he, she, it goes (on foot)
jak zwykle as usual
jestem I am. jesteÊ you are, jest he, she, it is.
na razie so long. Literally, 'for the moment, for the time being'.
on he, ona she
spóêniony (f. spóêniona) 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 ƒ:
"soft" "hard" closest English sound
ç (ci-) cz "ch"
Ê (si-) sz "sh"
ê (zi-) rz or ˝ "zh"
dê (dzi-) d˝ "j"
ƒ (ni-) "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, Êmiech
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 ç: , ciasto "çasto" dough, cicho "çicho" 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, ca∏y "CA-∏y" whole, cena "CE-na" price, cudzy "CU-
dzy" foreign, cyrk circus, taca "TA-ca" tray, dziecko "DèEC-ko" child, koc
blanket, noc night, nic nothing.
z Before the letter i, the letter z (without any mark above it) is
pronounced like ê: ziarno "êarno" grain, zima "êima" 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 ê. Practice: za in

25
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
exchange for, zebra zebra, zysk profit, ze mnà "ZE-mnà" with me, faza phase,
beze mnie "be-ZE-mƒe" without me. In word-final position, z is pronounced
"s": bez "bes"without, p∏az "p∏as" reptile, raz "ras" once, wóz "vus" cart, car.

LETTER-COMBINATIONS WITH z
cz The letter-combination cz represents a sound similar to "tch" in
English watch. Practice: czas time, cz´sto often, oczy eyes, uczyç teach, poczta
mail, post-office.
dz Before the letter i, the letter-combination dz is pronounced like dê:
dziób "dêup" beak, dziki "dêiki" 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": wódz "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 mo˝e maybe
are pronounced exactly the same. Practice: rzeka river, dobrze "DO-b˝e"
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, krzes∏o "KSZE-s∏o" 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,
d∏ugopis ball-point, dom house, home, hotel hotel, obraz picture, o∏ówek
pencil, samochód car, automobile, stó∏ table, sufit ceiling, uniwersytet
university, zeszyt notebook. A good many masculine names for persons end
in -a: kolega colleague, class-mate, m´˝czyzna man.
2. FEMININE NOUNS usually end in -a: kobieta woman, kole˝anka f.
colleague, class-mate, kreda chalk, ksià˝ka book, lampa lamp, light, mapa map,
Polska Poland, pod∏oga floor, szko∏a school, Êciana 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, krzes∏o chair, ∏ó˝ko bed, okno window, pióro pen, feather,
radio radio, s∏owo 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: stó∏, lampa, ∏ó˝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.), kole˝anka (f.) colleague, class-mate, lektor
(m.), lektorka (f.) language teacher, nauczyciel (m.), nauczycielka (f.)
(school)teacher, student student (m.), studentka (f.) student, sàsiad (m.),
sàsiadka (f.) neighbor, uczeƒ (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 d∏ugopis. Here is a/the ball-point.
Tu jest ksià˝ka. Here is a/the book.
Tu jest krzes∏o. Here is a/the chair.

The pronominal adjective ten (m.) ta (f.) to (n.) may be used for definite
emphasis:
Gdzie jest ten d∏ugopis? Where is this/that ball-point?
Gdzie jest ta ksià˝ka? Where is this/that book?
Gdzie jest to krzes∏o? 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.
masculine feminine neuter
dobry good dobry dobra dobre
du˝y big, large du˝y du˝a du˝e
∏adny pretty ∏adny ∏adna ∏adne
ma∏y small ma∏y ma∏a ma∏e
mi∏y nice mi∏y mi∏a mi∏e
m∏ody young m∏ody m∏oda m∏ode
nowy new nowy nowa nowe
pierwszy first pierwszy pierwsza pierwsze
stary old stary stara stare
wa˝ny important wa˝ny wa˝na wa˝ne
z∏y bad z∏y z∏a z∏e

See also interesujàcy -a -e interesting, wymagajàcy -a -e demanding,

wspania∏y -a -e great, marvelous, and so on, for all adjectives. Examples:
nowy dom new house wspania∏y hotel a great hotel
nowa lampa new lamp wspania∏a szko∏a a great school
nowe pióro new pen wspania∏e muzeum a great museum.

