Basic words in Polish

309 words on the topic

• tak

  yes

  Read exactly as it is spelled and means exactly what it looks like — a rare coincidence that does not cheat. In living speech it is always tak; no bookish alternative exists.
• nie

  no

  The same word negates a verb: nie rozumiem — "I don't understand". The negation always stands before the verb and always stays a separate word.
• dobrze

  well

  The standard full answer: Mam się dobrze, dziękuję — "I am well, thank you". From dobry, "good".
• źle

  badly

  soft zh: "zweh"
• świetnie

  great

  soft sh: "shvyet-nyeh"
• i

  and

  Matches sound and role at once. Before i the consonant softens — kawa i herbata is said as if glued.
• ale

  but

  The conversational "but", at home in any sentence. The bookish lecz and jednak exist, but living speech says ale everywhere.
• można

  may, one can

  Impersonal "may": Można zapłacić kartą? is literally "is it payable by card?". The personal "I can" is mogę — a different verb.
• kilogram

  kilogram

  At the market it is said short: kilo. What is weighed follows in its of-form, like English "of": kilogram chleba.
• połowa

  half

  The honest relative: said much like its cousins elsewhere. Half a kilo at the market is asked for shorter — pół kilo — while połowa is about anything divisible: połowa godziny, połowa miasta.
• nie potrzebuję

  I don't need it

  Literally "I have no need of it": nie potrzebuję torby — "I don't need a bag". Not to be confused with nie muszę — "I don't have to": need and obligation are different words.
• jeszcze jeden

  one more

  Jeszcze, "still, more", will serve everywhere: jeszcze raz — again, jeszcze trochę — a little more. Before a feminine word it is jeszcze jedna.
• wystarczy

  that is enough

  From wystarczyć, "to suffice". Wystarczy, dziękuję — "that will be all, thank you" — is the polite full stop after haggling and at the table alike.
• razem

  in total, together

  Literally "together": at the till razem announces the total. The plain sense is direct too: mieszkamy razem — "we live together".
• kolejka

  queue

  From kolej, "order, turn" — hence po kolei, "in turn". Kasa nr 2 is where the queue goes, and the word is not a metaphor here.
• rozmiar

  size

  A Latinism that assembles itself: roz plus miara, "measure". For clothes and shoes there is also numer: Jaki rozmiar? — "what size?"
• więcej

  more

  The comparative of wiele, "much": więcej is "more". The wi is soft before the vowel, and the word lands as "vyen-chay".
• mniej

  less

  The partner of więcej. Comparison runs through niż — "than": mniej niż wczoraj — "less than yesterday".
• ciężki

  heavy

  The ci is heard as a soft ch. About weight and about difficulty alike: ciężka torba — a heavy bag, ciężki dzień — a hard day.
• lekki

  light

  Both kk are audible: "LEK-kee". Light in weight and light in food: lekki posiłek — a light meal.
• nowy

  new

  Said with a v in the middle. Feminine nowa, neuter nowe, and nowy rok is the New Year.
• stary

  old

  The partner of nowy. About a person stary is said bluntly — it is rude; a Pole says starszy pan, "an older gentleman". About things, freely.
• zepsuty

  broken (out of order)

  From zepsuć się, "to break down". About machinery that stopped working: autobus jest zepsuty. Snapped in two is a different word, złamany.
• człowiek

  human, person

  The plural ignores the rule: not człowieki but ludzie, "people". At the start you hear "chwo-VYEK" — and the word is a close cousin of its counterparts across the region.
• wszystko w porządku

  everything is fine

  Literally "everything in order" — porządek and its cousins across the region are one ancient word. The answer both to jak się masz? and to any question about how things stand.
• miękki

  soft

  The nasal ę before kk is heard as "en": "MYENK-kee". A soft bed is miękkie łóżko — a compliment to a hotel. Hard is twardy, and together they rate every sofa.
• twardy

  hard

  Nearly letter-for-letter the same word as its cousins. Hard bread — twardy chleb — is no compliment. About character the same word works: twardy człowiek.
• mokry

  wet

  To get soaked is zmoknąć, and the parasol does not always save you. Feminine mokra, neuter mokre.
• suchy

  dry

  One word, two senses: about weather — suchy dzień, a dry day — and about a person, in the same figurative way. The h in the middle must not be swallowed: "SOO-hih".
• cienki

  thin

  Thick about things is gruby — and the same word serves a fat person; Polish does not stand on ceremony. Cienki is only about thin things: paper, ice, a slice of bread. About a person it is not said.
• głęboki

  deep

  Głębia, "depth", is from the same root, and the comparative is irregular: głębszy. Shallow is płytki, and together they rate every lake.
• okrągły

  round

  From koło, "circle" — and okrągły stół, the "round table", is politics too: negotiations without corners.
• dokąd

  where to

  Polish keeps gdzie, "where", and dokąd, "where to", strictly apart: about motion only dokąd is asked. Dokąd idziesz? — and gdzie idziesz? is simply not said.
• wszędzie

  everywhere

  From wszystko, "everything", and the root is shared: everywhere is "in every place" said at a gallop. Memorizes itself at once.
• nigdzie

  nowhere

  From gdzie with the ni- prefix, and the negation is double again: nigdzie go nie ma — "he is nowhere to be found". Nowhere to is nikąd, built from dokąd the same way.
• wszystko dobrze

  everything is well

  The answer to jak się masz?. Its neighbor wszystko w porządku is about the state of affairs; this one is about how you feel: Wszystko dobrze, dziękuję.
• jedenaście

  eleven

  From jeden na dziesięć, "one on ten", the phrase pulled tight into -naście. Like every number from five up, it puts the next noun into its of-form: jedenaście euro only hides this because euro never changes.
• dwanaście

  twelve

  From dwa, and the noun after it takes the of-form too: dwanaście miesięcy — twelve months, a whole year. Squeezing "on ten" into -naście is the rule for the whole series.
• trzynaście

  thirteen

  From trzy. The whole series up to nineteen is built the same way, and the numbers barely decline. Age is given exactly like this: mam trzynaście lat.
• czternaście

