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Learning Polish

esperanza

Has anyone out there had experiences with learning Polish? I'm humming and hawing about taking classes. I hear the vocabulary is not too difficult, but that the grammar is quite a challenge. How much progress could I make in a year with 2 hrs of lessons each week? I have no prior knowledge.

Also, as an English speaker would Polish pronunciation prove more difficult than say, French pronunciation?

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Tessa

carricka wrote:

This might be a tactless question, but does anyone know if most Polish people learn Russian and, therefore, understand it? Would the same be true, perhaps, for people of other so-called Ascession States - do Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, etc. know and understand Russian? Just thought it might be an easier option to learn basic Russian rather than Polish, but wouldn't want to insult anyone by trying to speak with them in Russian...

I have been in Poland for 5 months and I have not met one person that speaks or understands Russian. I know some people that learned it in school but none of them remember any of it.

Tessa

Victor

Tessa, Welcome.

This board is based in Ireland, to where over the last two years, perhaps 100,000 Polish people have come (out of 4 million Irish people). That is why people are interested in learning Polish.

I suspect the only thing you can do is look for language schools. From what I have picked up from Polish people, many did at least some Ruassian in school before 1990, but all the younger people did English instead.

malgos2

Hi guys,
I've just discovered your thread.
I am a Polish language teacher, a native speaker and I teach online through Skype. My fee is €20 per hour (60 min.). Don't take it as an ad - I have enough students, but I was thinking that some of you could be interested. If you are, please, contact me through Skype: galiajulia or e-mail: malgosia@polishtutor.com
Thanks,
Malgosia

Agnieszka

Hi All,

I am a polish teacher, and have learned polish foreigners for 2 years now.
Currently I am just about to arrive Ireland (Dublin).
If you would like to take some polish classes, feel free to contact me on email address: stydypolish@wp.pl

Agnieszka

scottish anya

HI
Have you found someone to teach you Polish?:)must be hard?:)
I am Polish and have some experience in teaching from Poland.So if you're interested give me a shout on my email address anyafrydrych@yahoo.co.uk

jeneri wrote:

Hi,

Seems to me there is a gap for Polish classes, not just to get to know language skills, but also to get to know the country, its history and culture too.

I've got a new job and I'm now working with Polish companies, and will be travelling to Poland several times during the year for that reason. While the Polish language is very difficult, (although An Ghaeilge comes to mind, and many of us managed to pass ourselves off in that:D), I would love to learn some conversational Polish, useful icebreakers, great for getting to know people, whether business or personal.

In fact, I'm interested in getting intensive one-to-one grinds from a native Polish speaker, with teacher training, and excellent English. If anyone on the list fits this profile or knows someone who does, please get in touch..

niall

Unenlightened

I'm looking to learn Polish in Galway this semester - anyone know of anywhere or anyone thereabouts that gives, or might be persuaded to give lessons?

biko

Unenlightened wrote:

I'm looking to learn Polish in Galway this semester - anyone know of anywhere or anyone thereabouts that gives, or might be persuaded to give lessons?

I know a Polish girl that teaches English to Poles in Galway City.
Perhaps she would be interested in teaching Polish to you.
PM me if you're interested.

spurious

Beginner's night classes in Polish available in Dublin (there are others, but these are VEC run courses so generally cheaper):

Pobalscoil Rosmini, Drumcondra
Ringsend Technical Institute
St. Tiernan's Community School, Balally
St. Mark's Community School, Dublin 24

VEC night classes generally enrol mid-September

Don't know about the rest of the country. Might be worth ringing your local VEC.

Collumbo

There will be a beginners' course in Dublin City Centre... "Eden School of English" on Eden Quay. Starting in October I believe. The teacher is a good laugh too.

Numbers steadilly increased from a mere 4 in the first class last year, to something like 15 in beginners' class that was run in Spring of this year which reflects the interest that's out there among us paddies trying learn the popolsku.

I'm actually strating to study Slavonic studies in Trinity, moreso Russian. Although, in my senior years there is an option to learn Polish too which would be good.