After k and g, the ending -y is respelled -i; and -i- is added before the
ending -e:
drogi expensive drogi droga drogie
jaki what kind, what sort jaki jaka jakie
taki such (a), so taki taka 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 samochód that new car
f. ta nowa szko∏a that new school
n. to nowe s∏owo that new word

m. nasz nowy lektor our new language instructor

f. nasza nowa szko∏a our new school
n. nasze nowe zadanie our new assignment

28
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
m. jeden dobry student one good student (m.)
f. jedna dobra osoba one good person
n. jedno ma∏e 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 szko∏a 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.

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

29
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

åWICZENIA 1.A.

1.1. Give a logical response:

CzeÊç! Gdzie teraz idziesz?
Jak si´ masz? JesteÊ spóêniona?
Co s∏ychaç? Idziesz na zaj´cia?
Do zobaczenia! Na razie.

1.2. Demonstrative pronoun ten ta to. Gender agreement.

biurko: to biurko that desk.

budynek, d∏ugopis, imi´, kobieta, kolega, kole˝anka, kreda, krzes∏o,

ksià˝ka, laboratorium, lektor, m´˝czyzna, muzeum, noc, obraz, osoba,
pytanie, radio, rzecz, sàsiad, s∏owo, stó∏, szko∏a, 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, krzes∏o, kreda, stó∏, zeszyt, o∏ówek, biurko, Êciana, obraz,
szko∏a.

1.5.

30
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.6. 'Here' tu 'there' tam; adjective and modifier agreement. Vary the adjective.
szko∏a: a. Tu jest dobra szko∏a. Here's a good school.
b. Tam jest nasza nowa szko∏a. There is our new school.
stó∏, samochód, radio, muzeum, ksià˝ka, uniwersytet.

1.6.

1.7. 'That one over there' tamten tamta tamto.

nowa szko∏a: Tamta szko∏a jest nowa. That school over there is new.
wa˝ne s∏owo, drogi samochód, ∏adny obraz, interesujàca ksià˝ka, wspania∏e
muzeum.

1.7.
1.8. 'one' jeden jedna jedno. In b., supply your own adjective.
krzes∏o: a. jedno krzes∏o.
b. Tu jest jedno dobre krzes∏o. Here is one good chair.
lampa, radio, o∏ówek, drzewo, szko∏a, student, zdanie, d∏ugopis, imi´,
lekcja.

1.8.

1.9. such a taki taka takie.

du˝e krzes∏o: To krzes∏o nie jest takie du˝e. That chair is not so large.
∏adny obraz, drogi hotel, interesujàca ksià˝ka, wymagajàca szko∏a, dobry
student, ∏adne imi´, wa˝ne s∏owo.

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
Dzieƒ 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.

32
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

1.B. Dzieƒ dobry!

Formal style. Two older people out shopping, casual acquaintances, meet on a street
corner.
Pan Karol: Dzieƒ dobry pani! Hello (madam)!
Pani Maria: Dzieƒ dobry panu! Jak Hello (sir)! How are you?
si´ pan ma?
Pan Karol: Dobrze, dzi´kuj´. 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
Przepraszam, ale bardzo <troch´> si´ me, but I'm in a big <a bit of a>
Êpiesz´. hurry.
Pani Maria: Ja te˝ musz´ iÊç. To do I have to go too. So good-bye.
widzenia.
Pan Karol: Do widzenia. Good-bye.

For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Bardzo si´ Êpiesz´. Dzieƒ dobry panu!
Co pan(i) tu robi? Ja te˝ musz´ iÊç.
Do widzenia. Jak si´ pan(i) ma?
Dobrze, dzi´kuj´. Przepraszam.
Dzieƒ dobry pani! Robi´ zakupy.

33
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´ Êpieszy? Kto robi zakupy?
4. Kto musi ju˝ iÊç?