  fourteen

  From cztery whole, nothing falls out — and nothing needs to. The longest word in the series.
• piętnaście

  fifteen

  From pięć, and the nasal ę in the middle is audible. A quarter of an hour has its own word, kwadrans, but the time will still be given as a number: piętnaście minut.
• szesnaście

  sixteen

  From sześć, and the ć in the middle has pulled in: sześć became szes-. That is the norm, not a typo.
• siedemnaście

  seventeen

  From siedem, and it reads exactly the way it is spelled — unlike szesnaście. Like every number from five up, it wants the of-form plural after it: siedemnaście minut, not minuty.
• osiemnaście

  eighteen

  From osiem. At eighteen a Pole gets the vote and a dowód osobisty — the ID card the paperwork lessons talk about. Coming of age works the same way here.
• dziewiętnaście

  nineteen

  The last of the -naście series. Next come the tens in -dzieści, built differently — they live in the lesson about tens.
• dwadzieścia

  twenty

  Not dwadzieść: the final -ść has contracted. Compounds are simply two words: dwadzieścia jeden — twenty-one.
• trzydzieści

  thirty

  Here the -dzieści does not contract — unlike dwadzieścia. Compounds are plain: trzydzieści pięć — thirty-five, in the same order as in English.
• czterdzieści

  forty

  From cztery, nothing lost — even if the ear hears "shter-DZYESH-chee". Polish never grew an odd one-out for this number the way some languages did: the series is regular, and that is a gift.
• pięćdziesiąt

  fifty

  Written pięć-dziesiąt but said almost as one word. The nasal ą at the end lives on paper only. The city speed limit is exactly this number.
• sześćdziesiąt

  sixty

  Written with a nasal ą that the ear does not hear. Spelling and speech part ways gently — and numbers are the case where the ear is smarter than the eye.
• siedemdziesiąt

  seventy

  From siedem, heard as "shyeh-DEM-DZESH-shont". The seventies as a decade are lata siedemdziesiąte — grandmothers tell them better than textbooks.
• osiemdziesiąt

  eighty

  From osiem. No leading letter the way some Slavic neighbors stretch the word — said "oh-SEM-DZESH-shont", it takes a moment to recognize.
• dziewięćdziesiąt

  ninety

  Regular, straight from dziewięć — other languages bent this number, and Polish logic here is pure gain. In speech the ć goes quiet.
• sto

  hundred

  No "one" in front: a hundred is simply sto. Bigger hundreds are one word each — dwieście, trzysta, czterysta, pięćset. And the whole of Poland sings Sto lat at birthdays.
• tysiąc

  thousand

  A proper noun with its own forms: dwa tysiące, pięć tysięcy. The noun after it takes the of-form plural; in tysiąc euro you just cannot see it, because euro never changes.
• milion

  million

  One l, and spelled the way it sounds. A masculine noun: dwa miliony, pięć milionów. Warsaw is nearly one — and at rush hour you can hear it.
• zero

  zero

  The same word means "nothing": zero problemów — "zero problems". At the stadium the score is read dwa do zera — "two to zero", and after do you hear zero turn into zera.
• pierwszy

  first

  Ordinals agree in gender: pierwszy dzień, pierwsza kawa, pierwsze okno. Twenty-first has to be wrangled — that belongs to the tens lesson.
• drugi

  second

  The same word means "other": drugi raz is both "a second time" and "another time". Feminine druga, neuter drugie — the double duty is built in.
• trzeci

  third

  The ordinal of trzy, and the middle is heard with a soft ch: "TSHEH-shchee". Feminine trzecia, neuter trzecie. From here on the series behaves: czwarty, piąty, szósty.
• ostatni

  last

  Both "last" and "final": ostatni autobus — the last bus, and it is better not to miss it. Its pair is pierwszy.
• ile

  how much

  On its own it is the shortest question going: Ile? — "how much?". Price uses the familiar ile to kosztuje, age uses ile masz lat?. There is no separate word for "many times": ile razy? — "how many times".
• para

  couple, pair

  A pair of shoes is para butów; a married couple is also para. And in speech para dni means simply "a few days" — nobody counts to two there.
• sztuka

  piece, unit

  The shop word, doing the job of English "pieces": dwie sztuki — "two of them". Art is sztuka too — the same word: to a Pole, art is "a thing made".
• procent

  percent

  The Latinism recognizes itself: procent. Discounts say rabat 20 procent — and it is counted honestly.
• każdy

  each, every

  Agrees like an adjective: każdy dzień, każda kawa, każde okno. After it always the singular — even when two of you are talking.
• kto

  who

  It declines: kto — who, kogo — whom, komu — to whom, z kim — with whom. About things you ask with a different word — co.
• dlaczego

  why (reason)

  Literally "for what", and it asks about the cause. The answer opens with bo — because: Bo nie mam czasu. The second "why", czemu, asks about purpose.
• czemu

  what for, why (purpose)

  The dative of co — literally "to what". The split from dlaczego: dlaczego asks the cause, czemu asks the purpose. In speech even Poles mix them — and nothing breaks.
• jaki

  what kind of

  Asks about a quality and agrees in gender: jaka kawa, jakie wino. "Which one of" is a different word, który — the one that also lives in która godzina?.
• czyj

  whose

  Agrees with the thing asked about, not with the owner: czyj to dom?, czyja to torba?. The answer mój is one you already know.
• nikt

  nobody

  The negation is double and obligatory: nikt nie wie. Its other forms are irregular — nikogo — and dla nikogo means "for no one".
• coś

  something

  Co- plus -ś, built the way "some-thing" is. Ktoś, "someone", is assembled on the same pattern — and coś also means "a bit of": coś słodkiego — "something sweet".
• oba

  both

  Masculine obaj about people, oba about things, feminine obie: obaj bracia, obie siostry. Saying "both" in the wrong gender is not allowed — the grammar will notice. There is no special dual grammar here: oba is simply a plural wearing the "both" tag.
• nie wiem

