Point by point in Polish
Two people over a lease agreement: one lets a flat, the other is reading such a document for the first time in Polish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Zanim podpiszemy, chcę przeczytać wszystkie warunki.» — Before we sign, I want to read all the conditions; «Oczywiście. Trzeci punkt umowy mówi o czynszu i terminie płatności.» — Of course. The third clause of the contract deals with the rent and the payment deadline.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people over a lease agreement: one lets a flat, the other is reading such a document for the first time. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Zanim podpiszemy, chcę przeczytać wszystkie warunki.Before we sign, I want to read all the conditions.
- Oczywiście. Trzeci punkt umowy mówi o czynszu i terminie płatności.Of course. The third clause of the contract deals with the rent and the payment deadline.
- Ile zapłacę, jeśli rozwiążę umowę wcześniej?How much will I pay if I terminate the contract early?
- Jeden miesiąc czynszu, nic więcej.One month's rent, no more.
- Czy potrzebujecie oryginał, czy wystarczy kopia?Do you need the original or will a copy do?
- Podpisany oryginał dostaje każda strona.Each side receives the signed original.
- Umowa o parkingu była tylko ustnie.The parking arrangement was only oral.
- Dobrze, zapiszemy to pisemnie jako czwarty punkt.Fine — we will write it down in writing as the fourth clause.
Lines one by one
| Polish | Translation |
|---|---|
| Zanim podpiszemy, chcę przeczytać wszystkie warunki. | Before we sign, I want to read all the conditions. |
| Oczywiście. Trzeci punkt umowy mówi o czynszu i terminie płatności. | Of course. The third clause of the contract deals with the rent and the payment deadline. |
| Ile zapłacę, jeśli rozwiążę umowę wcześniej? | How much will I pay if I terminate the contract early? |
| Jeden miesiąc czynszu, nic więcej. | One month's rent, no more. |
| Czy potrzebujecie oryginał, czy wystarczy kopia? | Do you need the original or will a copy do? |
| Podpisany oryginał dostaje każda strona. | Each side receives the signed original. |
| Umowa o parkingu była tylko ustnie. | The parking arrangement was only oral. |
| Dobrze, zapiszemy to pisemnie jako czwarty punkt. | Fine — we will write it down in writing as the fourth clause. |
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?
“Zanim podpiszemy, chcę przeczytać wszystkie warunki.” — Before we sign, I want to read all the conditions. 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.