Polish for foreigners

[jopelka]

Polish language isn’t difficult – try to learn with me! I’m an experienced teacher of foreign languages: English and German, as well as Polish for foreigners. Now I’m a PhD student (Adam Mickiewicz University, The Faculty of Polish and Classic Philology). I offer you lessons in Polish, for beginners also in English and German. Without leaving your house/office, losing no time and money for transport, I’ll come to the place you decide to have lessons (in Poznań), with no extra charge. I hope you will conntact me soon! My telephone number is 509157648

[usenetposts]

OK, and what would you like to discuss?

[jopelka]

It depends on this what you want to know about my classes.

oh no!... another advertisement :)

[waldek1610]

You didn't get the point. He ment to imply that "Foreigners living in Poland
forum" is a place where you can take part in our discussions, and not a place
where slap the advertisment on for free....

Why is that, that the only thing people in Poland care about is money?

[usenetposts]

waldek1610 napisał:

> You didn't get the point. He ment to imply that "Foreigners living in Poland
> forum" is a place where you can take part in our discussions, and not a place
> where slap the advertisment on for free....
>
> Why is that, that the only thing people in Poland care about is money?

I think it's related to the sad fact that you can't buy things without it.

I don't mind people sharing info about their services as long as that's not all
they do here. You have to buy the right to advertise on here by either stumping
up 30 PLN for a link to GW, as they have a right to get something back for the
space we use, or else buy the right to tout the services in discussion by
actualy adding something to the discussion. I see Ianek's given a good opener
and I hope this person will take the chance and join in properly.

If people limit themselves to spamming, without adding any proper
participation, then there is a button I have that I can use on them, and I'm
quite prepared to do so.

[ianek70]

jopelka napisała:

> Polish language isn’t difficult – try to learn with me!

So what's the difference between poczekać and zaczekać?

[minimus]

according to the KISS principle - none

[jopelka]

According to the PWN's dictionary the difference between poczekać and zaczekać is like here:
poczekać - wait for somebody or something for some time (poczekać na + Acc., kogo, co.
e.g. Nie przejmuj się, poczekam na ciebie
zaczekać - stop somewhere while waiting for some time (e.g.zaczekać w hotelu, w domu).
Zaczekam w hotelu.
But I think Polish people use zaczekać in the same meaning as poczekać, e.g. Zaczekam na ciebie.

By the way if anybody has some problem with Polish language I'll try to help. For free!

[varsovian]

Ever considered a future with Trivial Pursuits?

[usenetposts]

jopelka napisała:

> According to the PWN's dictionary the difference between poczekać and
zaczekać
> is like here:
> poczekać - wait for somebody or something for some time (poczekać na + Acc.,
ko
> go, co.
> e.g. Nie przejmuj się, poczekam na ciebie
> zaczekać - stop somewhere while waiting for some time (e.g.zaczekać w hotelu,
w
> domu).
> Zaczekam w hotelu.
> But I think Polish people use zaczekać in the same meaning as poczekać, e.g.
Za
> czekam na ciebie.
>
> By the way if anybody has some problem with Polish language I'll try to help.
F
> or free!

OK, that's more like it. I'll give you an official "wracam honor" in that case.

My query is as follows:

I would like to say in Polish "the children come from very different
backgrounds" now I can say "dzieci te pochodzą z bardzo różnych" and then I
have the problem. Tło is the nominative singular, so if "okno" gives gen.
plural "okien" (cf. "dzieci te wypadały z bardzo różnych okien") then it stands
to reason that the form must be "tieł". They said "that's not right" but when I
asked what was the right form, they shook their heads and said "nie powiem
Panu". Well, I never thought it was a state secret, but in these days of
Wildibronsztein and Lustracja and what have you, no doubt you need to be
careful what you tell foreigners.

Perhaps you will be able to put me straight on the genitive plural of "tło"?

[marcus_anglikiem]

Perhaps you will be able to put me straight on the genitive plural of "tło"?

Dave, I'm honoured to be of service: the gen. pl. of "tło" is "teł".

nb. the reason it is "teł" whilst gen. pl. of ok-no is "ok-ien" is that "k" is
one of those consonants that likes to have an "i" in front of it - i believe
they are referred to as "soft consonants", whilst "t" is not.

[usenetposts]

What a brilliant explanation. It seems obvious now, which is the hallmark of a
good explanation.

You should be teaching Polish to foreigners!

[marcus_anglikiem]

thanks! - that's why we say "zabiłem go młotem" ale "zabiłem go młokiem"

... on the subject of word usage, i too wondered about the usage... i too
thought of "pochodzenia", though i think "życiorysy" sounds good.