  I do not know

  Wiem — "I know" — from wiedzieć. Knowing a fact is wiedzieć; knowing a person or a city is znać, and a Pole keeps them apart: Nie wiem, gdzie jest dworzec, but Znam Kraków.
• widzieć

  to see

  Present tense: widzę, widzisz, widzi. And widzisz? at the end of a phrase means "see?" — that is, "you follow, don't you?" — a very Polish question.
• słyszeć

  to hear

  Hearing is słyszeć; listening on purpose is słuchać. The telephone is answered with the second: Słucham — "I am listening", that is, "hello". The ś and the sz are different sounds, and the spelling keeps them apart.
• spać

  to sleep

  The present is śpię, śpisz, śpi, with a soft ś. The wish Dobranoc, śpij dobrze from the first lessons grows from here: śpij is "sleep!".
• nieść

  to carry (by hand)

  The present is niosę, niesiesz; the past is irregular: niósł, niosła. Carrying by vehicle is wieźć — and Polish keeps the two apart the way English keeps "carry" and "transport": hands versus wheels.
• stawiać

  to stand (something up)

  Setting up again and again is stawiać, setting up once is postawić. Laying flat is kłaść, and a Pole does not mix them: stawia is upright, kładzie is flat.
• łamać

  to break (in two)

  About limbs it goes with a prefix and a self: złamałem sobie nogę — "I broke my leg", literally "to myself". Machinery does not break with this verb — there the familiar zepsuty and nie działa hold sway.
• budować

  to build

  From budowa, "construction" — a Slavic root even if it hides. The neighbors with the drill are budują — and that explanation beats a complaint.
• dużo

  a lot, much

  The noun after it takes the of-form: dużo pracy — "a lot of work", with praca changing its ending. The bookish wiele exists, but speech says dużo. The pair of mało.
• mało

  little, few

  Also with the of-form: mało czasu, "little time". Short and light like dużo, and together the pair runs every conversation about quantity.
• rzeczy

  things

  The plural of rzecz, "a thing". In several neighboring languages the word for "thing" and the word for "speech" are one family — the thing said is the thing done.
• ryzyko

  risk

  An Italian Latinism with that tight vowel. "At one's own risk" is written on every rink and rental. To risk is the verb of the same stock.
• plan awaryjny

  backup plan

  From the breakdown-word of the technical unit: a backup plan is an "emergency plan". The plan itself is not new — you have read the lesson plan already. If the tickets fall through — the plan awakens.
• kłopot

  trouble, difficulty

  The word covers both "troubles" and "a difficulty", with almost no shift of sense. Often plural: "I have troubles" — I have problems. A real calamity is another word — graver.
• przyczyna

  cause, reason

  Said almost like its cousins. The standing pair is "cause and effect" — learn it whole and half the argument will write itself.
• wynik

  result, score

  One word for the result and the match score: the score is "two to one". Test results are named with it too — a word from the clinic.
• dlatego

  that is why

  Literally "by that". In full it pulls "that" after it — because of that — but in speech the lone word at the start of the second half is commoner.
• ponieważ

  because

  You know the short because-word; this one is the same, a touch bookier, and it opens the clause. The comma before it is obligatory — always.
• przez to

  because of that

  Przez here is "because of", usually something bad: przez deszcz, "because of the rain". It takes the object form, and blame is heard far more often than thanks.
• zależeć od

  to depend on

  From the lying verb: dependence here "lies on" someone — a restful image. Not to be confused with "I care for you": the same verb, a different life.
• wyjaśnić przyczynę

  to explain the cause

  Inside sits the shining verb: to explain is to "light up" — the image as elsewhere. The same verb clears up a misunderstanding: let us clear it up at once.
• cel

  goal, aim

  You filled the trip purpose into a form in an earlier unit: here the word is broader — a goal in general, what you walk toward. Reaching it takes the attaining verb — the image of a hand stretching.
• sens

  sense, point

  A Latinism, said without shift: the sense of life. The colloquial "without sense" — pointless — is said often, and with dissatisfaction.
• wniosek

  conclusion, inference

  The same word as the application: one lays an application and "pulls out" a conclusion — literally. One carrier, two lives.
• możliwość

  possibility, opportunity

  From the familiar impersonal "may": a possibility is "may" made into a noun. Commonest with have: "I have the possibility" — said where English says opportunity.
• być może

  possibly, it may be

  Literally "to be may" — at the start of a phrase and in the middle alike. The short maybe you know; this pair is its politer strengthening with a shrug.
• niemożliwe

  impossible

  Usually standing in the neuter: "That is impossible!" — a living exclamation, used for surprise more often than for prohibition. The adjective itself lives in books.
• konieczność

  necessity

  From the necessary-adjective, the same Latinism. "Out of necessity" — doing what one does not want, because there is no other road.
• koniecznie

  by all means

  "Without fail" — the polite way of insisting: you must by all means try. By the rules, "obligatorily" is another word — this one is about desire, not duty.
• będę musiał

  I will have to

  The future of the familiar must: I will be obliged — I will have to. A woman says the feminine. Where one language spends one "will have to", here the speaker's gender is heard every time.
• dozwolone

  allowed, permitted

  From the permitting verb: a word of signs and rulebooks. Neuter, because it is "done" with no subject: smoking allowed.
• zabronione

  forbidden, prohibited

  Kin to the ban-noun: the sign writes "smoking banned", the wall writes "smoking forbidden". One meaning, two carriers: the sign is shorter, the word politer.
• wybór

  choice

  In the shop "a big choice" is the phrase of every window. Beside it stand the elections from the last unit — one root, different things; the plural tells them apart.
• opcja

  option

  A Latinism, youthful and businesslike at once: "I have two options". On the menu — the vegetarian ones; in the phone — the settings. The English word covers exactly the same ground.
• wątpliwość

  doubt

  A long word, but in speech it lives in the set phrase "without doubt" — surely. From the doubting verb, which stands right here, next in line.
• wątpić

  to doubt

  Polish doubts "in" something: w plus the object form — wątpię w jego słowa, "I doubt his words". English needs no preposition, so the w is the trap.
• pewny

  sure, certain

  As a predicate it has its own shape: "I am sure" — masculine or feminine by the speaker. The noun is certainty, and "for sure" is the adverb you have long known.
• raczej nie

