Sierściuch

Cześć!

Dawno temu nie pisałem nic. Przepraszam. Ostatnio robię dużo ale często unikałem pisanie blog. Kiedy potrzebuję pięć minut żeby napisać jedno zdanię, jest trudno robić postęp. Jeśli masz blog już wiesz o co mi chodzi.

Niedawno, mieliśmy gości w domu. To oczywiste, że czasami mamy gości, ale kilku gości są bardziej interesujący niż inny. Lubimy wszyscy! Rozmawiam o specjalnym gośćie - był sierściuch! Już wiesz? Chcesz zgadnąć jaki sierściuch? Może potrzebujesz więcej informację. Napomykam aluzję . . .

Był mały. Miał cztery nogi i dwa oczy. Ogon też miał. Hmm. Może jeśli chcesz zgadnąć, chcesz oglądać zdjęcie?

Sierściuch

Masz dość? Nie mam. Chciałbym powiedzieć więcej. Kiedy mały sierściuch przychodził, był w małej klatke. On też miał specjalnie jedzenie, ale może jesć różny rzeczy. Teraz na pewno wiesz jaki gryzoń . . .  albo . . .  zwierząt był?

On ma bardzo miękki włosy i śliczny nos. Nie, nie była moją zonę! On ma imię, ale nie mogę powiedzieć bo jest bardzo nieciekawy. Co chcesz wiedzieć?

On ma duży uszy i duży nogi. Kiedy on boje się, wali w podłogę. Ciągle nie wiesz?? Jest królik! On ma na imię "Królik." Nie wiem, dlaczego on ma taki nieciekawy imię, bo jego właścicieli są inteligentny i kreatywny. On ma zabawny historię, bo mój przyjaciel znalazł go w parku w Warszawie.

Kiedy on był zrelaksowany, zaczynał badać mieszkanie. . .

Daliśmy go pietruszka. Niestety, on ma problem bo nie ma przedni zębów. Czasami potrzebuje pomoc.

Daliśmy mu jedzenie i miłość i dał nam kilka małych, brązowych prezentów. Nie zachowaliśmy ich.

Jestem zmęczony. Koniec!

One last point . . . who wants to translate 'sierściuch' into English? Any takers?

Borsuk Żyje

Wow. It's been a while. I realised today that it has been far too long since I've blogged. In my absence, the blogger interface has even changed. Indeed I am still alive, living in Poland, and learning Polish. I have been busy . . . "going places, meeting people, working on projects." My approach to blogging in Polish takes the same form as other work avoidance activities. The floor gets cleaned, laundry hung up, bathroom cleaned, everything! Any of you who have been a student know that there is nothing like an assignment or project to create a clean house.

Polish progress? Yes, I'm making some. Still not enough. I have one or two Polish lessons a week now with private teachers. We also have Polish days at home now - it works better than any system we've devised to date - that is until there is a communication breakdown and we lapse into English for the rest of the day. But there IS progress. See for yourself - check back in a few hours for my next post: "Sierściuch."

Translation Challenge

Zuzia Buszewicz (Desperate Polish Housewife in Exile) has challenged me to do a little poetry translation. I have to admit that I'm not usually big on translation but I decided I would give it a go. I have just now finished a quick and dirty translation, using only a dictionary - no Googling or Google translating.

Here is the original Polish (find the song on Youtube here):

W pięciu smakach - Monika Brodka

Jadę miastem szybciej niż się da
Dynda głową sztuczny pies
Świateł, znaków udaję, że nie widzę
GPS-em mały bies

Tuż za rzeką drugi, trzeci most
Rzędy skaryszewskich drzew
Las żurawi poharatał niebo
Słyszę Twój anielski śpiew

W pięciu smakach kaczka tapla się
Mija soję, tofu, ryż
Uduszona latająca ryba
Ćwiczy w piwie skoki wzwyż

Słodko-kwaśnych słów rozumiem kilka
Kiedy do mnie mówisz - drżę
Śpiewasz pięknie wtedy gdy gotujesz
Chciałam byś nauczył mni

I'm a little embarrassed about the quality of the translation that is to follow. . . but I am trying to be fearless so here is my rudimentary translation as best I can understand it:

The Fifth Taste - Monika Brodka

I go through the city faster than possible
The artificial dog's head dangles
The light gives a signal that I don't see
Using a GPS, the little devil

Right behind the river, the second, third bridge
A line of trees in Skaryszewski Park
A forest of cranes cuts up the sky
I hear your angel's song

The fifth taste of duck sloshes about in the pot
It's missing soybeans, tofu, and rice
Choking on a flying fish
Training with beer, long and high jumping

I understand some sweet and sour words
When you speak to me I shudder
You sing beautifully when you cook
I wanted you to teach me

Now I'll look to see what Google translate says, and see if there are other English translations around.

How did I do? Enter your comments below!

Note: after reading your feedback and checking a couple existing translations on the web, (here and here) I have tweaked my translation a bit. A few lines that sounded just right have been copied directly from these sources. Here it is one more time in what is I hope a more faithful version.

Five Spice - Monika Brodka

I drive through the city faster than allowed
The artificial dog's head dangles
I pretend not to see the lights, the signs
Using a GPS, the little devil

Right behind the river, the second, third bridge
A line of trees in Skaryszewski
A forest of cranes cuts the sky
I hear your angelic voice

The duck sloshes about in five spices
Passing soybeans, tofu, and rice
The flying fish is high jumping
In a beer stew

I understand some sweet and sour words
When you speak to me I shudder
You sing beautifully when you cook
I'd like you to teach me

I now have a much greater respect for all translators. What a challenge!

Wena

Parking

jestem ekspertem parkingowym
budzę się wcześnie z humorem dobrym
ludzie starają się znaleść miejsce
wiem gdzie na ulicy
mam garnitur, stare buty
pracuję cały zimny luty
daję znaki ręką najwidoczniej
mam dość teraz piwo gdzie?

This is my first attempt at writing any kind of poetry in a foreign language. It's difficult! Trying to find simple rhymes in another language really demonstrates my paltry vocabulary. If I sit in silence and try to think of rhymes in English, they fade in and out of my mind automatically. This morning when I tried to think of Polish rhymes I sat looking at the table with an empty head!

Bloggers guilt is a real thing, you might think that I have given up on my Polish but you would be wrong. I'm not in a formal class these days but I continue to work away at improving my Polish in fits and starts. Don't give up on Borsuk na Pradze!

Any suggestions for the topic for my next poem? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and come back soon for an update on my pomidory!

Autor

A little experiment tonight. I know this blog is read by different types of people. The first group is people who know me and who I give the address to . . . examples here include my mom and my friends. The second group is the group from the 'blogosphere,' including those of you who have found BnP through Google or other means. I don't know how many of my readers are native English speakers and how many are native Polish speakers. I will add a poll shortly to that effect.

Today I am going to include in the blog a short 'composition' I wrote as a homework assignment for my Polish class. I will include two versions. First, the version I wrote before class at the breakfast table. I didn't use a dictionary or any other resources. Second, I will include the amended version, showing my errors and their corrections. This way, you English speaking readers can get a chance to figure out what kind of language Polish really is to learn. The side effect of re-writing the revised version is that I hope to remember some of it!