Actually if you're interested in studying Russian, Polish and Czech courses are available in Trinity College Dublin. They have a wide selection in the evening courses. Here: Link (Just go down the list on the right-hand side and click "Evening Courses")

Did you know that, with politics aside, a Russian and a Ukranian can speak to each other rather well in their own language? Just thought I'd throw that in.

Also, one can study Russian, Polish, Lituanian, Latvian, Estonian and Ukranian for their leaving cert.

Good Luck!

trevorku

For native irish - What is your level of Polish at the moment?

Ive the book 'Teach Your Polish', a few polish ones from Poland and also I've got some book 301 polish verbs which is good. I can pronounce anything and am capable of simple conversation. However if should put in more time to be honest. My girlfriends Polish... Ona jest kochanie moja anna

Collumbo

Yo trevor. 301 polish verbs is a cracking read. very very good indeed. I could hold a conversation in a pub if the person speaks clearly...

To be honest i find that I got to a certain level and after that I got a bit lazy... I don't find the normal tenses of verbs difficult (remembering the actual verb can be), but conjugation isn't that difficult for present, future, conditional and past. I didn't bother going into the complicated tenses...

What cracks me up are the cases and the fact that there are several ways of saying any one noun! I will never ever get to grips with that. I lived with poles for the last year and that was key to getting the pronounciation correct....

now pronounce this if you think you're great

w szczebrzeszynie chrzczaszcz brzmi w trzcinie!

enona

Hi, I am Agnes and live in Beaumont (Dublin 9). I am 28. My English is quite good. I have very specific qualifications (postgraduate course) to teach Polish to foreigners. If anyone is really interested in effective learning Polish, just let me know.
My e-mail: enona@gazeta.pl
best

Kasietchka

:eek: I'm surprised but it is really nice that some Irish people are interested in learning difficult Polish language...:)

arsconica

You could try practicing polish here: http://www.polkamatch.com

Idbatterim

I work for a language school and Polish is very popular this term, we had to have 2 beginners classes to satisfy demand and the max allowed in a class is 15! Alot of people learning polish with us are irish and have a polish bf/gf/husband or wife.

Actually, I've heard Polish is much easier if you already know another Slavonic language like Russian or Czech which makes sense or even another language. It is easier to learn a language when you are younger as your mind can pick it up better but of course some people are naturally gifted at learning languages. But Polish isn't the hardest language in the world, either. Chinese, Arabic, Finnish are much more difficult.

Piste

Oooh, I would also love to learn Polish, though possibly in a year or two because I';ve taken up two new languages this year, one of which is Japanese and is difficult enough in itself without going learning Polish. But it's definitely a language I would love to learn, with 250,000 Poles here I'm sure there's a huge market for interpretation and translation skills over here. Also Polish people are just so nice it would be nice to talk to them in their own language.

Could someone tell me what the Polish for "please hold a minute" is, does it by any chance sound like (and this is phonetical) "Proshe protetch nomehr"?

Kasietchka

Piste wrote:

Could someone tell me what the Polish for "please hold a minute" is, does it by any chance sound like (and this is phonetical) "Proshe protetch nomehr"?

You're almost right:)

It sounds like: proshe potchekatch hfeelke

Westy

Hi. Just doing a survey for personal project if anyone can comment I'd appreciate it. I'm a journalist and have written a travel/memoir on living in a small town in Poland in the 90s - it's light, funny and informative and the aim is to give a background to the wave of emmigration etc Would that be of any interest to anyone?

Piste

Kasietchka wrote:

You're almost right:)

It sounds like: proshe potchekatch hfeelke

Oh cool! The translation into @please hold a minute@ was purely a guess made in the context, nice to see we were close!

Panie Janie

UU wrote:

Szczęśliwe Boże Narodzenie is Happy Christmas in Polish (got in from a dictionary!)

This or Wesołych Świąt ? This appears on some websites.

Can anyone attempt to write phonetically how this is pronounced?

is_that_so

Panie Janie wrote:

This or Wesołych Świąt ? This appears on some websites.

Can anyone attempt to write phonetically how this is pronounced?