  probably not

  Literally "rather no": Polish answers not about probability but about inclination. "I rather will not come." The reverse, "rather yes", sounds softer than a plain yes.
• chyba

  probably, I guess

  A short word with two jobs: "it is probably raining" and — rarely — "unless it is you". Context decides; the first job is the everyday one.
• na pewno

  for sure, definitely

  Literally "on certainty" — an assertion, not a question. "For sure it will be so." Not to be confused with the sure-adjective: this is the adverb.
• wydaje mi się

  it seems to me

  From the seeming verb: the dative "to me" stands in the middle, the word order fixed. Then comes "that" with a comma — and the comma is not dropped, however fast people type.
• tak naprawdę

  actually, in fact

  Literally "so in-truth": from the truth-word. It slips into almost any slot in the phrase: "actually I do not know" — if honesty is wanted.
• przypuszczać

  to presume, to suppose

  From the letting verb: a thought is "let forward" on trial. It lives in the first person: "I presume that..." — a relative of the by-chance word you know.
• nie jestem pewien

  I am not sure

  The full phrase: a man says one shape, a woman the other — the speaker's gender is always audible. Then comes "whether" with a comma: not sure whether I will make it.
• praktyka

  practice, experience

  A Latinism: practice and hands-on experience in one word. "In theory yes, in practice no" — the formula-phrase. The CV-word from the job unit is the other experience.
• przypadek

  case, instance

  The word lives three lives: a case in general, a coincidence and a medical case. "In this case" — an expression you will hear at every office window.
• przykład

  example

  To give an example is "to serve one"; an example from life is a standing phrase. In textbooks the section is named exactly this. And "for example" is the neighboring word, made from it.
• na przykład

  for example

  In writing it is usually shortened to its initials — you will meet the abbreviation in every instruction. Said both in full and short: "e.g. Kowalski".
• różnica

  difference

  From różny, "different"; the ó sounds like u. It pairs with the of-form: różnica wieku, różnica cen.
• porównanie

  comparison

  A relative of the comparing verb with which you compared prices earlier in the course. "In comparison with..." — and after z comes the instrumental.
• różnić się

  to differ

  Reflexive, and "from" is od plus the of-form: różni się od brata. How they differ goes in the instrumental: różnią się charakterem.
• podobny

  similar, alike

  Being like someone is podobny do plus the of-form: jesteś podobny do mamy. Do not confuse it with podobno, "reportedly" — one letter apart, a different meaning.
• podobieństwo

  similarity, resemblance

  Built from the similar-adjective with the same suffix that turns verbs into nouns — the washing kind. The family resemblance is a standing phrase.
• przemiana

  transformation, change

  The change-word is taken by the work shift — so a substantial change is called this: a change of character. Physics calls the states-of-matter kind by it too.
• po pierwsze

  first of all

  Literally "after the first": po plus an old frozen ending, not the at-form po takes elsewhere, so learn the pair whole. The word lives only in a pair — "secondly" is sure to follow, or the reasoning falls apart.
• po drugie

  secondly

  The second half of the pair: "firstly... secondly...". One can go on to "thirdly", but hardly anyone gets past two — as elsewhere.
• przede wszystkim

  above all, first of all

  Literally "before everything": the first word is a fusion of the before-preposition with a tail. It opens a phrase or sits in the middle — "above all, health" is the formula of every toast.
• poza tym

  besides, apart from that

  Literally "outside of that": the preposition means beyond, out of bounds. It adds an argument without a pause — and no comma usually follows it.
• nawiasem mówiąc

  by the way

  Literally "speaking in brackets": the bracket-word is both the punctuation mark and the aside in speech. A comma usually follows — and the thought is indeed a parenthesis.
• w sumie

  all in all, on the whole

  Literally "in the sum": a Pole adds up the arguments and draws the line. A young people's filler word and an honest conclusion at once — "all in all, you are right".
• krótko mówiąc

  in short, briefly speaking

  A participle in the role of an introduction: "speaking briefly". A comma usually follows, and with it the summary of the whole speech: in short, there is no chance.
• innymi słowy

  in other words

  Literally "by other words" — the with-form plural (instrumental); a bookish shape in living speech. It restates the thought more plainly: put another way, he refused.
• najważniejsze

  the main thing

  An adjective in the role of a noun: "the most important thing is that..." — and the superlative with naj- you have been building for lessons; here it is the subject itself.
• w końcu

  in the end, finally

  From the end-word: "at the end" and "in the end" in one word — plus the impatient "at last!". Context sorts them: "he finally agreed" is the settlement, not the complaint.
• chociaż

  although

  The comma before it is obligatory, as elsewhere. After it the future is not used: one past on both sides of the comma. Its longer twin means the same.
• za to

  on the other hand (compensating)

  Literally "for that" — compensation in its pure form: "small, but bright" said in one word. It stands mid-phrase and flips a minus into a plus without a pause.
• wręcz przeciwnie

  quite the opposite

  Literally "straight oppositely": the first word intensifies, the second is from the opposite-adjective. A polite and resolute objection at once.
• mimo

  in spite of, despite

  A preposition followed by the of-form: despite the rain. Like English "despite", it needs no extra little word — "despite of" is wrong in both languages.
• jednak

  however, still

  One word for "however" and "all the same": "expensive, however pretty", and "I am staying after all". No comma before it — and that surprises everyone.
• z jednej strony

  on the one hand

  Literally "from one side" — z followed by the of-form. It lives in a pair with "on the other hand", as "firstly" does with "secondly": a broken pair sounds like broken reasoning.
• z drugiej strony

  on the other hand

  The second pan of the scales: "on the one hand yes, on the other hand no". Polish argues with itself by these two phrases more than by any others.
• mimo to

  nevertheless

  A relative of the despite-preposition from this lesson: "in spite of that" in two syllables. It opens the second phrase: nevertheless I trust you.
• zamiast tego

  instead of that

  Built on the instead-preposition, which always wants the of-form after it. The phrase is a ready-made link: I skipped one thing — instead of that, I took the other.
• wszystko jedno

  it makes no difference, anyway

  Literally "all one" — indifference in its pure form: makes no difference where we go. Not the equality-word: equality here is a different adjective.
• przypadkiem

