Polish phrasebook
A Polish phrasebook arranged by situation, not alphabetically: introductions, cafés, directions. Each has both sides' lines, so you understand not only what to say but what you will be told back.
Conversations by situation
- 💬Getting acquaintedA conversation in a courtyard
- 💬At the caféOrdering at a coffeehouse on the square
- 💬How to get thereLooking for the station
- 💬Saturday marketSaturday, a stall with apples and cheese at the market
- 💬Leaking tapCalling a plumber from a rented flat
- 💬Third day of a coldAn all-night pharmacy, third day of a cold
- 💬Agreed on SaturdayTwo friends texting before the weekend
- 💬What do you doTwo neighbors talking on the staircase
- 💬Checking in for a flightCheck-in desk at the Warsaw airport, flight to Gdańsk
- 💬Boat rentalA pier in Masuria, two tourists and the boat owner
- 💬Trying on at the shopA clothes shop, trying on a sweater
- 💬Sorry, I am lateTwo friends after a missed meeting
- 💬What is for supper?Kitchen of a rented flat, two people at the stove
- 💬The Wi-Fi passwordA coffeehouse in the centre, a visitor's phone is dying
- 💬Joining the libraryA city library, a reader is joining for the first time
- 💬First time at the gymA gym, first session with a trainer
- 💬Money in an envelopeTwo colleagues at a lunch break, one has a wedding invitation
- 💬Toddlers at the playgroundA playground, two parents on a bench
- 💬Enrolling for the first yearUniversity admissions office, first day of enrollment
- 💬Asking for a loan at the bankA bank branch, a conversation with a consultant
- 💬At the GP appointmentA family doctor's office, a morning appointment
- 💬Talking to HRA small firm, the HR office
- 💬A truck by the houseThe yard of an old house, a truck and boxes
- 💬Rental at the airportA car rental desk at the airport, early morning
- 💬Who holds the remoteA living room, evening, two people sharing the remote
- 💬Window number threeThe municipal office, a service window, Tuesday morning
- 💬A not-so-simple offerA kitchen, evening, talking about a new job offer
- 💬Residents' meetingA residents' meeting, they are discussing a roof repair
- 💬The new colleagueAn office kitchen, two colleagues discussing the newcomer
- 💬Three days of silenceA bench in the courtyard, one friend comforting another
- 💬Pumpkin soup by phoneA kitchen, a grandson calls grandma half an hour before the guests
- 💬Returning a jacketA till in the shopping mall, Saturday after lunch
- 💬Phone at the repair shopA service centre reception desk on the outskirts
- 💬The forecasters promise a stormTwo neighbors by the entrance decide whether to go out of town for the weekend
- 💬The way to the bus stationA visitor stops a passer-by at a crossroads in the centre
- 💬A language schoolA language school desk, a woman is choosing a group
- 💬A meeting on ThursdayA phone call between two colleagues on Monday morning
- 💬Spell it out, pleaseA state office window, a visitor caught only half of what was said
- 💬Answering the adAn office of a small firm, a manager talks to a person who came in response to an ad
- 💬Point by pointTwo people over a lease agreement: one lets a flat, the other is reading such a document for the first time
- 💬A collection for the playgroundThe yard of an apartment block, a neighbor with a signature sheet goes from flat to flat
- 💬A present at the bookshopA customer is looking for a present and does not know which book to choose
- 💬Back to the gymA sports centre desk, a man returns to training after a long break
- 💬Choosing a projectorAn electronics department, a customer picks a projector and measures everything in words
- 💬The test resultsA doctor's office, a person has come for the result of an examination
- 💬A wedding invitationTwo friends in the street, one invites the other to his sister's wedding
- 💬An argument about the priceA small firm, two people disagree about the price
- 💬Advice about movingTwo friends at a café, one has been offered a job in another city
- 💬At the building materials shopA customer is looking for a shelf to replace an old one and describes to the seller what it was like
- 💬Rearranging the roomTwo people move the furniture around the room and argue about what goes where
- 💬An order for the weekAt a café they count how much food to order for the week
- 💬The work has stalledA manager and a worker work out why the work stalled
- 💬Let us check the figuresTwo employees decide whether the figures in the report can be trusted
- 💬Half a century in one villageA grandson questions his grandma about what the village looked like when she was young
- 💬Where to throw this awayA new resident asks a neighbour about the waste containers in the yard
- 💬A batch with defectsA storekeeper and a driver work out what to do with a batch of goods with a defect
- 💬Rumours by the entranceTwo neighbours discuss a story one of them saw himself and the other knows by hearsay
- 💬What he is like at workTwo colleagues on a break discuss how the new person has proved himself
Phrases that always rescue you
These are learned first not for politeness. They bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong — which makes them more useful than any list of nouns.
Frequently asked
Which Polish phrases to learn first?
To start a conversation: “hi”, “thank you” and “excuse me”. To rescue it when it goes wrong: “I do not understand” and “repeat, please”.
Is a phrasebook enough without grammar?
For a short trip — yes. For living in the country — no: memorized phrases do not assemble into new ones, and the other person does not follow your script.