'Autor' (breakfast table version)

Jest trudy powiedzić kto jest mój ulubionych autorem bo ostatnio nie czytam dużo książki. Pytałaś o autorach kanadiejskich, ale nie wiem dużo, bo większość autory Kanadyski piszą o temat 'ludziska' i nie bardzo lubię.

Ostatnio, czytam codziennie na internecie. Czytam BBC, Washington Post, Al Jazeera i inny Gazety. Rzadko czytam po polsku bo normalnie nie mam czerpliwość. Wiem, że muszę . . .

Dawno temu, kiedy czytałem więcej, bardzo lubiłem autor Raymond Chandler. Chandler był autorem amerikaninem kto pisał około 1950. Kilka książki Chandlera teraz śą filmy, jak 'The Big Sleep,' 'The Long Goodbye,' i inny. Bohater Chandlera był detektyw Philip Marlowe, kto pił dużo whiskey, palił dużo papierosy, zastrzelił kilka gangstery. Większość autorów kriminałów piszę [and my wife helped me with this last part] prostym językiem ale Chandler pisał w świetnym stylu i to jest dlatego on jest mój ulubionych autorem.

'Autor' (post-revision version)

Jest trudno powiedzić kto jest mój moim ulubionych ulubionym autorem bo ostatnio nie czytam dużo książki książek. Pytałaś o autorach autora kanadiejskich kanadiejskiego kanadyjskich, ale nie wiem dużo, bo większość autory autorów Kanadyski kanadyskich piszą pisze o na temat 'ludziska' ludzie ludzi i nie bardzo lubię taki temat.

Ostatnio, czytam codziennie na w internecie. Czytam BBC, Washington Post, Al Jazeera i inny inne Gazety. Rzadko czytam po polsku bo normalnie nie mam czerpliwość cierpliwości. Wiem, że muszę . . .

Dawno temu, kiedy czytałem więcej, bardzo lubiłem autor autora Raymond Chandler Raymonda Chandlera. Chandler był autorem amerikaninem amerykańskim kto który pisał około 1950 tego roku. Kilka książki książek Chandlera teraz śą filmy zekranizowanu zekranizowano, jak 'The Big Sleep,' 'The Long Goodbye,' i inny inne. Bohater Chandlera był detektyw detektywem Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe, bohater Chandlera, był detektywem, kto który pił dużo whiskey, palił dużo papierosy papierosów, zastrzelił kilka gangstery gangsterów. Większość autorów kriminałów kryminałów piszę pisze [and my wife helped me with this last part] prostym językiem ale Chandler pisał w świetnym stylu i to jest dlatego on jest mój moim ulubionych ulubionym autorem. 

Version III - corrected!

Jest trudno powiedzić kto jest moim ulubionym autorem bo ostatnio nie czytam dużo książek. Pytałaś o autora kanadyjskich, ale nie wiem dużo, bo większość autorów kanadyskich pisze o na temat ludzi i nie bardzo lubię taki temat.

Ostatnio, czytam codziennie w internecie. Czytam BBC, Washington Post, Al Jazeera i inne Gazety. Rzadko czytam po polsku bo normalnie nie mam cierpliwości. Wiem, że muszę . . .

Dawno temu, kiedy czytałem więcej, bardzo lubiłem autora Raymonda Chandlera. Chandler był autorem amerykańskim który pisał około 1950 roku. Kilka książek Chandlera zekranizowano, jak 'The Big Sleep,' 'The Long Goodbye,' i inne. Philip Marlowe, bohater Chandlera, był detektywem, który pił dużo whiskey, palił dużo papierosów i zastrzelił kilka kilku gangsterów. Większość autorów kryminałów pisze [and my wife helped me with this last part] prostym językiem ale Chandler pisał w świetnym stylu i to dlatego on jest moim ulubionym autorem.

Many thanks to Chris for his wordsmithing of my revised version. Chris I think I have all the errors corrected now.

Upominek

Mam bardzo miłych studentów. W kwietnia, jednego studenta dała mi niezwykły upominek. Ona przyniósła upominek w małej papierowej torbie. Był mały i lekki, i przeważnie brązowy z zielonymi rzeczami. Był w pojemniku plastikowym i też był trochę mokry. Czy wiesz co to jest?

Mały, brązowy, zielony i trochę mokry.

Co to jest? Trzymałem pojemnik przy słonecznym oknie przez dwa tygodnia. Trzy razy na tydzień, dałem trochę wodę roślinom. Czekałem.

Powoli, małe zielone liście rosły. Byłem uważny i dałem wodę kiedy ziemia była sucha, i mówiłem łagodnie do nich po polsku i po angielsku. Oni ciągnęli i rosły każdego dnia. Niedługo potem potrzebowały więcej ziemię i większy pojemnik.

Dużo ziemia organiczny.

Kiedy rośliny miały 11 dni, kupiłem długą, białą skrzynkę bo nie mamy dużego balkonu. Rośliny wyglądały niższy bo dodawałem dużo ziemię organiczną. Nie wiem ile miały dzień przed moja studenta dała mi ich. Czy wiesz co to jest? Kwiaty? Róże? Coś innego? Proszę czytać więcej . . .

Nowy dom roślinek.

Tylko trzy dni później, rośliny były szczęśliwa i zdrowa w nich nowym domu. Trzy małe rośliny i jeden bratek mieszkają razem na balkonie. Tylko trzeba poczekać . . .

Rosną bez lęku.

Na początek martwiłem się jeśli rośliny miały lęk przestrzeni albo wysokości, bo balkon jest na piątym piętrze. Nie zauważyłem problemów, więc kontynuowałem podlewanie i mówienie do nich. Już rośliny wiedziały kilka zwroty po angielsku, ale bratki uczy się szybciej język polskiego. Nie wiem dlaczego ale może jest problem z powodu inżynierii genetycznej. Już wiesz jakie to rośliny?

Miałem problem. Nie byliśmy przez tydzień, bo wyjechaliśmy do Rzymie. Rośliny potrzebują wodę trzy razy na tygodniu i niestety nie bardzo znam naszej sąsiadów. Na szczęście, moja teściowa mieszka blisko, i ona wie dobrze jak dać wodę roślinie. Także, rośliny były bezpieczniejsza niż w niej domu bo ona ma głodnego kota kto bardzo lubi zjeść rośliny.

Kiedy wróciliśmy, rośliny były ogromne!

Myślę, że moja teściowa dała im stek, bo były potwory!

Moje spragnione rośliny rosły bardzo szybko. Na zdjęcia powyżej, one mają tylko cztery i pól tygodnia. Kto wie jakie to rośliny? Skomentuj!

30 maj, mają pięć i pól tygodnia.

Zagadka

Sometimes I chat with my students a little in Polish. I enjoy it and (I think) so do they. Seeing me struggle to string together grammatical sentences is a great equalizer! Sometimes my students share a small joke or riddle with me and I really enjoy trying to retell them to others and try for laughs. My absolutely toughest critic is my wife. I need some really clever jokes and riddles for her. Share them here!

I absolutely cannot take credit for this one, but one of my students related a short riddle this week that I love. Whoever correctly solves the riddle first will be crowned riddle champion for the week. Sorry, native Polish speakers are prohibited from posting the solution prematurely (give us beginners a chance), although your help in adjudicating the answers might be necessary!