  by chance, accidentally

  The instrumental of the familiar case-word: by chance is said "by case". "I met a colleague by chance" — the shape of the word is the whole story.
• celowo

  on purpose, deliberately

  From the goal-word you filled into the form: on purpose is "with an aim", with intent. Often with a reproach: did you do that on purpose?
• porażka

  failure, defeat

  Both failing an exam and losing a match: suffering a defeat is the set phrase. Its opposite is the success-word from the course.
• krok po kroku

  step by step

  The preposition here does the work of the English "by": step after step. Its relative: time after time.
• kolejność kroków

  the order of steps

  Literally "the sequence of steps", from the familiar queue-word. The word order in a sentence is built with it too.
• szczegółowo

  in detail

  From the detail-word: in detail means "by details", as in English. The details themselves take the plural — and they ask you to tell it in detail.
• własnymi słowami

  in one's own words

  The instrumental: in one's own what? — words. The own-adjective means "of one's own" — my own room, the same word.
• prościej mówiąc

  simply put, to put it simply

  Literally "speaking more simply": the English "speaking" is rendered by a participle shape. Built the same way are "in short" and "honestly speaking".
• podaj przykład

  give an example

  An example is not led but given: give an example, from the giving verb. The example-word you know from "for example" — the same root.
• pokaż, jak się to robi

  show how it is done

  The English passive is rendered with the particle się: how one does it. Politely — please show how one does it — the same scheme.
• jasne?

  clear? got it?

  From the bright-adjective: all clear as day. The teacher asks "Clear?" — and in an answer the same word already means "sure!": the intonation decides.
• teraz jasne

  now it is clear

  Literally "now bright", with no verb at all — the colloquial "now it is clear". Fuller: now I understand.
• pogubiłem się

  I got confused, I lost track

  From the losing verb: confused and bewildered at once. Losing oneself is being lost in the street — while this one is being lost in a matter or in rules.
• przypomnieć sobie

  to recall, to remember

  The particle sobie is obligatory here: one recalls to oneself. Without it the verb means to remind someone: remind me.
• zapomnieć

  to forget

  Honestly it means to forget: memory there, and the prefix takes it away. To forget a thing somewhere — leaving the umbrella in the train.
• zamiar

  intention

  Intention, aim and design in one word. "I intend" — I have an intention: a ready frame for plans.
• rozmyślić się

  to change one's mind

  Literally to "un-think": changed one's mind — changed the thought. Not to be confused with changing one's opinion — the outcome is the same, but about a decision one says this.
• wszystko zgodnie z planem

  everything is going according to plan

  Literally "everything in agreement with the plan": the according-adverb from agreeing. In speech they say it shorter: everything plays — everything is in order, literally.
• jeśli się uda

  if it works out

  Literally "if it succeeds": a Pole speaks of affairs through the succeeding verb. You already have "it worked out for me" — this is the same nest.
• jeszcze nie zdecydowałem

  I have not decided yet

  A Pole does not say "I have not decided" but "not yet decided": the yet-word keeps the door open. A woman says the feminine — gender lives in the past tense.
• wszystko się zmieniło

  everything has changed

  The particle makes the verb intransitive: changing something versus changing oneself. The change is its noun — and the same word is the work shift.
• na lepsze

  for the better

  Where English says "to", Polish says "into": changing for the better. The literal "to the better" is not said.
• na gorsze

  for the worse

  The second half of the pair, built the same way. The worse-comparative comes from the bad-adjective — irregular, as the English one.
• należeć

  to belong (to)

  Belonging to whom — the to-preposition as in English. And "it is due": it is owed — the same verb at work.
• cudzy

  someone else's, foreign

  One root with the foreigner-word — literally "of foreign lands" — which you know. One's own is the own-adjective.
• wspólny

  common, shared, joint

  From the together-adverb: common is "joint". A joint account — while "in general" goes by another root altogether.
• pchać

  to push

  Pushing ahead of oneself — a cousin of the homely push-words of the region. On Polish doors they write push — away — and pull — toward.
• ciągnąć

  to pull, to drag

  Pulling and hauling at once; the final nasal is spoken. Following after someone — pulling after them, like children after their mother.
• uderzyć

  to hit, to strike

  Its noun is the hit; the reflexive is hitting oneself. Hitting the ball takes the plain object form, no preposition — as in English.
• metr

  metre, meter

  Said like its cousins, but after a number it shifts its tail: two metres, five metres. In flat ads it is written short — m2.
• centymetr

  centimetre, centimeter

  The Latinism is spotted at once; the c is heard as ts. The abbreviation stands on the tailor tape and in recipes.
• kilometr

  kilometre, kilometer

  Also a Latinism. The speed on signs is "kilometres per hour", abbreviated.
• litr

  litre, liter

  The bottle says 1 l — and the decimal comma works the other way round: 1,5 l is one and a half litres.
• gram

  gram

  The kilogram you know; a gram is its hundredth. In recipes the dekagram — ten grams — is commoner.
• ciężar

  weight (heaviness)

  From the familiar heavy-adjective: weight is "heaviness". The scales-word is already taken by you — that is the scales.
• długość

  length

  From the familiar long-adjective. The -ość tail works like the English "-ness" — and the neighboring cards are assembled the same way.
• szerokość

  width

  From the wide-adjective. All four measures are built alike: an adjective plus the -ness tail.
• wysokość

  height

  From the tall-adjective. A person's height is also this word: it is asked at the hospital and on the mountain signs.
• głębokość

  depth

  From the deep-adjective. At the pool they write the depth in meters — and "in the depths" is said with the same root.
• w przybliżeniu

  approximately, roughly

  Literally "in the approaching". Simpler: "more or less" — both mean "roughly".
• niemal

  almost, nearly

  One word instead of the familiar almost — both are correct; this one sounds a touch bookier.
• dokładnie

  exactly, precisely

  Exactly in counting and in time: exactly at three. The familiar for-sure is about confidence, not precision.
• średnio

  on average

  From the average-adjective. At school the average is also the mean grade for the term.
• dwukrotnie

  twice, two times as much

  From two plus the multiple-suffix: "twice as much". Thrice is built the same way.
• cyfra

  digit

  A sign from zero to nine. The number whole is another word; the number of a house another still — three words where English spends one.
• ćwierć

  quarter

  A quarter of an hour puts the hour into the of-form. It resembles four — and that is no accident.
• zważyć

  to weigh (once)