[marcus_anglikiem]

marcus_anglikiem napisał:

> thanks! - that's why we say "zabiłem go młotem" ale "zabiłem go młokiem"

... i missed the "t" out didn't i !

[marcus_anglikiem]

...z różnych środowisk... (?)

[mafketis]

> ...z różnych środowisk... (?)

I considered that but thought it sounds kind of negative, IME środowisko when
referring to people often refers to illicit activities ... time to turn to the
fount of all knowledge - Google.

A very quick, very superficial search suggests that when used of children
środowisko primarily refers to social class especially lower social class...

Background graphic?

[usenetposts]

OK, this is very interesting. But what if I talk about the historical
background to a certain problem - for example a sentence such as this one:

"Poland is reluctant to allow a "corridor" linking Belarus to the Kaliningrad
region, which is understandable given the historical background of the Danzig
Corridor."

Would you use "srodowisko" or "tło" for that? Or another word?

[minimus]

tło )
but don't know why. just sounds good

[mafketis]

> "Poland is reluctant to allow a "corridor" linking Belarus to the Kaliningrad
> region, which is understandable given the historical background of the Danzig
> Corridor."

My (very rough, first draft) go at that would be something like:

Polacy niechętnie dopuszczają do budowy 'korytarza' między Białorusią i
Kaliningrad, co jest zrozumiałe jeśli weźmie się pod uwagę historię korytarza
gdańskiego.

I'd probably drop 'background' altogether and just go with history by itself, or
maybe 'los korytarza gdańskiego' but again, I'm not a native speaker.

[marcus_anglikiem]

>"Poland is reluctant to allow a "corridor" linking Belarus to the Kaliningrad
> region, which is understandable given the historical background of the Danzig
> Corridor."

albo...

Polska ma niechęć pozwolić 'korytarz' połączając Belarus z Kaliningradem,
które zrozumiało jest ze względem historii 'Korytarza Gdańskiego'.

[usenetposts]

OK, I can see getting round it there by omitting it altogether, but what if I
rephrase it like this:

"In order to understand Poland's objections to the idea of a Kaliningrad
corridor, there is a lot of historical background that needs to be taken into
account"?

[marcus_anglikiem]

Dave, what's the difference between 'historical background' and 'history'
(obviously - by the context - that particular 'history' pertaining to the
subject - i.e. the subject's 'historical background')

[usenetposts]

marcus_anglikiem napisał:

> Dave, what's the difference between 'historical background' and 'history'
> (obviously - by the context - that particular 'history' pertaining to the
> subject - i.e. the subject's 'historical background')

If I were to write "there is a lot of history we need to understand" then
backdrop or background may well be understood by the sapient reader. The less
sapient reader may simply think it is a statement of the obvious, that the area
has a long history. Most of the time, we have to write bearing in mind the
possible misunderstandings or misinterpretations that people could have, and
that is the reason for trying to be as precise as possible in writing. It's
always a pay-off against brevity, though.

Some writers love brevity, calling it "the soul of wit", but they sometimes
take it to extremes, writing almost a kind of shorthand. One sometimes gets the
impression, when corresponding with these people, that the native speaker of
English with whom one is corresponding has suddenly turned into a Chinaman, and
while what they want to say may be obvious to them, it is impossible to get
there without guesswork when the sentences are limited to five words.

Someone whom Kylie and I know in another forum likes to write these short
snappy sentences that seem so pithy, but all she succeeds in doing is getting
everyone else's hackles up.

[mafketis]

usenetposts napisał:

> I would like to say in Polish "the children come from very different
> backgrounds" now I can say "dzieci te pochodzą z bardzo różnych" and then I
> have the problem. Tło is the nominative singular,

I'm not a native speaker, but now that some kind soul has told you the answer,
I'll mention that tło doesn't seem like the right word, at least I've never seen
it used in that manner at least. As for what the right word is might depend on
what you actually mean.

Off the top of my head, Dzieci mają różne pochodzenia sounds better (I don't
think 'bardzo' is necessary in such a sentence) but that's more about ethnic
background (and used about things as well) if you're talking about different
kinds of life experiences (family, social class, places lived in etc) I might
think Dzieci mają różne życiorysy (lit. biographies).

Perhaps a native could enlighten us...

[minimus]

Your absolutely right. Tło does mean background but in for example a picture.
In the example given by Dave pochodzenie would be most suitable as it implies
before birth. Życiorys is their own life. Now you tell me what
does 'background' mean exactly in that sentence. Is it pochodzenie or życiorys?

[varsovian]

family,
home,
(social class ...)

Hi Ev

[russh]