Here it is:

Dziobał szpak bociana.
Potem była zmiana - bociana dziobał szpak.
Potem były jeszcze trzy takie zmiany.
Ile razy szpak był dziobany?

Hint: If you're lost with the vocabulary like I was, check the 'Sunday słownictwo' from earlier today for a little help. 

Enter your answer in the comments below and be crowned riddle champion. Do you have better riddles, word puzzles, or jokes for me? Proszę skomentować!

Sunday Słownictwo and Sordid Weekend Summary

Dzień dobry. Dziś mam jeszcze jedną dużą listę słownictwa. Napiszę więcej później.

Słownictwo:

I've decided for now to leave off the part of speech. In most cases it is obvious. I will include 'to' on the English verbs.

• wielki / very big
• półwysep / peninsula
• siedzieć | usiąść / to sit
• leżeć / to lie
• leży mi to na sumieniu / it lies heavy on my conscience
• piekło / hell
• gubić | zgubić / to lose
• łąka / meadow
• słaby / weak
• światło / light
• prawie / almost
• rodzynek / raisin
• ciało / body
• trzeba / ~ one should
• stolica / capital (city)
• opalać się / to sunbathe
• umawiać się | umowić się / to make an appointment
• wiersz / poem
• wieś / village
• szczęście / luck, happiness
• księżyc / moon
• wystawa / exhibition
• wielbłąd / camel
• zmieszany / confused
• skarpetki nie od pary / unmatched socks
• trójkąt bermudzki / Bermuda triangle
• kołnierzyk / collar
• kolszulka polo / polo shirt, golf shirt
• zarozumiały / arrogant, immodest
• szpak / starling
• gęsi / goose, geese
• bocian / stork
• zmiany / changes
• dziobać / to peck at sth or somebody
• spieszyć się | pospieszyć się / to be in a hurry
• wreszcie / finally [2nd appearance I'm sure, can't seem to remember it]
• zrezygnowany / resigned
• bić | zbić / to beat, to hit
• szyć | uszyć / to sew, to stitch
• ślimak / snail, slug
• reguła / rule
• nagle / suddenly
• zerknąć / to glance, to peek
• znowu / again
• własny / own
• zdarzać się | zdarzyć się / to happen
• krzyczeć / to shout
• spodnie / pants
• surdut / jacket
• przewracać | przewrócić / to knock down, to knock over
• macać | pomacać / to feel
• palto / coat
• piec / stove
• komin / chimney
• dziura / hole
• wzywać | wezwać / to call, to summon

Zwroty:

• dawno temu nie widzieliśmy się / long time no see

More to come later today! The sordid weekend part was just a cheap spoof to draw some hits. We bloggers are very competitive about these sorts of things!

Dopełniacz: 1, Kolin: 0

I've been getting a lot of Polish homework done today. Exercises on cases mostly, including genetive / dopełniacz singular and accusative / biernik singular. I was motivated to finally write a grammar entry summarising a few suffix rules for a case or two. My pride swelled and I attempted my homework exercises on dopełniacz plural. Argh. I thought dopełniacz was going to be one of the easy ones. As it turns out I have learned the easy ones already. I will attack dopełniacz again once my frustration level dips to a more tolerable level.

I am lacking somewhat on my understanding of what constitutes a hard or soft stem sound in Polish. I understand the concept but once I try to apply the 'rules' I get confused about the results! My wife can check my homework to see what is correct and give me the correct answers, but you really need someone with training to explain 'WHY.' So when I'm not in Polish class, I have a few good books!

Thus, this evening those of you waiting for grammar summaries (yes, I can hear the crowd clammering for grammar summaries) will have to be placated by tonight's vocabulary. Really, vocabulary needs to be my major aim these days, since I seem to need to look up a word from almost every sentence in my homework.

Słownictwo:

Remember that czasowniki are listed in two forms: niedokonany | dokonany

• ziemia / earth, soil (rzecz)
• doniczka / flowerpot (rzecz)
• skrzynka / window box (rzecz)
• drabinka / small ladder or trellis (rzecz)
• nawóz / fertiliser (rzecz)
• uczciwy / honest (przy)
• odwiedzać | odwiedzić / to visit
• łamać | złamać / to break
• chwalić | pochwalić / to praise, to glorify
• odkrywać | odkryć / to uncover
• rozwiązywać | rozwiązać / to solve
• próbować | spróbować / to test, to try
• marzyć / to dream
• mijać | minąć / to pass, to go past
• cierpieć / to suffer
• odmawiać | odmówić / to refuse, to decline
• komponować | skomponować / to compose
• drapać | podrapać / to scratch
• piec | upiec / to bake, to roast
• deptać | podeptać / to tread, to trample
• dostosowywać | dostosować / to adjust or adapt to
• maszerować | pomaszerować / to march
• przekonywać | przekonać / to convince
• święcić | święć / to bless
• świętować | poświętować / to celebrate
• poświęcać | poświęcić / to sacrifice, to expend
• dziwić się | zdziwić się / to surprise
• cieszyć się | ucieszyć się / to delight, to gladden
• płaszcz / overcoat (rzecz)
• teczka / briefcase, folder (rzecz)
• pozostały / remaining (przy)
• zajęcia / classes (rzeczownik, liczba mnoga)
• żołnierz / soldier (rzecz)
• wielu / much, a lot (zaimek)
• niewiele / not much, not many (zaimek)
• pismo / writing, alphabet (rzecz)
• wyraz / word (rzecz)

Czasowniki

I know lately this blog has been more vocabulary lists than anything else . . . I'm working on getting some grammar notes on here but right now I'm up to my eyeballs in new words. I'm swimming in them. It's hard to get the grammar when you have to look up every second word!

From this point forward, all verbs (where applicable) will be listed in both their perfective and imperfective forms. I'm terribly slow at the mental processing required to differentiate, translate, and label verbs into these categories. Some books use the perfective/imperfective distinction, and I get confused when I see the Polish books using 'dokonany' and 'niedokonany.' Which is which? I know the answer but it always takes me a while to get there.

THEREFORE, I will not be using the perfective/imperfective labels. Verbs will also now be listed in both niedokonany and dokonany forms. For that matter, verbs are no longer verbs. They are czasowniki. The vocabulary lists will use the Polish terms for the various parts of speech. So continues the slow transformation of this blog from an English one to a Polish one. I hope to one day be ostracized by Warsaw's English language blogging community.

Here it is one last time:

niedokonany = imperfective.

dokonany = perfective.