Tak/Nie

1. Pan Karol robi zakupy. 3. Pani Maria te˝ robi zakupy.

2. Pan Karol bardzo si´ Êpieszy. 4. Pan Karol musi ju˝iÊç.

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
dzieƒ 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 wieczór good evening.
dzieƒ 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´ iÊç I have to go. musz´ wracaç 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". dzieƒ dobry panu/pani. Dative case forms of pan/pani (Lesson 7).
przepraszam excuse me, I'm sorry, I beg your pardon. The letter-
combination prze- is pronounced "psze-": "prze-PRA-szam".
robiç to do robi´ I do robisz you-sg. do robi he, she, it, sir, madam does.
Êpieszyç si´ to be in a hurry Êpiesz´ si´ I am in a hurry Êpieszysz si´ you
are in a hurry, Êpieszy si´ (s)he is in a hurry. bardzo si´ Êpieszs´ I'm in a
big hurry. troch´ si´ Êpiesz´ I'm in a bit of a hurry
te˝ also
u pana, u pani with you, in your world (to a man, woman).

34
 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 szko∏a 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 szko∏a. 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 mi∏a. 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): 1st pers. sg. 2nd pers. sg. he, she, formal 'you'
byç be jestem jesteÊ on, ona, pan(i) jest
iÊç go (on foot) id´ idziesz on, ona, pan(i) idzie
mieç to have mam masz on, ona, pan(i) ma
mówiç say mówi´ mówisz on, ona, pan(i) mówi
myÊleç think myÊl´ myÊlisz on, ona, pan(i) myÊli
pytaç ask pytam pytasz on, ona, pan(i) pyta
robiç do robi´ robisz on, ona, pan(i) robi

For all verbs except byç to be, the 3rd pers. sg. may be derived from the
2nd pers. sg. by subtracting -sz:

2nd pers. sg. 3rd pers sg.

idziesz you go idzie he, she, it goes
pytasz you ask pyta he, she, it asks
robisz you do, robi he, she it does
and so on.

35
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: Formal:
Co robisz? Co pan(i) robi? What are you doing?
Gdzie idziesz? Gdzie pan(i) idzie? Where are you going?
Jak myÊlisz? Jak pan(i) myÊli? What (how) do you think?
Co mówisz? Co pan(i) mówi? What are you saying?
O co pytasz? O co pan(i) pyta? What are you asking (about)?
and so on.

åWICZENIA 1.B.

1.10. Respond logically:

Dzieƒ dobry! Gdzie pan idzie?
Jak si´ pan(i) ma? Czy pan robi zakupy?
Co pan(i) tu robi? Bardzo si´ Êpiesz´.
Przepraszam, musz´ iÊç. 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 zaj´cia?
Gdzie jesteÊ? Jak myÊlisz?
Czy jesteÊ spóêniona? Jak si´ masz?
Bardzo si´ Êpieszysz? JesteÊ spóêniony (spóêniona)?

1.11.

1.12. Logical adjective use; gender agreement. Use of third-person pronouns.

Choose from: dobry, drogi, du˝y, interesujàcy, ∏adny, m∏ody, ma∏y, mi∏y,
nowy, spóêniony, stary, wa˝ny, wspania∏y, wymagajàcy, z∏y:

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

b. On jest nowy. It is new.

krzes∏o, obraz, s∏owo, sàsiadka, profesor, osoba, uniwersytet, lekcja, zwierz´,

radio, sufit, ksià˝ka, pytanie, muzeum, hotel.

1.12.

36
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

1.13. Give the verb in the 1sp person sg.

iÊç: id´ I am going.

robiç, myÊleç, byç, pytaç, mieç, mówiç.

