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)