Verbs will be listed in the following fashion: 

niedokonany | dokonany

na przykład / for example:

kupować | kupić / to buy

Basics:

• rzeczownik / noun
• czasownik / verb
• przymiotnik / adjective
• przysłówek / adverb
• liczba pojedyncza / singular
• liczba mnoga / plural
• rodzaj męski / masculine
• rodzaj żeński / feminine
• rodzaj nijaki / neuter
• bezokolicznik / infinitive
• zaimek / pronoun
• przyimek / preposition
• czas przeszły / past tense
• czas teraźniejszy / present tense
• czas przyszły / future tense

 Słownictwo: (you'll figure out the abbreviations)

• atut / trump (rzecz)
• zaleta / virtue, advantage (rzecz)
• plus / plus, advantage (rzecz)
• obiecywać | obiecać / to promise (czas)
• zarośnięty / unshaven, shaggy, overgrown (przy)
• nieogolony / unshaven (przy)
• ogolony / shaved, shaven (przy)
• rozczochrany / unkempt, tousled (przy)
• żółw / tortoise, turtle (rzecz)
• nagle / suddenly (przysł)
• pukanie / knock (rzecz)
• niemowlę / baby (rzecz)
• kac / hangover (rzecz)
• zmywarka / dishwasher (rzecz)
• plecak / backpack (rzecz)
• pidżama / pyjamas (rzecz, lm)
• odwiedzać | odwiedzić / to visit (czas)

Zwroty:

• na łonie natury / in the open
• dawno temu / long ago
• jaka jest różnica między A a B? / what is the difference between A and B?

M jak Milość

In keeping with my mission of Polish immersion, I'm planning to start watching more Polish TV. We got a TV just after Christmas, but sadly I'm watching the English channels more than the Polish ones. 'Talking heads' news programs are terribly boring and unproductive when it comes to learning language. The sillier the show the better. Juvenile talk/activity shows such as those on VIVA Polska and other such networks are more entertaining and provide more . . . context for language learning. Cooking shows would be good. I need to find some.

'M jak Milość' is a Polish classic. It's a weekly soap opera and has been on the air for over a decade. You can watch it on TVP (14 episodes behind) with English subtitles, but it takes away all the fun. The original broadcasts are on TVP2 at 2045 on Monday and Tuesdays. I'm going to start watching. Yes, I know it's a ridiculously silly soap opera. I hope to get hooked and eventually start sending angry letters to the producers (in perfect Polish of course) if they kill the wrong character or end the wrong relationships. Are you a fan already? Who'll watch with me?  We can do Tuesday evening 'M jak Milość' discussion nights. More information on TVP2's 'M jak Milość' page.

Grammar notes still to come this weekend. Here's today's vocab. Sink or swim! I'll refine my method for vocab. listing soon to clarify the differences between imperfective and perfective verb forms. Vocabulary entries to be highlighted with yellow, and grammar with green.

Słownictwo:

• dokąd / where to? (pron)
• coraz / increasingly (adv)
• coraz lepiej / better and better
• cierpliwość / patience (n)
• latarka / flashlight (n)
• włożyć / to insert, to put in (v perf)
• członek / member of a club (n)
• komitet rodzicielski / parent-teacher association (n)
• początek / start (n)
• pech / bad luck (n)
• udawac się / to have success (v)
• udać się / to have success (v, perf)
• wynajmować / to rent (v)
• wynająć / to rent (v, perf)
• zwiedzać / to visit (v)
• zwiedzić / to visit (v, perf)
• zaczynać / to begin, to start (v)
• zacząć / to begin, to start (v, perf)
• głośno / loudly (adv)
• cicho / quietly (adv)
• potrzebny / necessary, needed (adj)
• okropnie / terribly, awfully (adv)
• wdzięczny / thankful (adj)
• ocieplić się / to warm up the weather (v, perf)
• piosenka / song (n)
• szeptać / to whisper (v)
• opowiadać / to tell (v)
• opowiedzieć / to tell (v, perf)
• wierny / faithful (adj)
• wrażenie / sensation, impression (n)
• plotka / rumour (n)

Zwroty:

• poza tym . . . / besides . . .
• w drodze / on the way
• w drodze powrotnej / on the way back

Saturday Evening Vocabulary

More vocab from Friday's class, including some notes on the dative case (Celownik) coming tomorrow or Monday.

Słownictwo:

• zakłopotany / embarrassed (adj)
• olśnienie / flash of insight (n)
• luka / gap, loophole (n)
• brakować / to lack (v)
• zabraknąc / to lack (v, perf)
• narzekać na / to complain about (v)
• kłocić się / to quarrel, to argue (v)
• korzystać z (czegoś) / to use (something) (v)
• oszczędności / savings (n)
• świnka skarbonka / piggy bank (n)
• przybywać / to arrive (v)
• przybyć / to arrive (v, perf)
• ubywać / to go away, to disappear (v)
• ubyć / to go away, to disappear (v, perf)
• zbyt / too (adv)
• zbyt szybki / too quick
• zmarszczka / wrinkle (n)
• siwy / grey (adj)
• zwariowany / mad, crazy (adj, informal)
• szalony / mad, insane (adj)
• starczać / to be enough (v)
• starczy! / that's enough!
• starczyć / to be enough (v, perf)
• zamiast / instead of (prep)
• właściciel / owner (n)
• mandat / ticket (n) from the police

Zwroty:

• Chyba żartujesz? / Are you kidding me?

Powinien . . .

A note to anyone reading this blog for the first time: I don't purport to be an authority on the Polish language. I'm just recording my notes and experiments - some are bound to fail. Follow my advice at your own risk!

One new topic from our last class was 'powinien.' It is a bit of a strange one. I guess it translates pretty directly as 'should,' but there are different forms for each pronoun. There's also no infinitive or 'bezokolicznik' form. Here's how it looks:

• (ja) powinienem . . . (masc)
• (ja) powinnam . . . (fem)
• (ty) powinieneś . . . (masc)
• (ty) powinnaś . . . (fem)
• (on) powinien . . .
• (ona) powinna . . .
• (ono) powinno . . . (neut)
• (my) powinniśmy . . . (masc)
• (my) powinnyśmy . . . (fem)
• (wy) powinniście . . .

Pretty straightforward. So now I should go out and give lots of advice. As usual one should examine oneself before casting the first stone.

• Powinienem jeść więcej lody. / I should eat more ice cream.
• Powinieneś zgolić te śmieszne wąsy. / You should shave that ridiculous moustache.
• Powinnaś zrobić sobie przerwę. / You (fem) should take a break.
• Powinniśmy pomóc Henrikowi doiść do domu. / We should help Henrik walk home.

Do you have any advice for me? What should I do?

Słownictwo na dziś: (I'll certainly add to this after today's class!)

• dodatkowy / additional (adj)
• pole / field (n)
• pole naftowe / oilfield (n)
• środek pobudzający / stimulant (n)
• żaglowiec / sailing ship (n)
• bosman / bosun a job on a sailing ship (n)
• wychować się / to grow up
• dbać o . . . / to care for (v)

I'll try to separate pure vocabulary from phrases from now on, as well as include appropriate prepositions that co-locate with verbs. No sense learning everything twice. The same goes for you folks learning English vocabulary. I strongly recommend you include some kind of determiner before each item in your vocabulary lists. Any determiner will do. This helps train your brain to include determiners in your writing and speech. for example:

• THE tree
• MY book
• A house
• AN hourglass
• HIS shoes

Back to Polish.

Zwroty / phrases:

• daj (mi) spokój! / give me a break!
• przypuszczam, że... / I suppose, that . . .
• w porównaniu z . . . / compared with . . . 
• W porównaniu ze swoją siostrą jest bardzo rozsądna. / Compared with her sister, she's very sensible.

Masz Wyrostek?

I'm struggling to keep up with the volume of vocabulary I need to learn to stay afloat in my class. While the class proceeds, I'm simultaneously trying to catch up with the grammar and vocabulary in Hurrah Po Polsku 1 at home. It's a challenge.