1.13.

stara szko∏a old school. Sign outside a school in the old part of Toruƒ

37
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

Hotel i Casino “Centrum” The Centrum Hotel and Casino in Lódê. 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?
Ma∏gosia: Gdzie? Where?
Mietek: Ten budynek tam <tutaj>. That building there <here>.
Ma∏gosia: To jest nowy hotel <nowa That's a new hotel <new school, new
szko∏a, nowe muzeum>. museum>.
Mietek: On <ona, ono> jest wspania∏y It's marvelous.
<wspania∏a, You think so?
wspania∏e>. Yes.
Ma∏gosia: Tak myÊlisz? Well I think it's ordinary.
Mietek: Tak.
Ma∏gosia: A ja myÊl´, ˝e jest
zwyczajny<zwyczajna, zwyczajne>.

38
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Co to jest? Ono jest wspania∏e.

Ja myÊl´, ˝e on jest zwyczajny. Tak myÊlisz?
Jak myÊlisz? To jest nowa szko∏a.
On jest wspania∏y. To jest nowe muzeum.
Ona jest wspania∏a. To jest nowy hotel.

Pytania (refer to the picture on the preceding page)

1. Co to jest? Jaki jest ten budynek? Czy jest du˝y czy ma∏y? Czy jest
nowy czy stary?
2. Kto mówi, ˝e hotel jest wspania∏y?

3. Jak myÊlisz: czy ten hotel jest wspania∏y czy zwyczajny?

Tak/Nie

1. To jest nowe muzeum. 3. Ten budynek jest stary.

2. Ten budynek jest ma∏y. 4. To jest i casino, i hotel.

Uwagi

budynek building
jak myÊlisz? what do you think?
Ma∏gosia. Diminutive or familiar form of Ma∏gorzata Margaret.
Mietek Diminutive or familiar form of Mieczys∏aw.
nowy hotel new hotel, nowa szko∏a, 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; szko∏a: ona; muzeum: ono.
myÊleç: myÊl´, myÊlisz think. jak myÊlisz? what do you think? tak myÊlisz?
you think so? nie myÊlisz? don't you think so?
wspania∏y (wspania∏a, wspania∏e) 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 sàsiadka. 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 sàsiad. 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 mi∏y. That man is very nice (masculine agreement).
Ta pani jest doÊç m∏oda. 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 szko∏a? 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) szko∏a? What school is that?
with a possible answer To (jest) szko∏a podstawowa. That's an elementary
school, and
Jaka jest ta szko∏a? 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 królewski 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 stó∏ czy biurko? Is that a table or a desk?
The word tak, besides meaning 'yes', can mean 'thus, so, as':
Ten samochód nie jest tak stary. That car isn't so old.
The word nie, besides meaning 'no', can mean 'not':
Adam nie jest spóêniony. Adam is not late.

41
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
åWICZENIA 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.
ksià˝ka book: a. Co to jest? What is that
b. To jest ksià˝ka. That's a book.

biurko desk, d∏ugopis ballpoint, dom house, krzes∏o chair, ksià˝ka book, mapa
map, o∏ówek pencil, okno window, pióro pen, stó∏ 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, krzes∏o, kreda, stó∏, zeszyt, o∏ówek, biurko, Êciana, 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, twarz, laboratorium,

uniwersytet, ksià˝ka, budynek, samochód, mapa.

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.

szko∏a, stó∏, krzes∏o, lektorka, muzeum, dom, sàsiadka, profesor, znajomy,

kole˝anka.

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.

sàsiad, kolega, kole˝anka, lektorka, sàsiadka, profesor.

1.18.

1.19. 'a little too' troch´ za. Think of a logical adjective.

lektor: Ten lektor jest troch´ za wymagajàcy. That teacher is a little too
demanding.
dom, osoba, uniwersytet, samochód, muzeum.

1.19.

43
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA

Kazimierz Wielki Kazimierz the Great (1310-1370), ruler at the time of the
great architectural expansion of Kraków and founder of the Kraków
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? Who is that?

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 myÊlisz?
Marek: Skàd. On (ona) nie jest
taki stary (taka stara).
Magda: Podobno jest bardzo
wymagajàcy (wymagajàca).
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.

44
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
For active knowledge and dictation practice:

On jest doÊç stary. On jest troch´ za m∏ody.