"vesólick sviaunt" (IIRC) usually Wesołych Świąt

Collumbo

pronunciation would probably be...

veh-so-wikh sh-vee-awnt

detrax

Only if you want to say the noun.
If you want to say the whole phrase - "Happy Christmas" (meaning to wish someone a happy christmas) then you should go for "Wesołych Świąt" - vesowih shveeaunt actually would be quite a good pronunciation.
Altough it's already after Christmas I can teach you how to wish someone a happy new year (this one's crackin'

) - szczęśliwego nowego roku. It may seem bizzare but if you practice it a few times you can get used to it. The pronunciation should be: shtchehnshleevegoh novegoh rohku (in spoken polish it sounds a bit different, but it is impossible to phonetic-write here).

I'm native Polish, my name's Daniel, I'm 20 and I'm based in Cork. I'm a student of Arts in Poland focusing on the methods of teaching languages, especially english to polish people, and polish to english speaking people.
So if anyone like to learn some polish - please write to me on detrax@o2.pl.

irishmonkey

Hi all.

I'm Irish, but my mother is Polish, yet i cannot hold a simple conversation.
My mother seemingly never bother trying to teach my brother of myself any proper Polish, other that simple words like mleko and zemby and samahood. (sp?)
I can recognise Polish, and i can read words, slowly, so i have a fair idea of pronounciation.
I tried lessons in the Polish House on Fitzwilliam place, but they were really aimed at children of both Polish parents, whereas my father is Irish, and has basic Polish himself. The Polish House has really abandonned me and a handful of children who are 'only Half-Polish'.

I have a number of cousins in Poland, and also with the surge of Poles here, I find it quite embarrasing when I tell someone I'm half Polish, as they start speaking Polish very fast and I'm left standing there with a nervous smile pretending that I know what they're saying.

When I was younger, I had little interest in learning Polish, but I'm 16 now and now know how to learn a language.

Does anyone know of any language schools or evening/weekend courses available to learn Polish?

Regards,
Anna

diarmuidh

there are some courses starting in the last week of Jan in Marino & Rosmini in Dublin 3 area..not sure for other areas..60-90€ cost for 12-15 hours

there is a cheap course available from Play.com also...it is 27€ or so instead of the usual 43€...

heard it isnt the best course though

http://www.play.com/Books/AudioBooks/CART/3-/3305120/-/Product.html?cur=258

trevorku

Hi there Columbo, wow havnt been to these boards in a while, to quote your message but ''w szczebrzeszynie chrzczaszcz brzmi w trzcinie!'' supposedly means the insect in szczebrzeszynie makes a noise in the reeds''. The freakiest tongue twister however i can say it slowly. Im starting a polish course in Feb when I get back frm poland with my girlfriend.

Yo trevor. 301 polish verbs is a cracking read. very very good indeed. I could hold a conversation in a pub if the person speaks clearly...

To be honest i find that I got to a certain level and after that I got a bit lazy... I don't find the normal tenses of verbs difficult (remembering the actual verb can be), but conjugation isn't that difficult for present, future, conditional and past. I didn't bother going into the complicated tenses...

What cracks me up are the cases and the fact that there are several ways of saying any one noun! I will never ever get to grips with that. I lived with poles for the last year and that was key to getting the pronounciation correct....

now pronounce this if you think you're great
w szczebrzeszynie chrzczaszcz brzmi w trzcinie!
Collumbo is offline Report Bad Post Reply With Quote

trevorku

Hi guys, I've been monitering these boards for last few months and its nice to se more and more people interested in learning polish, honestly I dont think its impossible to learn polish. It depends if you apply yourself you know anything is possible. My girlfriend is polish however oddly enough I hardly ever ask her for help in learning polish, usually do it on my own... However of course she is the one who will correct all my pronunciation, its her hobby you might say.

I'm going to PL at beginning of february, we rented an apartment for a week in Warsaw. Hope it wont be too cold. Im doing a 10 week beginners polish course in February for 70Eur in Palmerstown, quite cheap in my opinion.

Dobrze musze powie dobranoc poniewaz jestem bardzo zmecony i potrzebuje spac. Na razie, pa

dpersk

Hi, Im Daniel and I'm a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language. However, I live in Belfast and have been trying to find something here. I'm currently studying for my MA in literature at Queens. If u have any questions regarding Polish just drop me a line - I'll be pleased to help you

Dan