Thanks to those adding to my vocabulary lists. It makes it more fun having you involved.

Dzisiejsze słownictwo: (you know what this means by now)

• wnuczka / granddaughter (n)
• uczennica / schoolgirl (n)
• śpiewać / to sing (v)
• czasopismo / periodical or magazine (n)
• uczeń / schoolboy (n)
• płuco / lung (n)
• wyrostek / appendix (n)
• żołądek / stomach (n)

I've also been testing myself with a set of flash cards on the tram . . . I'll post this vocab bit by bit as I master it! I've gone flash card crazy. I'm going to buy some card stock to make cards of my own for recent vocabulary. It's a lot and I need to work on it more. My tram rides seem to go by so quickly now that I am studying vocabulary instead of playing with my phone or looking out the window. I almost feel like riding an extra stop or two to master those cards that are pestering me.

As soon as I perfect making simple tables in blogger, I'll start posting summaries of personal pronouns (zaimek osobowy) and noun endings for biernik and narzędnik.

Wątroba? Nerka?

 Dzisiejsze słownictwo / today's vocabulary:

• dzisiejsza gazeta / today's paper
• rodzić się / to be born (v)
• przez 10 lat . . . / for 10 years . . . 
• ciężarówka / truck (n)
• podróżowałem dookóła swiata / I travelled around the world.
• żaglowiec / sailing ship (n)
• wychować się / to grow up (v perf)
• lekkomyślny / light-minded (adj)
• sprzątnij po sobie świnio! / clean up after yourself, pig!
• przycisk / button (n)
• mogłaby pani powiedzieć 'przepraszam' / you could say 'excuse me'
• wyspać się / to get enough sleep (v perf)
• wreszcie / at last (adv)
• ciągle / still, continuously
• on ciągle jeszcze jest bez pracy / he is still jobless
• pasować / to fit, to suit (v)
• on powinien . . . / he should . . .
• ona powinna . . . / she should . . .
• ukryć / to hide (v perf)
• wątroba / liver (n)
• nerka / kidney (n)
• zostać / to become (v)
• wziąć / to take (v perf)

Time to Catch Up

My first two Polish classes have been great. I've found a course at The Centre for Polish Studies on Swiętokrzyska. I received a recommendation for the school from a friend and so far I'm really very glad I took his advice. We will learn grammar, hence the title of this blog post.

I bought myself a copy of "Hurrah! Po Polsku" last year, and have been making half hearted attempts at working through it on my own and with my wife's help. So far I'm not past chapter five of twenty. What that means is that although I'm speaking a lot more than I was a few months ago, my knowledge of grammar is pitiful. In my new class, we have been doing exercises from well into the second book in the "Hurrah" series, and I'm already way behind! This weekend I am spending some time working through my book and trying to teach myself some of the basic grammar. I need to catch up fast.

I'm no language genius. This stuff is difficult for me to understand, and studying Polish at home reminds me of that frustrated feeling I had while studying for mandatory French classes in school. Grammatical rules confused and irritated me. Polish possessive pronouns in the dative / celownik did so today. I tend to get a little overwhelmed by how much there is to learn so I know I need to break things into pieces. My goals this weekend include:

1. continue studying and recording new vocabulary
2. reviewing and practicing endings for instrumental / narzędnik with adjectives and nouns.
3. reviewing nominative possessive pronouns
4. reviewing and practicing endings for accusative / biernik

I've decided to forgo maintaining one separate, mammoth vocabulary document, and instead post the new vocabulary each day as part of a blog post. Vocabulary preceding today remains on a separate page.

Today's vocabulary so far:

• podniecać / to excite, to thrill esp. sexually (v)
• doczekać / to wait until (v)
• "Nie mogę się ciebie doczekać."
• strzał w dziesiątkę / bull's eye, right on the money
• chyba / probably
• szkoda, że . . .  / It's a pity that . . . 
• o co ci chodzi? / what do you mean?
• nie szkoda ci czasu? / Aren't you wasting your time?
• reżyser / director film (n)
• urzędnik / clerk, office worker (n)

A Student Once Again

I ventured out today for my first Polish course since last summer. I've got a course now, 90 minutes three times a week. There's just three of us plus our teacher so it's great so far! After just one class it's hard to say how hard it will be but we all enjoyed the class and I think my classmates are around the same level as me. I was a little anxious this morning because I hadn't been on the receiving end of a teacher's questions for so long. Honestly, I was so excited for my course to start that I had trouble sleeping last night. I wasn't exactly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (try explaining that one to your English students) this afternoon but I had fun.

After a long day I'm far from having enough energy to blog in Polish but I will partially update the słownictwo tonight with some of the new words we used today in class. Today you only get the Polish half. When I get a minute I'll add the English translations. One thing is for certain - my vocabulary really needs a lot of work. My słownictwo from today's class alone has 39 new words on it. I also already have homework!

It's fun to be making faster progress in Polish again and blogging more. Thanks to my new and old readers. As always, your comments are welcome! I'm especially grateful to you patient souls who provide a correction from time to time. Thanks for participating and I hope someone out there is learning as much as I am.

While you're here, click the Facebook 'like' icon to the right so you can be informed via Facebook of updates and other Borsuk na Pradze news, contests, and explorations of Polish and Warsaw. Leave your comments and suggestions in the language of your choice.

Kurs Polskiego - jutro!

Dobry Wieczór!

Dziś wieczorem mam dobrą wiadomość. Jutro popołudniu zaczynam nowy kurs polskiego. Nie miałem lekcje polskiego w szkole od czerwiec rok temu. Wiem, wiem, robię duży błędy z przypadki. Jest trudny język! Mam nadzieje, że moja nauczycielka jest miła. Już znam jej imię: Kasia! Nie jestem zaskoczony!

Podniecać się nowym kursem.

Też, uaktualniłem Słownictwo / Vocabulary dziś wieczorem.

Vocabulary / Słownictwo

Building vocabulary is hard work. Through the course of the day I refer to the dictionary in my phone a handful of times. Just as often, I ask my wife what something means. How much of this do I remember? Very little.

I'm starting to keep a daily log of the words I needed in a day. I haven't yet found a consistent way of keeping track of new words while I'm moving through the city but I suspect that good old pen and paper will prove the best solution.

I will post my daily lists here. For those of you reading this blog for amusement, you won't be bothered by the daily (weekly?) lists, because I will add them to the vocabulary page here: Słownictwo / Vocabulary. Later, you can find this page in the column to the right under "Reference."

For those of you using this page to help you learn Polish, (anyone?) you can refer to the vocabulary page periodically to see what has been added. I'll try to mention in my regular blog posts when the vocab page has been updated. Go check the first list now and tell me what you think. Is this a good way to organise vocabulary?

Psy

W Niedziela, byliśmy na spacer w Park Skaryszewski. Skaryszewski jest dobry park bo zawsze są dużo psy. Bardzo lubimy psy, ale nie mamy bo tylko mamy mała mieszkania. Chcemy beagle. . .

Dwa tygodniu temu, zrobiłyśmy zdjęcie ale nie napisałem na blogu. Dziś, pogoda był ciepła i słoneczna. Moja zona i ja usiedliśmy na ławce. Weronika czytała książka i uczyłem się polskiego. Mam "Polish in 4 Weeks," która jest bardzo nierealistyczny pomysł. Jednak, to dobry przewodnik gramatyka.