Ona jest doÊç stara. Ona jest bardzo wymagajàca.
Kto to jest? Raczej nie.
Nie myÊlisz? On nie jest taki stary.
Ta pani to nasza nowa lektorka. Ona nie jest taka stara.
Ten pan to nasz nowy lektor. 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 myÊleç
myÊl´ myÊlisz think:
Jak myÊlisz? What (literally, 'how') do you think?
Tak myÊlisz? You think so?
Dlaczego tak myÊlisz? Why do you think so?
MyÊl´, ˝e… I think that… as in MyÊl´, ˝e on jest doÊç m∏ody. I think that
he's rather young. Note: do not omit the subordinating conjunction ˝e.

MyÊl´, wi´c jestem.I think, therefore I am..

1. Jak myÊlisz: kto to jest?

2. Czy on (ona) jest stary (stara) czy raczej m∏ody (m∏oda)?
3. Jak myÊlisz: co on(a) robi? Jaki (jaka) on(a) jest?
4. Kto to jest na obrazie-on the picture? Czy on jest m∏ody czy raczej stary?

Uwagi

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

45
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
GRAMATYKA 1.D.

'SAY THAT', 'ASK WHETHER'.

The verb 'say' (mówiç: mówi´, mówisz) is followed by the
subordinating conjunction ˝e that when reporting speech:
On mówi, ˝e bardzo si´ Êpieszy. He says that he is in a big hurry.
Ona mówi, ˝e idzie do domu. She says that she's going home.

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

words, just as in English, especially czy whether:
Marek pyta, czy Agata idzie na zaj´cia. 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 zaj´cia. I'm going to class.
Reporting (3rd person): On pyta, gdzie ona idzie. Ona mówi, ˝e
idzie na zaj´cia. 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 mi∏a. 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 niemi∏a. That person is not nice ("unnice").
Ta ksià˝ka jest niez∏a. That book is not bad.
One may form adjective opposites in this way: wa˝ny important, hence
niewa˝ny unimportant; interesujàcy interesting, hence nieinteresujàcy
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 m∏oda. That student (f.) is very young.

The adjective modifiers doÊç rather and niezbyt not too function in a
positive/negative reciprocal relationship:
To pytanie jest doÊç wa˝ne. That question is fairly important..
To pytanie nie jest zbyt wa˝ne. That question is not too important.

The word zbyt can also be used in the sense 'excessively':

On jest zbyt wymagajàcy 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 o∏ówek chalk and pencil. stó∏ i krzes∏o table
and chair, Warszawa i Kraków 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 pióro, a to jest o∏ówek. 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 pióro, tylko (ale) d∏ugopis. 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 mi∏a, i ∏adna. She is both nice and pretty.

2. 'Either... or...' is expressed with albo... albo...:

To jest albo o∏ówek, albo d∏ugopis. That's either a pencil or a ball-point.

3. 'Neither... nor...' is expressed with ani... ani...:

Ona nie jest ani m∏oda, 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 pióro, czy d∏ugopis? Is that a pen or a ball-point?

'AS… AS…The 'as' of comparison is expressed with ' tak, jak:

Ten budynek nie jest tak du˝y, 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 doÊç wymagajàcy, prawda? Our language teacher is rather
demanding, right?

47
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
åWICZENIA 1.D.

1.20. 'either/or' albo, albo, 'neither/nor ani, ani', 'not X, but Y' nie, ale/tylko.
stó∏, krzes∏o: a. Czy to jest stó∏, czy krzes∏o? Is that a table or a chair?
b. To nie jest ani stó∏, ani krzes∏o. That's neither a table nor a
chair.
c. To jest albo stó∏, albo biurko. That's either a table or a desk.
d. To nie jest stó∏, tylko biurko. That's not a table but a desk.
sufit, pod∏oga; Êciana, tablica; o∏ówek, d∏ugopis; student, studentka; lektor,
student; ksià˝ka, zeszyt.

1.20.