  From the scales-word. Weighing once and for good versus weighing in general — an aspect pair.
• zbędny

  superfluous, unnecessary

  Superfluous is what one could do without. Not to be confused with the additional: the superfluous gets thrown out.
• pusty

  empty

  One root with the desert-word you know. An empty stomach — said plainly.
• unikać

  to avoid

  After it comes the of-form: avoiding fatty food. For a single escape use the perfective partner — dodging a traffic jam, say.
• fakt

  fact

  The Latinism is spotted at once. At the front of a phrase it means "true, I admit": True, I was a bit late.
• pytanie

  question

  From the familiar asking verb. "Without asking" — unasked; "I have a question" — how half of all conversations begin.
• ważny

  important

  From the familiar weight-noun. "It is important that..." — an adjective, not an adverb: the adverb form does not exist.
• pozytywny

  positive

  The Latin word is easy to spot. It works for a grade and for a lab result: a positive result is good — though a positive test can be anything but.
• negatywny

  negative

  The partner of positive. A negative review takes the opinion-word — and photographers still make negatives.
• w porównaniu z

  compared with

  From the familiar comparing verb. Then the instrumental: compared with that year. Simpler — the than-word.
• ten sam

  the same

  Literally "that very one": the same as this one. Not to be confused with the similar-word — similar, but not the same.
• zaleta

  advantage, pro

  Feminine: "that is a big advantage". Its opposite is the flaw — and the pair lives in every flat review.
• wada

  drawback, defect

  Both a drawback of a thing and a speech defect: a speech impediment. Without flaws — said of the perfect.
• konsekwencje

  consequences

  The Latinism is spotted at once; mostly plural, as in English. Bearing the consequences — the standing phrase.
• uwzględniać

  to take into account

  From the taking-into-account verb — the regard-word hides inside. "Account for the fact that..." — said in the imperative.
• najprawdopodobniej

  most likely, in all probability

  A superlative of the probably-adverb: most likely is "most probably". The word is long — but the news says it every day.
• z pewnością

  for certain, with certainty

  From the familiar sure-adjective: for certain is "with certainty". The familiar for-sure means the same — pick whichever is easier to say.
• prawdopodobieństwo

  probability

  From the truth-word: probability is "truth-likeness". A bookish word — but no weather forecast works without it.
• przypuszczenie

  assumption, conjecture

  From the familiar supposing verb. "That is only my assumption" — said plainly.
• wygląda na to, że

  it looks like

  Literally "it looks onto that": a judgement by appearance. Beside stands the familiar maybe — with no look at the facts.
• widocznie

  evidently, apparently

  From the seeing verb: evidently, apparently — a conclusion by the eyes. Careful: the visible-adjective has a different sense.
• nie może być

  it cannot be

  Both "impossible" and the cry "it cannot be!". Possible — said plainly; the familiar impossible-word does not fit here — it is about prohibition.
• przynajmniej

  at least

  A whole English turn in one word: at least once. The least-word means "no less than" — and that is already about numbers.
• w każdym razie

  in any case

  Literally "in every case": any outcome, one decision. Shorter in speech — the "so then" phrase.
• na wszelki wypadek

  just in case

  From the familiar incident-word: just in case is "for any occurrence". The umbrella is taken exactly so.
• gdyby

  if (unreal condition)

  After it comes the would-ending, and in the second half the would too: If I had time, I would help you. A real condition takes the plain if.
• pod warunkiem, że

  on condition that, provided that

  From the familiar condition-word. In full — on condition that; shorter they say the "insofar as" phrase.
• nawet jeśli

  even if

  A concession about what may still happen. The although-word is about what is already so — the difference is time.
• w takim razie

  in that case

  Literally "in such a case": if so, then so. In speech shorter — the "so then" phrase.
• inaczej

  otherwise, differently

  From the other-adjective: otherwise is "in the other way". Mid-phrase it sounds like a threat: Hurry, otherwise you will be late.
• wtedy

  then (at that time)

  Then — at that moment: back then I had no car. And "then" as a conclusion is the in-that-case phrase: Polish keeps them apart.
• po to, żeby

  in order to, so that

  The so-that-word — a relative of the familiar that: the purpose is expressed by the pair. One so-that also works: I came so as to help you.
• jakby

  as if

  Often with the would-particle: He talks as if he were tired. The bare how-word means simply "how".
• zamiast tego, żeby

  instead of (doing something)

  The instead-word you know; with the so-that it drags an action after it, not a thing. Instead of complaining, do something.
• głównie

  mainly, mostly

  From the main-adjective: mainly is "by the main". Beside stands the predominantly-word.
• z reguły

  as a rule

  From the rule-word, a Latinism: as a rule is "by the rule". In speech they say the usual-word — which you know.
• prawie wszyscy

  almost everyone

  The almost you know; everyone is about people, everything about things — the gender sorts them, not the number.
• wyjątek

  exception

  From the taking-out verb: an exception is an "out-taken" thing. With the exception of — then the of-form.
• i tak dalej

  and so on

  Shortened to its initials — written so in lists and letters. The full form lives in speech.
• w przeciwieństwie do

  in contrast to, unlike

  From the opposite-noun: in contrast to is "in the opposite to". After do comes the of-form.
• oprócz

  except, apart from

  It excludes: everyone except me. And "besides that" adds — the English "except" does both jobs, this one only the first.
• nie do końca

  not quite

  Literally "not to the end": not quite. In speech the one-word form is commoner — but this phrase is more neutral.
• mniej więcej

  more or less

  Two familiar words: less and more. About a number they say the approximating phrase — and this one is about the degree of certainty.
• z trudem

  with difficulty

  From the toil-word: with difficulty is said literally. Barely is stronger still.
• warto spróbować

  it is worth trying

  The worth-word comes from the worthy-adjective. About value one says worth; about profit — it pays off.
• trzeba było

  should have (done it)