Kiedy idziemy do parku, zwykle nosimy aparat, bo są zabawny i ladny psy. Chcę wam pokazać kilku zdjęcie.

"Jest dobry dzień na spacer. A potem . . . piwo."
"It's a good day for a walk. Afterwards . . . beer."

"Czasami myślę, że jesteście za wolny i za nudny. Chcę biegać!"
 "Sometimes, I think that you guys are too slow and boring. I want to run!"

"Nie pamiętam, jest piłka twoja czy moja?"
"I don't remember, is the ball yours or mine?"

"Nie zjadłem śniadania dziś. Ale widzę mała corgi. . . "
"I didn't eat breakfast today. But I see a little corgi . . . "

"Hej! Dziecko! Budź i baw się ze mną!"
"Hey! Kid! Wake up and have fun with me!"

"Nie ma problemu, ja wszystko łapie!"
"No problem, I catch everything!"

"Tak, jestem mały ale jestem najszybciej w parku!"
"Yes, I'm small but I'm the fastest in the park!"

"Proszę pedałować! Nie mogę ciągnąć więcej."
"Please pedal! I can't pull any more."

"Czy masz prawidłowe f zatrzymać?"
"Do you have the right f-stop?"
Caption by DiverDoc.

"mam sziwa wasa dlatego musie brac lasca."
"I have a grey moustache because I have to bring wood."
Caption by Paddy, of PzU.

You'll notice the last two photos don't have captions. That's because I need your help! Please help me chose an appropriate caption for the last two dogs. Post your ideas in the comments below!

Also, if you don't understand my caption or see a glaring error in my Polish, feel free to point me in the right direction.

How do you learn?

The guilt from my infrequent blogging is setting in. With so many great blogs out there I should be inspired to write more frequently, but instead I read the 'other' blogs and feel content that a good job was done. An interesting blog post was written today, just not by me! What do I read?

I don't miss a day without reading W-wa Jeziorki (I think of him as 'The Blogfather') or PzU. If you don't already know about Polandian then I'd be surprised. Check the 'Updated Blogs' section on the right for more.

What about my Polish? I've concluded that I speak Polish. Do I speak French? No, just a few words. A few years ago I used to be able to hack through a few sentences in Spanish and I'm sure that ability could return. But I don't feel like I speak Spanish. Although I finally speak Polish, I don't speak or understand it particularly well. I'm probably still an upper beginner or low intermediate speaker. How have I decided that I can speak Polish? Simply, I use the language to communicate:

• I can follow at least the topics of most conversations. The more context I have, the easier it is. Hearing stories about events I'm already familiar with is especially encouraging.
• I watch Polish TV and actually get something out of it. 'Talking heads' news shows aren't as easy as silly talk shows.
• I can pick up a newspaper or article and get the gist as well as many details quickly. I laughed the other day when I was handed a Metro paper near home and nonchalantly scanned the headline and a few lines of text as I walked. I folded up the paper, then realised 'shit, I just understood that!'
• I rarely use Google Translate anymore to translate entire webpages. I still frequently translate extracts and sentences I don't understand, when in a hurry.
• I can interact with people in shops successfully if I have a bit of time to think about what I need to say.
• I chat (with varying success) with my students occasionally in Polish after our lessons. They pretend to understand me.
• I interact with my wife on a basic level about a number of things at home. Usually, this consists of me saying childish things and her patiently humouring me.

I have a long, long way to go. I run out of words very quickly and my grammar is atrocious. I have an intuitive understanding of only a few cases, some of the time. People say I sound 'different than my normal self' in Polish and this worries me a little. At home I know I do a silly voice, sometimes emulating dramatic TV voiceover voices or a strange old fashioned Eastern European style I have invented. I think I might also sound different because I apply English style intonation to Polish, making me sound a little more odd than normal.

I'm not currently in a Polish course. I had planned on taking an A2 course somewhere in town this winter term, but it slipped off the priority list and will remain that way for the near future. For now I am taking a more natural approach. What are my methods?

As referred to in my description of shopping for glasses, I have scraps of paper with phrases and vocabulary on them all over my desk. I have stopped apologising for my poor Polish in public (say that three times fast) and no longer ask people if they speak English. Other than that, that's about the extent of my 'natural approach' right now. It's not enough.

As a mentor of mine once told me, 'the best way to learn is every way.' He was right. I certainly don't think there is one best method for learning language and I enjoy variety in my own learning and also in teaching. Variety works. How will I augment my Polish learning in the next weeks and days?

• By studying Polish 'Fiszki" in my downtime in the city
• By assembling my vocabulary and phrase scraps into topics in a notebook
• By setting aside a few hours a week to go through exercises in my "Hurrah Po Polsku" texts.
• By blogging more, especially in Polish.

What else should I do?

As evidence of my ability to write or talk about various topics, I implore you to suggest a short writing topic for me. Please, nothing too hard. I'll take the best suggestion and compose something about it in Polish before Tuesday. Promise. What shall it be?

Edit: Tuesday 15 Mar. Sorry, can't write about doggies tonight. I know I promised. I have all the photos ready but I need to write the captions. And there will be a caption contest!

Dictionary Discoveries: Translated

Yesterday I posted about discovering that the Polish/English dictionary has a history feature, which keeps an effective log of the words I needed in my travels. Scroll down and read that post, 'Dictionary Discoveries' first if you haven't already.

I said that upon first inspection that I could only remember the translation or definition of 18 of the 48 recorded words. I hope you're following along and learning vocabulary too. This list is equally valuable for learners of Polish or English. Here's the list again, this time with translations. Do you know them all?

I have chosen the only the meaning and part of speech I was interested in at the time. There are, of course, many other possibilities.

1. food / jedzenie (n.)
2. meldunek / registration (n.)
3. przyszłość / future (n.)
4. airmail / pocztą lotniczą (n.)
5. pillowcase / poszewka (n.)
6. single / pojedynczy (adj.)
7. good / grzeczny (adj., in this case meaning 'well behaved')
8. help / pomoc (n.)
9. patience / cierpliwość (n.)
10. odbierać / to pick up (v.)
11. czegoś / something (pronoun, genitive case)
12. anything / coś (pronoun)
13. something / coś (pronoun)
14. płyn / liquid or fluid (n.)
15. bleach / wybielacz (n.)
16. comfortable / wygodny (n., in this case of a chair, a bed, glasses . . . )
17. wide / szeroki (adj.)
18. shiny / błyszczący (adj.)
19. makler / (stock)broker (n.)
20. walk / chodzić piechotą (v.)
21. ratusz / town hall (n.)
22. change / reszta (n.)
23. ring / pierścionek (n.)
24. forget / zapominać (v.)
25. celny / customs (adj. 'what kind of officer?')
26. służba / service (n.)
27. graniczny / border (adj.)
28. młodzież / youth(s) (n.)
29. march / maszerować (v.)
30. March / marzec (n.)
31. galop / gallop (n. I love these ones! Free word!)
32. dopiero / only (adv.)
33. begin / po pierwsze (v. 'To begin with, I'd like to know . . . )
34. when / kiedy (adv.)
35. try / starać się (v. to make an effort)
36. salmon / łosoś (n.)
37. happy / szczęśliwy (adj.)
38. ławka / bench (n.)
39. orchid / orchidea (n.)
40. stoic / stoik (n.)
41. zboczony / perverted (adj.)
42. zbocze / slope (n.)
43. spleen / śledziona (n.)
44. stukot / clatter (n.)
45. żal / regret (n.)
46. grudzień / December (n.)
47. obowiązujący / valid (adj.)
48. loyal / lojalny (adj.)