1.21. Modifiers of predicate adjectives: doÊç and niezbyt.

stary uniwersytet a. Ten uniwersytet jest doÊç stary.
That university is fairly old.
b. Ten uniwersytet nie jest zbyt stary.
That university is not too old.
m∏oda osoba, drogi hotel, du˝e krzes∏o, nowy dom, wymagajàca praca,
interesujàcy obraz, wa˝ne s∏owo, stary samochód.

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.
z∏a ksià˝ka, nowy uniwersystet, drogi hotel, mi∏a pani, ma∏y budynek,
dobre zadanie, m∏oda osoba, wymagajàcy lektor, wspania∏y budynek,
wa˝ne 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
zaj´cia? Gdzie pan jest? Jan panÊ myÊli? Czy pani jest spóêniona?

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: Interesujàce zaj´cia, prawda?

Agnieszka: Bardzo. Interesting class, right?
Janek: Janek jestem. Very.
Agnieszka: Bardzo mi mi∏o. Agnieszka. I'm Janek.
Janek: Czekasz na autobus <na Very nice (to meet you). Agnieszka.
tramwaj>? Are you waiting for the bus <trolley>?
Agnieszka: Tak. Yes.
Janek: Ja te˝. Mieszkasz tu blisko? Me. too. Do you live close?
Agnieszka: Nie, raczej daleko. <Tak, No, fairly far. <Yes, rather close.> Oh,
doÊç blisko.> O, jedzie mój autobus. here comes my bus.
Janek: To do jutra. Then till tomorrow.
Agnieszka: Hej! CzeÊç! Hey, so long.

For active knowledge and dictation practice:

Bardzo mi mi∏o. Janek jestem.

Czekasz na autobus? Jedzie mój autobus.
Do jutra. Mieszkam doÊç blisko.
Interesujàce zaj´cia, prawda? Mieszkam raczej daleko.
Ja te˝ czekam na autobus. 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 mówi "to do jutra"?
4. Jakie sà zaj´cia?
5. Czy ty masz interesujàce zaj´cia? Jakie? Czy sà wymagajàce?
6. Mieszkasz blisko czy daleko tu?

Uwagi

bliski aj near, close. adv blisko.
mieszkaç blisko live close by.
czekaç czekam czekasz czeka wait. czekam
na autobus I'm waiting for the bus
daleki aj far. adv daleko.
do siebie to one another
doÊç 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.
jechaç jad´ jedziesz jedzie ride. go, come
(of vehicle)
jutro av tomorrow. do jutra phr till
tomorrow.
mieszkaç mieszkam mieszkasz live,
reside.
mój moja moje pron aj my, mine
sà are (agrees with zaj´cia class(es),
which is plural).

Jestem-I am (women's magazine cover)

50
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
1.E. åWICZENIA

1.25. Give the question that the statement answers;

To jest tablica. Co to jest?
To jest lektor. Id´ na zaj´cia. Tak, to jest obraz. Robi´ zakupy. Nie, ten
obraz nie jest ∏adny. To nie jest ani stó∏, ani biurko.
Ta szko∏a 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? 12. Where are you going?
Nothing new. I'm going to class(es).
3. What are you doing here? 13. Are you in a hurry?
I'm doing some shopping. Yes, I'm late, as usual.
4. Excuse me, but I have to go. 14. That hotel is marvelous.
Well then good bye. You think so?
5. Excuse me, I have to go. I'm late. 15. Who is that?
Me too. That's our new teacher (m).
6. So long. 16. That is our new neighbor (f.).
Bye, see you. She is very pretty.

7. What kind of building is that? 17. He is very young, don't you

What building? Where?
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?
think?
Not at all. He's not that young.
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 m∏oda, --- 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 --- mi∏a.
building very
4. Gdzie ---? 25. Ta pani jest --- m∏oda.
are you going rather
5. Id´ ---. 26. Ta pani to --- sàsiadka.
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 wspania∏y, ---?
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 --- m∏ody. 33. To jest albo o∏ówek, --- d∏ugopis.
so or
13. To jest ---. 34. To nie jest pióro, --- d∏ugopis.
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´ Êpiesz´, ---.
a school as usual
17. Czy to pióro jest ---? 38. ---.
new Nice to meet you.
18. Czy to jest pióro --- d∏ugopis? 39. Czekasz ---?
or for the bus
19. --- jest ta szko∏a? 40. Ona pyta, --- on jest spóêniony.
What kind whether
20. --- jest to radio? 41. On mówi, --- idzie do domu.
What kind that
21. Ona jest --- mi∏a, i ∏adna.
both

