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.