  A reproach after the fact: It should have been done earlier. The separate should-have-word changes with gender.
• najlepiej

  best (adverb)

  This is the adverb: It is best to wait. The adjective is the best-one: the best film — but "works best" takes the adverb.
• najgorzej

  worst (adverb)

  The partner of the best-adverb — also an adverb. The ladder: badly — worse — worst; the middle rung needs no separate learning.
• jak najszybciej

  as soon as possible, as fast as possible

  The as-most frame plus the superlative gives the whole English "as ... as possible": as much as possible, as well as possible, as cheap as possible.
• na próżno

  in vain, for nothing

  Literally "onto emptiness": in vain. Beside stand the fruitlessly-word and the "waste of words".
• poradzić sobie

  to cope, to manage

  The particle is obligatory: to cope is to "cope to oneself". "I will manage" — the colloquial version.
• próba

  attempt, try; test (sample)

  From the familiar trying verb. The same word means a lab sample: a blood test.
• to znaczy

  that is, i.e.

  Literally "it means that". Shortened to its initials — written so in letters and notes, and said in full in speech.
• okazało się

  it turned out

  From the turning-out verb. Then comes "that": It turned out that he was right.
• w rezultacie

  as a result

  From the result-Latinism. In speech they say the so-word or the therefore-word — this one sounds written.
• prowadzi do

  leads to

  From the leading verb: "leads to" is said literally. After the to-preposition comes the of-form: leads to mistakes.
• dzięki

  thanks to

  Both "thank you" and "thanks to" in one word — and both take the dative: thanks to you, to the neighbors. Because of goes by the other prepositions.
• za pierwszym razem

  at the first attempt, first time round

  Literally "after the first time": on the first try. The second time round — after the second — and onward in order.
• dwieście

  two hundred

  One word, not "two hundred" said in two: the two hundreds are glued into dwieście, and the soft ć at the end is heard almost as a "tsh". After it the series behaves: trzysta, czterysta.
• trzysta

  three hundred

  Trzy plus sto, nothing lost. Bigger numbers assemble the same way as the tens: trzysta trzydzieści dwa — three hundred thirty-two.
• czterysta

  four hundred

  Only the ending changes from cztery — the word is recognizable at first sight. After the hundreds, as after five, the next noun takes its of-form: czterysta miejsc.
• pięćset

  five hundred

  Pięć plus set, and the nasal ę sneaked in here too — a Pole says it through the nose, but you recognize the word at once. Written as one word.
• sześćset

  six hundred

  Three s in a row, and it is not a typo: sześć plus set. A Pole does not separate them — one long "sss" is drawn out.
• siedemset

  seven hundred

  Nothing falls out of siedem here — unlike the ten siedemdziesiąt, where the word bends. Two plain parts in a row.
• osiemset

  eight hundred

  No losses here either: osiem plus set. But in the ordinal ósmy the e does drop — compare it when you get there.
• dziewięćset

  nine hundred

  The hardest hundred for the ear: a nasal ę and a soft ć tied together. After it comes tysiąc, "thousand" — no more hundreds to learn.
• czwarty

  fourth

  An adjective, not a number: it agrees in gender — czwarty raz, czwarta klasa. Thursday is czwartek, the same root.
• piąty

  fifth

  The nasal ą goes through the nose, but the word is honest: piąty raz — the fifth time. Friday is piątek, the same root.
• szósty

  sixth

  The ó is heard as "oo": "SHOOS-tih". Saturday really is the sixth day of the week counting from Monday — the order adds up.
• siódmy

  seventh

  The e of siedem drops out: siedem became siódmy. The same will happen with osiem → ósmy — both ordinals are shorter than their numbers.
• ósmy

  eighth

  Osiem without the e and with ó instead of o: said "OOS-mih". In dates the ordinal changes with the case: ósmego marca — on the eighth of March.
• dziewiąty

  ninth

  From dziewięć — the nasal ę again, and a dropped e. Seventh, eighth and ninth are pressed from one mold: the number minus e plus the ordinal ending.
• dziesiąty

  tenth

  From dziesięć. Onward the series assembles the same way, number plus ending: jedenasty, dwudziesty — and setny is already in this lesson.
• setny

  hundredth

  From sto. Not to be confused with shares: a hundredth part is procent; setny is strictly the order — setny widz, the hundredth viewer.
• albo

  or

  Joins a choice. Question-forming czy starts a question; albo stands between two things.
• też

  too

  Stands next to whoever it covers: ja też — "me too". With a negation it is the same word: ja też nie — "me neither".
• tylko

  only

  Limits and asks for nothing more: tylko kawę — just coffee. The shade of "merely" is the same; no bookier synonym needs hunting for.
• już

  already

  Said "yoosh": the final ż is that "zh" sound. In a negation the meaning shifts: już nie — "not anymore".
• jeszcze

  still

  Both "there is still time" and "one more": jeszcze raz. You have already read the sentence Zupa jest jeszcze gorąca — now the word has its own card.
• za

  too (more than needed)

  Before an adjective it means "excessively": za drogo — too expensive. The same word says "in ...'s time" about the future: za rok — a year from now; position in the sentence tells them apart.
• wspólnie

  together (jointly)