brakujàce wyrazy

52
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
VOCABULARY TO LESSON 1

a conj and, but, while jaki jaka jakie pron aj what kind?
albo... albo... conj either... or... what sort?
ale conj but jeden, jedna, jedno num or pron aj
ani... ani... conj neither… nor… one
bardzo av very, very much jestem, jesteÊ, jest. see byç
biurko -rek n desk jeÊli conj if
budynek -nku mi building kobieta f woman
byç be, jestem am, jesteÊ are-sg, jest kolega mp colleague, friend, mate. f
is kole˝anka
ciekawy aj curious, interesting. nic kreda f chalk
ciekawego nothing of interest krewny mp decl like aj relative. f
co pron what. co to jest? what is that? krewna
co s∏ychaç? phr what's to hear? what's krzes∏o -se∏ n chair
new? ksià˝ka -˝ek f book
czeÊç excl hi!, bye! kto pron who. kto to jest? who is
czy part or conj whether, or. yes-no that?
question particle laboratorium n laboratory
d∏ugopis mi ball-point pen lampa f lamp, light
do widzenia phr good-bye lecieç lec´ lecisz impf fly, run
do zobaczenia phr see you! lekcja f lesson
dobry aj good lektor mp language teacher. f
dobry wieczór aj good evening! lektorka
dobrze av fine, well, good ∏adny aj pretty
dokàd av where to ∏ó˝ko -˝ek n bed
dom mi house, home. do domu to ma∏y aj small, little
home mapa f map
doÊç av rather, fairly, enough m´˝czyzna mp man
drogi aj expensive mieç si´. see jak si´ pan ma?
drzewo n tree mi∏y aj nice
du˝y aj large, big m∏ody aj young
dziecko n child mówiç mówi´ mówisz say, speak, talk
dzi´kuj´ phr thank you muzeum n museum
dzieƒ dobry! phr hello! myÊleç myÊl´ myÊlisz think, consider
gdzie av where na razie phr for the time being. so
hotel mi hotel long!
i conj and. i..., i... both... and... nasz, nasza, nasze pron aj our, ours
iÊç id´ idziesz impf det go (on foot) nauczyciel mp (school)teacher. f
imi´ n imienia first name nauczycielka
interesujàcy aj interesting nic pron nothing. nic nowego
ja pron I nothing new
jak av how, as. jak si´ pan (pani) ma? nie no, not. nie? isn't it?
how are you (formal)? jak si´ nie myÊlisz? don't you think so?
masz? how are you (informal)? no interj well. no to... well then...
jak myÊlisz? phr what do you think? noc f night
jak zwykle phr as usual nowy aj new
obraz mi picture

