Polish · A1 · Learning tips & comparisons
Your first conversation in Polish: Introduce yourself in four turns
Start with Mam na imię … (My name is …), then say where you are from with Jestem z … . If you lose the thread, say Proszę mówić wolniej: Please speak more slowly. Practise the follow-up question too; a conversation starts to work when you can give the other person a turn.
Library date
A short exchange you can finish
A: Cześć! Mam na imię Ania. A ty? Hi! My name is Ania. And you?
B: Mam na imię Alex. Miło mi. My name is Alex. Nice to meet you.
A: Miło mi. Skąd jesteś? Nice to meet you. Where are you from?
B: Jestem z Londynu. I’m from London.
Learn the whole answer
Z meaning from takes the genitive: Londyn becomes z Londynu, and Polska becomes z Polski. Learn your own place name as a phrase. You can also say Mieszkam w Krakowie (I live in Kraków) if you prefer to talk about where you live.
How to buy another turn
Say Przepraszam, nie rozumiem (Sorry, I don’t understand), then ask Czy może pani powtórzyć? to a woman or Czy może pan powtórzyć? to a man in a polite exchange. Practise the repair line as often as your introduction: it lets you keep speaking after the rehearsed part ends.