  Razem you know from receipts, where it means "total". Doing something together — living, working, cooking — is wspólnie.
• nie wolno

  not allowed

  Literally "it is not permitted" — a prohibition. Nie można is also "cannot", but a different one: impossible or against the rules; nie wolno is the stricter of the two.
• trzeba

  one must

  Impersonal, like można: the person who must is not named. About a concrete person you use muszę, musisz — which you already know.
• życie

  life

  Neuter gender, which takes getting used to: to życie. The root is the same as in żyć, "to live" — and you can hear the kinship in the toast na zdrowie.
• chcieć

  to want

  You have known chcę — "I want" — since the coffeehouse: same verb, here in its dictionary form. The infinitive is said "HTCHEHch".
• móc

  can, to be able

  The present mogę, możesz — and the impersonal można of every "may I?" shares the root. Nie mogę — "I can't" — is how invitations get politely declined.
• słowo

  word

  An honest relative: słowo really is the local "word", no cheating. A conversation is rozmowa — no sermon in it.
• sprawa

  matter, case

  A matter one is busy with: to moja sprawa — "that is my business". W tej sprawie — "in this matter" — is a standing line in emails.
• sposób

  way, method

  Literally a "co-way". W ten sposób — "in this way"; nie ma sposobu — "there is no way", things are bad.
• łatwo

  easily

  The ł is heard as a w: "WAHT-woh". The adjective is łatwy, "easy" — a clean pair: łatwe pytanie — "an easy question".
• trudno

  hard, difficult

  The course already introduced trudny for "complicated" — one Polish word covers both senses. Trudno! on its own means "oh well, nothing to be done".
• żeby

  in order to

  A relative of the familiar że, "that"; żeby is "so that", and the verb after it stands in the plain present — Polish plants no "would" here. After one subject, a plain że-style infinitive often does the job instead.
• jeśli

  if

  Written with ś and heard with a soft "sh": "YEH-shlee". The fully interchangeable pair is jeżeli. The condition stands in the present or future — jeśli będę — with no "would" anywhere.
• dopóki

  while (until)

  The temporal "as long as"; "until" demands its own nie, which beginners love to drop: dopóki nie wrócę — "until I come back". The ó is heard as "oo".
• skoro

  since (as)

  Literally "quickly": the sense is "the matter is already so, so...". It opens the clause and pulls the second half after it: skoro jesteś tutaj, pomóż mi.
• byle

  just as long as

  Byle — "just so long as": byle nie było zimno. The same word waves something off as barely good enough: byle jaki — "any old thing". The verb after it stays in the present.
• więc

  so

  Draws the conclusion — the job done by "so" and "thus" together; it stands after a comma and never opens a conversation. Nearby bo points the other way: "because".
• między

  between

  It demands the instrumental: między domem a sklepem. The a in that pair is a mild "and", and inside this construction it is not translated on its own.
• koło

  near, about

  You have met koło as "wheel"; the preposition is the same word, meaning "by, beside": koło kina. The noun after it takes the of-form, as if English said "beside of the cinema".
• zamiast

  instead of

  The noun after it takes the of-form: zamiast kawy, "instead of coffee". Before a verb it grows into a conjunction, zamiast robić — "instead of doing" — and żeby is not needed.
• przeciwko

  against

  The only preposition here that takes the dative: przeciwko bratu. In sport it is the same word — against a team, przeciwko drużynie.
• bez

  without

  Word for word "without", and the noun after it takes the of-form: bez mleka, bez mnie. It also lives inside adjectives: bezpłatny — "free of charge", literally "without payment".
• dla

  for

  The noun after it takes the of-form: dla ciebie, dla mamy — "for mum", never dla mama. It is only about people and benefit; for a purpose a Pole picks do or na.
• o

  about

  One o covers "about" and "concerning", and the word after it takes the at-form, the ending used after w, na, o, przy and po: o filmie, o tobie. The same o sets the clock: o piątej — at five.
• po

  after

  "After" in time, and the noun after it takes the at-form: po pracy, po obiedzie. The same po builds "in the manner of": po polsku — "in Polish", po mieście — "around town".
• podczas

  during

  The noun after it always takes the of-form: podczas filmu, podczas obiadu. Its twin is w trakcie, and both are longer than plain English "during".
• z powodu

  because of

  Literally "from the reason of", so the noun after it takes the of-form: z powodu deszczu — "because of the rain". It is only for causes, never for places.
• wokół

  around

  The noun after it takes the of-form: wokół domu, "around the house". Its brother dookoła sounds more colloquial; the sense is the same. For "roughly, about" with numbers Polish uses około instead.
• przez

  through

  "Through", with the object form after it: przez park, przez ulicę. Across time it is also przez: przez tydzień — for a week straight.
• od środka

  from the inside

  You have met środek as "middle"; od środka is "from the inside": zamknięte od środka — "locked from the inside". The od is the "from" of a vantage point.
• w pobliżu

  nearby

  Literally "in the surroundings" — pobliże with the ending it gets after w. Add a place in its of-form and you have "near": w pobliżu dworca. You know blisko — this is its bookish relative.
• problem

  problem

  The Latinism is spotted at once; the stress lands on the first syllable. Kłopot, met earlier, is the smaller nuisance; problem is the thing that has to be solved.
• bardzo

  very

  You have seen it in a hundred examples — now it has a card of its own. It strengthens an adjective, an adverb and a verb alike: bardzo dobre, bardzo dobrze, bardzo lubię kawę.
• pomoc

  help

  You have seen the word inside pierwsza pomoc, "first aid", and dziękuję za pomoc — now it has a card of its own. To ask for help is prosić o pomoc; the shout Na pomoc! is "help!" in an emergency.
• jest

  there is

  The familiar być in its third person: where another language says "there is a bank here", a Pole sets jest after the place. It does not express possession: "I have" is simply mam, with no jest anywhere.

How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• Tak, dobrze, dziękuję

  Yes, fine, thank you
• Nie, dziękuję

  No, thank you
• Mam się dobrze, dziękuję

  I am well, thank you
• Źle się czuję

  I feel bad
• Świetnie, wszystko gotowe

  Great, everything is ready
• Chleb i mleko, proszę

  Bread and milk, please

What is worth knowing about these words

tak — yes. Read exactly as it is spelled and means exactly what it looks like — a rare coincidence that does not cheat. In living speech it is always tak; no bookish alternative exists.

nie — no. The same word negates a verb: nie rozumiem — "I don't understand". The negation always stands before the verb and always stays a separate word.

dobrze — well. The standard full answer: Mam się dobrze, dziękuję — "I am well, thank you". From dobry, "good".

źle — badly. From zły — one Polish word covers both "bad" and "angry". The partner of dobrze.

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
• Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

Next

• All topics of the Polish language4011 words by topic and letter
• Greetings and goodbyes9 words
• Numbers and counting57 words
• Food and drink177 words
• At a café and a restaurant9 words
• Shopping and money82 words
• Why a word list doesn't sticka note