53
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
okno okien n window taki, taka, takie pron aj so, such a
o∏ówek -wka mi pencil tam av there
on pron he, ona she, ono it tamten, tamta, tamto pron aj that
osoba osób f person there
pan title, mp pron you (formal). ten ten, ta, to pron aj this, that
pan mp that gentleman, that man te˝ aj also, too. ja te˝ I also, me too
pani title, f pron you (formal). ta pani to conj then
that lady, that woman troch´ quant a little, a bit. troch´ za
pierwszy num aj first a little too
pióro n pen, feather tu, tutaj av here
pod∏oga -∏óg f floor twarz f face
podobno av supposedly tylko av only
Polska f Poland uczennica f pupil, school-girl
praca f work, job uczeƒ -cznia mp pupil, school-boy
prawda f truth. prawda? right? uniwersytet mi university
profesor mp professor wa˝ny aj important
przepraszam phr excuse me, I beg wcale nie phr not at all
your pardon wi´c av so, hence, thus
pytaç pytam pytasz ask wspania∏y aj great, marvelous
pytanie n question wymagajàcy aj demanding
raczej av rather, instead za part 1 too. 2 co to jest za dom?
radio n radio what sort of house is that?
robiç robi´ robisz impf do, make zadanie n assignment
rzecz f thing zaj´cia pl form class(es)
samochód -chodu mi car, automobile zakupy pl form shopping
sàsiad mp neighbor. f sàsiadka zamek -mku castle
skàd av from where. skàd? what do zbyt part excessively, particularly,
you mean, not at all, why no too
s∏owo s∏ów n word zdanie n opinion, sentence
spóêniony aj late zeszyt mi notebook
stary aj old z∏y aj 1. bad av êle badly 2. angry.
stó∏ sto∏u mi table znajomy mp decl like aj acquaintance.
student mp student. f studentka f znajoma
sufit mi ceiling zwierz´ zwierz´cia, pl zwierz´ta animal
szko∏a szkó∏ f school. szko∏a zwyczajny aj ordinary
podstawowa elementary school zwykle av usually. jak zwykle as
Êciana f wall usual
Êpieszyç si´ -sz´ -szysz be in a hurry. ˝e subord. conj. after reporting verb
bardzo si´ Êpiesz´ I'm in a big that
hurry ˝ycie n life
tablica f black-board, chalkboard ˝yç ˝yj´ ˝yjesz be alive, live
tak part or av yes, as, that way
tak sobie phr so-so

s∏owniczek

54
 1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
SUPPLEMENTARY CONVERSATION.

Samochód

- Masz samochód w Polsce? <w Do you have a car in Poland?

Ameryce>? <America>?
- Owszem, mam. Why sure, I do ("I have")..
- Jaki masz samochód? What kind of car do you have?
- Jaki typ? What kind?
- Tak. Yes.
- Fiat <Mercedes, Buick>. A Fiat <Mercedes, Buick>.
- Czy on jest nowy czy stary? Is it new or old?
- Jest raczej stary, ale jest du˝y, It's rather old, but it's large, fast,
szybki i bardzo wygodny. and very comfortable.

Ameryka f America. w Ameryce Polska f Poland. w Polsce in P.

in America szybki aj fast. adv szybko
mercedes mi "mer-TSE-des" typ m type, model, sort
mieç mam masz have wygodny aj comfortable
owszem av why yes, of course

Historical Polish vehicles.

autobus bus, ci´˝arówka truck, samochód automobile

55
1. LEKCJA PIERWSZA
Przygody biura podró˝y "Zefir"
Rozdzia∏ pierwszy. Pan Wiktor Or∏owski

To jest pan Wiktor Or∏owski. On czeka na autobus. Jedzie do domu po

pracy. Pan Wiktor jest bardzo zm´czony. On pracuje jako urz´dnik w biurze
w Warszawie. Jego praca nie jest zbyt interesujàca i jego szef, Pan Józef
Kowalczyk, nie jest zbyt mi∏y. Jest bardzo wymagajàcy.

Wiktor nie mieszka zbyt daleko. Mieszka sam. Nie jest ˝onaty. Nie ma
dobrych kolegów. Jego ˝ycie nie jest zbyt szcz´Êliwe. On myÊli, ˝e jest
niedoceniany.

biuro office. w biurze in an office. szef boss

biuro podró˝y travel office urz´dnik clerk, office-worker
jako conj as, in the capacity of Warszawa Warsaw. W Warszawie
jechaç jad´ jedziesz ride, drive in Warsaw
nie ma dobrych kolegów he zbyt adv too
doesn't have any good friends zefir mi zephyr
niedoceniany unappreciated zm´czony tired, weary
praca job, work. po pracy after ˝onaty married (of man)
work. w pracy at work ˝ycie life
przygody adventures
rozdzia∏ mi chapter
sam sama samo alone Rozdzia∏ pierwszy
szcz´Êliwy happy

Autobus. Painting by B. W. Linke.

56