Leaking tap in Polish
Calling a plumber from a rented flat in Polish. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Dzień dobry. Kran w kuchni przecieka, woda jest wszędzie.» — Good day. The kitchen tap is leaking, water everywhere; «Kiedy to się zepsuło?» — When did it break?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: calling a plumber from a rented flat. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Dzień dobry. Kran w kuchni przecieka, woda jest wszędzie.Good day. The kitchen tap is leaking, water everywhere.
- Kiedy to się zepsuło?When did it break?
- Wczoraj wieczorem. Nie działa też gorąca woda.Yesterday evening. The hot water does not work either.
- Mogę przyjechać jutro rano.I can come tomorrow morning.
- Dobrze. Kiedy dokładnie?Fine. When exactly?
- Między ósmą a dziewiątą. Proszę poczekać przed domem.Between eight and nine. Please wait in front of the house.
Lines one by one
| Polish | Translation |
|---|---|
| Dzień dobry. Kran w kuchni przecieka, woda jest wszędzie. | Good day. The kitchen tap is leaking, water everywhere. |
| Kiedy to się zepsuło? | When did it break? |
| Wczoraj wieczorem. Nie działa też gorąca woda. | Yesterday evening. The hot water does not work either. |
| Mogę przyjechać jutro rano. | I can come tomorrow morning. |
| Dobrze. Kiedy dokładnie? | Fine. When exactly? |
| Między ósmą a dziewiątą. Proszę poczekać przed domem. | Between eight and nine. Please wait in front of the house. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Polish in this situation?
“Dzień dobry. Kran w kuchni przecieka, woda jest wszędzie.” — Good day. The kitchen tap is leaking, water everywhere. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.