Words You Already Know In Polish

Learning a language can be tough, whether it is German, French, Spanish, or Polish ( one of the hardest languages to acquire). But, there are ways to make it easier. What we should all be aware of is that no one possesses a so-called level of “zero-competence” in a foreign language. Owing to internationalism and international words, we can all start with what we already know to make the process of learning a language easy and fun.

Internationalisms are words that exist in several languages with the same or very similar meanings and etymologies. They are also often similar in pronunciation and orthography, and in most cases, consistent on a structural level. For instance, the French absurdité appears in English as absurdity, in Spanish as absurdidad, in German as absurdität and in Polish as absurd.

On February 21st, we celebrated International Mother Language Day. The day has turned to promoting the awareness of linguistics, cultural diversity, and multilingualism since 1999. So, why not get interested in some of these international words that you already know?

Here are some examples of internationalisms. Remember: the list is much longer than what is written here! Let’s get it started.

Adjectives to describe people

The first list I would like to begin with concerns adjectives that can be used to describe personalities. The most common ones are:

• agresywny / agresywna (aggressive)
• aktywny / aktywna (active)
• ambitny / ambitna (ambitious)
• atrakcyjny / atrakcyjna (attractive)
• energiczny / energiczna (energetic)
• inteligentny / inteligentna (intelligent)
• kreatywny / kreatywna (creative)
• romantyczny / romantyczna (romantic)
• sfrustrowany / sfrustrowana (frustrated)
• spontaniczny / spontaniczna (spontaneous)
• utalentowany / utalentowana (talented)
• zestresowany / zestresowana (stressed)

Please note that the ending -y is masculine and -a feminine.

Example phrases:

• On jest bardzo ambitny i inteligentny / ona jest bardzo ambitna i inteligentna.
• (He is very ambitious and intelligent / She is very ambitious and intelligent).

• Jesteś taki romantyczny! / Jesteś taka romantyczna! (You are so romantic!).
• Nie bądź taki zestresowany / zestresowana. Będzie OK! (Don’t stress out! It’ll be ok!).

Everyday words

In everyday conversation, we also tend to use internationalisms like the following:

• dokument (document)
• dezodorant (deodorant)
• doktor (doctor)
• gitara (guitar)
• gram (gram)
• kilogram (kilogram)
• kilometr (kilometre)
• lampa (lamp)
• mama (mom)
• metr (meter)
• metro (metro)
• migrena (migraine)
• numer (number)
• oficer (officer)
• ok (ok)
• papier (paper)
• policja (police)
• siesta (siesta)
• sport (sport)
• stres (stress)
• super (super)
• syn (son)
• szampon (shampoo)
• szok (shock)
• tabu (taboo)
• taksówka (taxi)
• tatuaż (tattoo)
• temperatura (temperature)
• tenis (tennis)
• termometr (thermometer)
• żel (gel)

Example phrases:

• Muszę kupić dezodorant i szampon. (I need to buy deodorant and shampoo).
• To temat tabu. (It is a taboo subject).
• Super tatuaż! (Great tattoo!).

Food & drinks

Did you know that many of the words we use when speaking about food and beverages are loanwords? We all enjoy discussing this part of our life.

• alkohol (alcohol)
• banan (banana)
• bekon (bacon)
• brokuł (broccoli)
• czekolada (chocolate)
• cygar (cigar)
• deser (dessert)
• hamburger (hamburger)
• jogurt (yoghurt)
• kakao (cacao)
• kawa (coffee)
• koktajl (cocktail)
• krem (cream)
• kiwi (kiwi)
• majonez (mayonnaise)
• marmolada (marmalade)
• olej (oil)
• oliwka (olive)
• papryka (paprika)
• pizza (pizza)
• ryż (rice)
• sałatka (salad)
• tort (torte)
• wino (wine)
• zupa (soup)

Example phrases:

• Pijesz alkohol? (Do you drink alcohol?)
• To wino jest pyszne! (This wine is delicious!).

• Robię sałatka z papryką, brokułami, oliwkami i majonezem a na deser serwuję banany, kiwi albo czekoladę.
• (I’m making salad with paprika, broccolis, olives and mayonnaise; and for dessert, I’m serving bananas, kiwis or chocolate).

Places

We all go to these places at one time or another. They all sound familiar, don’t they?

• agencja turystyczna (tourist agency)
• balkon (balcony)
• bank (bank)
• bar (bar)
• centrum (centre)
• centrum sportu (sports centre)
• dyskoteka (disco)
• garaż (garage)
• hostel (hostel)
• hotel (hotel)
• restauracja (restaurant)
• restaurancja fast food (fast food restaurant)
• solarium (solarium)
• slumsy (slums)
• stacja (station)
• studio (studio)
• szpital (hospital)
• supermarket (supermarket)
• toaleta (toilet)
• zoo (zoo)

Example Phrases:

• Chcę zarezerwować pokój w tym hotelu a potem pójść do restauracji.
• (I want to book a room in this hotel and then go to a restaurant).
• Masz ochotę pójść na dyskotekę albo do baru dziś wieczorem?
• (Do you fancy going to disco or a bar tonight?).
• Przepraszam, gdzie jest toaleta? (Excuse me, where is the toilet?).

I hope this information is helpful and that you are feeling reassured now that you’re aware of all these international words that ring a bell when you hear them.

Remember, however, that while learning a foreign language you can also encounter what is called a ‘false friend’ that looks or sounds similar, but differs significantly in meaning. Always check the definition in a dictionary to be sure you learn the right word.

The most common ‘false friends’ for Polish are:

Thank you for your time in reading my article; I hope you have enjoyed the topic! I wish you all the best on your Polish journey. Remember to have fun learning Polish, play with it and do not be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process! Any language can be difficult, but only as long as you make it difficult.

Have fun learning Polish and any other language! See you on italki!

Hero image by Sylwia Bartyzel (CC0 1.0)