At the building materials shop in Polish
A customer is looking for a shelf to replace an old one and describes to the seller what it was like in Polish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Szukam półki do kuchni, ale płaskiej i gładkiej, nie szorstkiej.» — I am looking for a shelf for the kitchen, only flat and smooth, not rough; «Jaki kształt pani potrzebuje, kwadratowy czy prostokątny?» — What shape do you need, square or rectangular?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a customer is looking for a shelf to replace an old one and describes to the seller what it was like. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Szukam półki do kuchni, ale płaskiej i gładkiej, nie szorstkiej.I am looking for a shelf for the kitchen, only flat and smooth, not rough.
- Jaki kształt pani potrzebuje, kwadratowy czy prostokątny?What shape do you need, square or rectangular?
- Prostokątny, na dwa metry.Rectangular, two metres long.
- Ta jest z drewna, powłoka matowa, nie błyszcząca.This wooden one — the coating is matte, not shiny.
- Stara wyblakła i po roku była krzywa.The old one faded and became crooked within a year.
- Ta warstwa jest mocna.This layer is strong.
- A jakie obciążenie może mieć?And what load can it carry?
- Do trzydziestu kilogramów, z zapasem jeszcze trochę.Up to thirty kilograms, with a little spare capacity on top.
Lines one by one
| Polish | Translation |
|---|---|
| Szukam półki do kuchni, ale płaskiej i gładkiej, nie szorstkiej. | I am looking for a shelf for the kitchen, only flat and smooth, not rough. |
| Jaki kształt pani potrzebuje, kwadratowy czy prostokątny? | What shape do you need, square or rectangular? |
| Prostokątny, na dwa metry. | Rectangular, two metres long. |
| Ta jest z drewna, powłoka matowa, nie błyszcząca. | This wooden one — the coating is matte, not shiny. |
| Stara wyblakła i po roku była krzywa. | The old one faded and became crooked within a year. |
| Ta warstwa jest mocna. | This layer is strong. |
| A jakie obciążenie może mieć? | And what load can it carry? |
| Do trzydziestu kilogramów, z zapasem jeszcze trochę. | Up to thirty kilograms, with a little spare capacity on top. |
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?
“Szukam półki do kuchni, ale płaskiej i gładkiej, nie szorstkiej.” — I am looking for a shelf for the kitchen, only flat and smooth, not rough. 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.