Proszę and przepraszam: one word for three jobs
Proszę literally means I ask, and it works in three roles. Please in a request: Proszę mówić powoli. Please when handing something over: Proszę, kawa. And a re-ask: a short Proszę? means sorry, what did you say? For example: “Dziękuję. — Proszę.” — Thank you. — Don't mention it. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Proszę literally means I ask, and it works in three roles. Please in a request: Proszę mówić powoli. Please when handing something over: Proszę, kawa. And a re-ask: a short Proszę? means sorry, what did you say?
It is also the answer to dziękuję — don't mention it. The stronger form is proszę bardzo, the politest of all.
Przepraszam literally means through-I-ask — it is an apology and a way to hail a stranger in the street: Przepraszam, gdzie jest dworzec?.
The trap works both ways. To stop a passer-by only przepraszam will do: proszę will be heard as the start of a request with no request in sight. And to dziękuję you answer proszę, never przepraszam.
Table
| Word | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| proszę | please in a request | Proszę mówić powoli |
| proszę | please when handing over | Proszę, kawa |
| proszę? | asking again | Proszę? — what did you say? |
| proszę bardzo | emphatic please | Proszę bardzo! |
| przepraszam | an apology and a hail | Przepraszam, gdzie jest dworzec? |
By example
- Dziękuję. — Proszę.Thank you. — Don't mention it.
- Proszę?Proszę? (asking again)
- Przepraszam, gdzie jest dworzec?Excuse me, where is the station?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Proszę vs przepraszam?
The trap works both ways. To stop a passer-by only przepraszam will do: proszę will be heard as the start of a request with no request in sight. And to dziękuję you answer proszę, never przepraszam.
What does proszę mean in Polish?
Proszę literally means I ask, and it works in three roles. Please in a request: Proszę mówić powoli. Please when handing something over: Proszę, kawa. And a re-ask: a short Proszę? means sorry, what did you say?
How to ask someone to repeat in Polish?
Przepraszam literally means through-I-ask — it is an apology and a way to hail a stranger in the street: Przepraszam, gdzie jest dworzec?
How to answer dziękuję in Polish?
The trap works both ways. To stop a passer-by only przepraszam will do: proszę will be heard as the start of a request with no request in sight. And to dziękuję you answer proszę, never przepraszam.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Dziękuję. — Proszę.” — Thank you. — Don't mention it. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.