So, how many did you know? How many did you learn?

Dictionary Discoveries

Tonight while riding the #24 home to Grochów, I, like many others on the tram, was playing with my cellphone. That's 'mobile' to you international English speakers. I have a great Polish/English dictionary in my phone that I use many times a day. While trying to compose a text message in Polish, I was looking hopelessly for the 'copy and paste' feature in the dictionary - a sorely lacking feature. Trying to flip back and forth between an SMS and the dictionary page displaying 'food.' It's hard to remember how to spell 'żywność,' which didn't seem to me to be the correct word for food. My wife tells me that the word I was looking for was 'jedzenie.' Of course. Apparently 'żywność' is too scientific, and 'pokarm' is a little too biological in meaning. Great, now how do I remember that?

While searching for the copy and paste feature, I stumbled across 'history.' Low and behold my dictionary has, unbeknownst to me, been collecting my search history and building a list of words to study! Perfect. It's great to have a dictionary at your fingertips but when it is that easy to find the right word, sometimes it is a little difficult to remember.

Without further delay, I present you with the list of my last 48 dictionary searches in Polish or English, in reverse chronological order:

1. food
2. meldunek
3. przyszłość
4. airmail
5. pillowcase
6. single
7. good
8. help
9. patience
10. odbierać
11. czegoś
12. anything
13. something
14. płyn
15. bleach
16. comfortable
17. wide
18. shiny
19. makler
20. walk
21. ratusz
22. change
23. ring
24. forget
25. celny
26. służba
27. graniczny
28. młodzież
29. march
30. March
31. galop
32. dopiero
33. begin
34. when
35. try
36. salmon
37. happy
38. ławka
39. orchid
40. stoic
41. zboczony
42. zbocze
43. spleen
44. stukot
45. żal
46. grudzień
47. obowiązujący
48. loyal

This is a fantastic resource; It is the perfect list of the words I needed in the real world. Moreover, I certainly don't remember all of them, so it is a great study list. Of 48 words, I only just now remember the translation or meaning for 18 of them.

Now for the fun part - I can remember what I was doing when I was looking up most of these words! I seem to come back to this idea again and again - finding a way to make each small lesson memorable in some way can be the key to putting it into long term memory. I find any tactic useful that helps hold something in short term memory long enough so I can use it enough times for it to settle into a more permanent place.

Now, on with the word list, and where applicable, a note on why the word was relevant in my day:

1. food: riding home on the tram tonight, hungry
2. meldunek: waiting in the urząd for my new zameldowanie
3. przyszłość:
4. airmail: mailing a letter home to Canada. We found out the hard way that letters can take months when sent by regular mail. A letter we mailed to Australia on September 27 finally arrived in Sydney LAST WEEK!
5. pillowcase: shopping for pillowcases
6. single: thinking about espresso: 'pojedyńcze czy podwójne?'
7. good: likely a good dog in the street
8. help: wondering if a bleeding man near my apartment needed help
9. patience: thanking the optical shop sales clerk for helping me in Polish
10. odbierać: picking up my new glasses
11. czegoś: shopping for glasses
12. anything: looking for glasses
13. something: looking for glasses
14. płyn: reading labels in the shop, looking for denatured alcohol
15. bleach: more labels, still looking for denatured alcohol
16. comfortable: glasses shopping
17. wide: glasses . . .
18. shiny: you guessed it . . .
19. makler: a student was looking for this word in a lesson
20. walk
21. ratusz: getting off the metro at Ratusz Arsenał
22. change
23. ring
24. forget: returning something my brother 'borrowed' from a restaurant
25. celny: in the airport reading a worker's jacket crest
26. służba: in the airport, reading same jacket crest
27. graniczny: still at the airport . . .
28. młodzież: talking about Polish sail training ships
29. march
30. March
31. galop: talking (rather, listening) about horses with my wife?
32. dopiero: listening to TOK FM on the tram
33. begin
34. when
35. try
36. salmon: buying a salad at Cafe Colombia on Nowy Świat
37. happy
38. ławka: sitting on a bench with friends in Łazienki Park
39. orchid: buying orchid mix on Waszyngtona
40. stoic
41. zboczony: no idea what I was looking for!
42. zbocze
43. spleen
44. stukot: talking about workplace noises with a student
45. żal
46. grudzień
47. obowiązujący
48. loyal

I'll be revisiting this topic, and checking in with more vocabulary lists. I'll have to quiz myself with these words. My dictionary also has a 'learning' feature, where it will provide either a random word, or a 'word of the day.' I discover enough words each day that I don't see the use of this feature for now.

Quiz yourself - how many of these words do you know? I'll post the translations/answers in my next post.

What were the last 5 Polish or English words you learned? To my students reading this, extra points for adding your comments below!

Gratifying Language Lessons II: Practice

Last post I talked about a simple method I had employed to work on specific topics in language learning. My quest was to find a pair of glasses in Warsaw. I outlined my method, but didn't write about the specific language I learned and practised. Time for that now.

Anyone learning from dialogues in textbooks knows how predictable 'textbook' conversations are. It may seem obvious but one needs to remember that the person you are talking to (unless they're in the classrom!) won't follow scripted dialogue like in the language textbooks. Don't be surprised when people don't 'know their lines' in real life.

Glasses / okulary are, as in English, plural. They are also of neuter gender in Polish. Here are some of the words and phrases I armed myself with for the day (in no particular order):

• Szukam okularów / I'm looking for glasses
• okulary / glasses
• oprawki / frames
• soczewki / lenses
• klasyczne / classic
• Moja recepta jest minus pięć i minus pięć i pół. / My prescription is minus five and minus five and a half.
• proste zauszniki / simple arms
• raczej metalowe / ~more metal than otherwise
• jake firme soczewki? / Which company makes the lenses?
• można? / may I?
• za duże / too big
• za małe / too small
• nieźle / not bad
• przęmyslę / I'll think about it
• może / maybe
• niewygodne / uncomfortable
• wrocę / I'll be back
• wrocę z żoną / I'll be back with my wife
• proszę odłożyć / please hold
• za ciężkie / too heavy (weight or appearance)
• te są najleprze / these are the best
• za bardzo kanciaste / too angular
• pocieniane / thin (lenses)

I kept my ears open for new words and picked up a couple I remember. I have to write them down quickly or I forget them nearly instantaneously. I got the sales staff to help me write a couple of them down. As I've said before, they always seemed very happy to take a moment to help me out.

• matowe / matte (colour)
• za szeroki / too wide
• za bardzo błyszczące / too shiny

After day one, I went home and learned some more phrases I had discovered I was missing:

• Noszę okulary codziennie przez cały dzień. / I wear glasses all day, every day.
• Często oglądam telewisję na leżąco. / I often watch TV laying down. (whilst demonstrating sideways TV viewing posture)
• Czy są takie czarne? / Do you have these in black?

