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Co się tutaj stało? – What happened here? Posted by Anna on Jan 10, 2009
In the comments to the previous post, Yellerbelly made a very valid point regarding “co się stało?” He said that he thought it meant “what’s wrong?” I think it’s a reflection of our collective Polish psyche that something so innocent as “what happened” can imply “what’s wrong?” in our language. Just goes to show you…
Using the Polish Się, Part 1 Posted by Anna on Jan 8, 2009
Are you ready for another installment of Polish grammar? No? Don’t worry, I’m not ready either. We’ll get through it together. A couple of posts back I started to talk about “się.” That was when I told you how this little word could alter the meaning of a verb. You have a verb without “się”…
The Question of Prussia Posted by Anna on Jan 6, 2009
A few weeks ago one of the readers made a comment about Prussia. A family member of hers claimed to have Prussian ancestry, not Polish. Personally, I find this statement a bit odd, but that’s just me, OK? Prussia, Prusy in Polish (a.k.a. Germany, or one of its many incarnations) was a neighbor of Poland…
Teach and Learn Polish Posted by Anna on Jan 3, 2009
I was talking to my friend today, and as always, she does her best to express herself in Polish. She’s been studying the language for quite some time now, and generally does a very good job when writing in Polish. However, when it comes to speaking, things can get a bit confusing at times. Today…
Fun with Polish: New Year’s Resolutions Posted by Anna on Dec 30, 2008
So… it’s that time of the year again. The time of parties, bigger parties and totally massive parties. What are your plans for New Year’s Eve (Sylwester)? Going anywhere? Doing anything special? We’ll stay at home and watch TV. And then watch our terrified cats as they try to hide under the bed when the…
Święta, Święta i po Świętach… Posted by Anna on Dec 28, 2008
Soooo…. The shortest day of the year is behind us (that’s a good thing, at least in my book, I like to see daylight for a bit more than just a few hours), Christmas is behind us (that’s a good thing too – no more carp for at least another year, yay!). Now there’s only…
Polish Christmas Eve: Wigilia Posted by Anna on Dec 23, 2008
Tomorrow is Wigilia (Christmas Eve) and it’s one day that most Polish families take very seriously. I said “most” because some celebrate it in a less traditional way – like at an all-inclusive resort in Madeira or Tenerife, for example. But for most Poles, Wigilia means getting together with their extended family, eating huge amounts…