Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Doctors without borders – Healthcare in Poland Posted by Anna on Mar 18, 2010
Today, our resident guest blogger – Adam – tells us all sorts of useful stuff about healthcare in Poland. Let’s face it, things usually go very wrong in the least appropriate moments. This post will try to explain the basics of Polish healthcare system (just in case), and feed you some useful vocabulary along the…
Talking About Travel Posted by Anna on Mar 12, 2010
Adam’s last post about different vacation options in Poland made me think about travel in general. Podróże (travels, journeys, trips) is a plural noun. Singular – podróż (feminine). And podróżować (to travel) is the verb we need here. So, what do you call a person that travels? Podróżnik, but that implies someone who travels seeking…
Two Ears and Two Eyes Posted by Anna on Feb 25, 2010
I was writing something yesterday, in Polish, as it happens, and I almost had a nervous breakdown. Why? Plural forms of “number + noun” combinations are enough to drive anyone insane, even a native Pole. And it all looked so simple! I was talking about body parts, more specifically, those body parts that come in…
Sympathy for “Sympatia” Posted by Anna on Feb 15, 2010
Valentine’s Day (walentynki) came and went and I hope it was a pleasant occasion for you with czekoladki (chocolates), kwiatki (flowers) and romantyczna kolacyjka (romantic dinner). (Yes, all of the above are diminutive nouns, but that’s how we would say it). What this Valentine’s Day made me realize was how confusing the word “sympatia” is…
Why Polish Feminine Nouns Can Be Confusing Posted by Anna on Feb 9, 2010
Adam’s post about feminine endings for occupations and positions held by women made me think about feminine gender nouns in general. That proposed ending “-a” makes it very easy to assume that Polish feminine nouns should end in “-a”. And yes, many indeed do. But not all. There are some nouns that even though they…
Verb “to like” and its Polish Equivalents Posted by Anna on Feb 2, 2010
In our last post we talked quite a bit about liking (or not) something (or someone). And I have finally realized (hey, better late than never!) that maybe this verb – “to like” – is not as clear and straightforward in Polish, as it is in English. In English it’s used for just about anything…
On Disliking Winter – Verbs Expressing Emotions Posted by Anna on Jan 28, 2010
So, in the last post, our guest blogger – Ms. Anglopole was telling us just how lovely and picturesque polskie zimy (Polish winters) can be. Now, I don’t know about lovely, but they sure are picturesque. Even if you’re not a fan of cold weather (like me), you have to admit that śnieg (snow) looks…