Of course my conversations were riddled with errors, but I seemed to get what I wanted in the end. I quickly learned it is unnecessary to repeat the apologetic "Niestety nie mowię dobrze po polsku" / "Unfortunately I don't speak Polish well." Speak like I do and people know that right away! Also, this sentence serves as an invitation to those capable in English to deal in English, which I was trying to avoid. After visiting probably 10-15 shops, I only dealt with one woman in English. A pretty fair average. With one woman, when I ran out of Polish words I just spoke English. She seemed to understand me well enough and spoke to me in Polish. This sounds very strange but was more or less functional.

Mistakes? All day I had been saying "Moja recepta jest minus pięć i minus pięć i po." I should have been saying "pół." What else did I get wrong? What other phrases would you have told me to write down on my cheat sheet?

I found a lot of good shops. I also found a few that I wouldn't even go into. Like many other types of shops in the city, it is amazing how some really feel like stepping twenty years back in time. There are a few shops I would return to if shopping for glasses again:

• Duo Optyk
• ul. Krucza 47a
• www.optykbrenda.pl
• good selection, dealt in English
•  Firma Optyczna Marek Jakubowiczul
• ul. Ptasia 2
• www.optyk-jakubowicz.medserwis.pl
• good selection, fancy shop, high tech materials and brands but rather expensive
• Bogdan Tuszyński Optyk
• Al. Jana Pawła II 26
• dobryoptyk@wp.pl
• helpful staff, had just what I was looking for

I ended up buying some frames in 'Flexon' material from the shop on Jana Pawła II. It's surprising how fast they were ready (one day), but one must remember that in all the shops I visited, you are buying the actual frames you try on. The only thing that needs to be delivered and cut is the lenses. In Canada, it seems to be pretty standard that you wait about 5 days for a new frame to be delivered to match the demo frame you tried on. This way you can custom order colours, temple sizes, etc. In Poland you just have to be careful of the condition of the frames you're buying - some have been on the wall a while and have taken a bit of a beating. I'm still getting used to the fit of my new frames but I'm happy so far.

When it came to choosing lens options, I brought in my wife to help. The salesperson was helpful but spoke too quickly for me to take chances misunderstanding her. A good translator comes in handy! I ended up getting quality frames and quality high index lenses with all the coatings for about one third to one half of what I would expect to pay in Canada.

While out exploring, I found another good English bookstore, where I picked up what looked to be the last copy of "301 Polish Verbs." Check out Księgarnia Co-Liber, Pl. Bankowy 4 (www.coliber.waw.pl). More on my new book another day.

Gratifying Language Lessons I: Method

I'm finally back to Warsaw and settling into normal life again after an extended and very busy time home in Alberta for the holidays. While in Canada I admit I didn't work on my Polish at all. As you noticed I have also been neglecting the blog! Unfortunately, now my main computer is in pieces and waiting for a replacement fan so I'm working on a backup system for the time being. A good reminder to all to back up your data.

Family parties in December and January provided great opportunities for both sides to practice both English and Polish. My Polish family visited Canada for Christmas and New Years, and my Canadian family came to Warsaw for 10 days in January. The jovial spirit of our gatherings fostered an atmosphere free of fear and hesitation. More important than a lesson in vocabulary or grammar, I learned a lesson in courage. If my Polish family can speak to me in English then I can certainly grow the courage and confidence to do my best in Polish. It's an inspiration to learn more. Attempts at communication are perfectly demonstrative in exposing those gaps in language one wants to develop. Who wants to learn the language they teach you in schools?

I know lots of people need language skills to book appointments, meet friends, exchange business information, etc. However, I always think it's rather silly to teach 'business' language skills at a beginner level. Making appointments, planning conferences, etc. is deadly boring, and more importantly, these aren't the skills most needed by beginners. I think beginners need to make basic introductions, buy things with confidence in markets, shops, and restaurants, and so on.  Beginners need to learn to gossip, not how to negotiate a mortgage or buy a car. Serious things like this are best done with a translator!

I have had some incredibly gratifying language lessons here in Warsaw over the last few days. My recent mission has been shopping for new glasses. Most people think they don't know how to teach language, but my interlocutor has proven to be a very effective teacher! She provided me with a phrasebook type template of useful sentence fragments to use while out shopping.

The method is simple and it is a great way to learn vocabulary and 'chunks' of useful language. I interviewed my interlocutor over lunch for some phrases I expected to use, and wrote them down on a slip of paper (in my experience, pen and paper is better for memory than a computer keyboard!). Writing the words yourself seems to be critical in remembering them. Next, vocabulary. Whatever words suit the topic. Keep the list short . . . some research shows that our short term memories are only really effective at remembering 6-10 things at a time. My limit is considerably less! Take this opportunity to test your pronunciation of the word/phrase list and emulate your teacher. Keep the interview short and sweet and don't abuse your interview privileges.

Using this simple process you can turn any willing participant into a language teacher. Keep the phrases simple and don't overwhelm them with never-ending grammar questions. In my experience, Poles don't know their grammar any better than we English speakers know ours, and it makes them uncomfortable when they can't answer your grammar queries. Save the grammar interrogation for expert teachers and research in textbooks.

Armed with your slip of phrases and vocabulary - go for it. You have to practice this stuff if you want to remember it. I went to the first optical store with my interlocutor and let her speak for me. I listened carefully. Next, I got rid of her! Today in the city I was completely on my own - no English speaking translator and no opportunity to chicken out. I still feel a little nervous speaking Polish in public with my interlocutor (ok, ok, she's my wife!), so going it alone solves this problem.

Every single salesperson today was extremely gracious, patient, and helpful with my attempts to shop in Polish. I never asked if they spoke English. Instead, I fumbled and forged ahead in Polish the best I could. Keep that slip of paper handy, take your time, and remind yourself the words you have forgotten whenever you need. If you catch a new word or hear one you don't understand, ASK the salesperson what it means! ('Proszę powtórzyć' and 'Proszę mowić wolniej' come in handy). Remember, anyone can be your teacher. These lessons conducted completely in Polish are the best way for me to remember bits and pieces. I remember the shop, the smell, the setting, and I remember looking at W-I-D-E glasses when I learned to say 'too wide' ('za szeroki').

By the end of the day, I still hadn't found the glasses I wanted, but I had practiced my Polish in countless shops and my confidence and proficiency grew at every step. By the end of the day I even went into two shops I didn't think would have good glasses just to practice and reinforce my new skills. It's really gratifying! One small lesson at a time - keep those slips of paper and build topic after topic. I had a blast doing it today!

Next post, I'll share my notes from glasses shopping. What phrases did I carry for the day and what vocabulary did I use? What did I learn on the spot and what did I screw up? I'll tell you in detail tomorrow. It feels good to blog again after such a long break.

I want your comments. What real world topic should I practice next in Warsaw? What do I need to learn to say? I will make a list of future topics to work on in the city. No more picking oranges from baskets at Społem - I have to go to the market and talk to real people. They really are patient and kind when they see you trying your best in their language and they're invariably happy to help.

What topics do you suggest? Choosing a tie? Buying fruit or meat? Going to the post office? Add your comments below.