Home and things in Polish

197 words on the topic

• dom

  house, home

  Matches sound and meaning at once. Both the building and the hearth: w domu — at home, do domu — home.
• mieszkanie

  flat, apartment

  From mieszkać, "to live". In rental ads it meets you in the first line, usually with do wynajęcia — "for rent".
• miejsce zamieszkania

  place of residence

  Literally "the place of residing" — this is how forms and questionnaires name your dwelling. You know mieszkanie, the flat; here the same root, only in official clothes.
• pokój

  room

  A double word: pokój is both "room" and "peace", one shape for two senses. A two-room flat is mieszkanie dwupokojowe — counted by the rooms, not the bedrooms.
• kuchnia

  kitchen

  From the Latin coquina, the same road the word took into several languages. The cook is kucharz — the same nest.
• łazienka

  bathroom

  A diminutive of the old word for a bathhouse. The toilet lives separately: toaleta, or short WC — that is what the door will say.
• balkon

  balcony

  Stress on the second syllable, same as the English word — an Italian arrival by way of German. Rental ads say mieszkanie z balkonem — "with a balcony".
• piętro

  floor, storey

  The count runs differently from what the ground floor suggests: the level at street level is parter, and pierwsze piętro is already one flight up. Inside the root sits pięć, "five" — five storeys was once the limit.
• winda

  lift, elevator

  From the word for a hoist — the lift really was a winch with a drum first. The English word will be understood, but the button says winda. No kinship with "will" or with anything it resembles.
• schody

  stairs

  Plural only — there are many steps: po schodach — "up/down the stairs". The exit in a building is wyjście; the staircase between floors is schody.
• stół

  table

  Half of the furniture trap: stół is the TABLE, with an ó inside that is heard as oo. The other half is krzesło — and that is the chair.
• krzesło

  chair

  The other half of the trap: krzesło is the CHAIR, the table is stół. Said "KSHEH-swo": krz is one cluster, and ś and ł melt together.
• łóżko

  bed

  A diminutive of the old word for a couch — the same root as "to lie", which is why the word came out affectionate. A double bed is łóżko małżeńskie — literally "marital".
• szafa

  wardrobe

  One word family with the wardrobe words of the neighbors, all through German. Built-in is szafa w zabudowie — a phrase you will meet in every rental ad.
• okno

  window

  Matches sound and sense at once. The plural is okna, and the summer-open kind is otwarte okno.
• drzwi

  door

  Always plural, though the door is one: drzwi są otwarte — literally "the doors are open". The front door is drzwi wejściowe.
• klucz

  key

  Said "kwooch" — and it means key: a rare word the spelling does not betray. The key to a door and the key to a riddle are the same word.
• lampa

  lamp

  The Latinism recognizes itself: lampa. The light itself is światło, and one switches it on with Włącz światło — "turn on the light".
• gorąca woda

  hot water

  A Pole says ciepła woda — "warm water" — about what you would already call hot; gorąca is the kind that burns. "There is no hot water" is Nie ma gorącej wody: after nie ma the noun always moves into its of-form.
• prąd

  electricity

  Literally "current": electricity is prąd. The bill for it is rachunek za prąd — and rachunek you know.
• śmieci

  rubbish, trash

  Always plural: śmieci są. Poland sorts its waste in earnest, and for zmieszane śmieci — mixed waste — the neighbor will have a word with you.
• sprzątanie

  cleaning, tidying

  From sprzątać, "to tidy": the thing one does on Saturdays. Washing is a separate word, pranie — nobody mixes them.
• pranie

  washing, laundry

  From prać, "to wash". The washing machine is pralka, from the same root.
• naczynia

  dishes

  Always plural: naczynia są. From naczynie, "a vessel"; washing up is zmywać naczynia — a job visible from any flat.
• ręcznik

  towel

  From ręka, "hand": the thing hands are dried with, the root audible inside. The bath one is ręcznik kąpielowy, the kitchen one ręcznik kuchenny.
• mydło

  soap

  Said "MIH-dwoh". Neuter: to mydło. Washing up is myć się — the same root as in the soap.
• sąsiad

  neighbor

  A nasal ą at the start — the ear hears "son-SHAD". A neighbor woman is sąsiadka. The noisy one is głośny sąsiad — an evergreen topic.
• wynajmujący

  landlord (in the contract)

  Literally "the one who rents out" — that is how the contract signs the party. You, for him, are najemca, the tenant. In speech people say the simpler właściciel — "owner".
• najem

  rental, tenancy

  The tenancy itself is najem; the monthly payment is czynsz. Ads say do wynajęcia — "for rent".
• umowa

  contract

  From umówić się, "to make an arrangement": a contract is the thing agreed. To sign is podpisać — signatures get their own lesson.
• kaucja

  deposit

  A Latinism by way of German — no relative will carry you; memorize it whole. Usually one month's rent, returned when you move out: zwrot kaucji.
• rachunek za media

  utility bill

  Rachunek you know — the bill. And media here is not the press: that is what water, electricity and heating are called together. It arrives once a month.
• naprawa

  repair

  From naprawić, "to fix" — the root is the one that means "to make right". A whole flat renovation is remont; a dripping tap is naprawa.
• głośno

  noisy, loud

  From głos, "voice": literally "voiced". Quiet hours are no joke: after ten, noise gets complained about in earnest — and cisza, "silence", is valued in Poland.
• nie działa

  not working

  From działać, "to operate". About machines: Winda nie działa. About a person the same two words mean "he is not working" — context does the separating.
• zepsuło się

  it broke (down)

  The past of zepsuć się — the very zepsuty you know. The particle się is the echo of the action and it is obligatory: pralka zepsuła się — "the washing machine broke down".
• przecieka

  it leaks

  From cieknąć, "to flow" — the same flowing root as the word for liquid. The tap is kran, said much like its cousins.
• proszę wezwać fachowca

  call a repairperson, please

  Fachowiec is "the specialist" — from German Fach; it covers every handy person from plumber to car mechanic. The request follows the familiar frame: proszę plus the infinitive.
• kiedy przyjedziecie?

  when will you come (arrive)?

  Kiedy is "when". The politeness sits in the ending -cie; about one repairperson you say kiedy przyjedzie?. The master arrives, not walks: przyjechać, not przyjść.
• nie mogę otworzyć

  I cannot open

  Mogę is the personal "can" that the hint to można warned about. An infinitive follows: Nie mogę otworzyć drzwi. Nie wolno mi — "I am not allowed" — is a different beast, and not to be confused.
• grzać

  to heat, to warm

  The present is grzeję, grzejesz, grzeje, with rz heard as zh. The familiar gorąco, "hot", comes from the same warm nest. The radiator is grzejnik — and it hangs in every Polish bathroom.
• ogród

  garden

  The ó is oo: "OO-groot". Garden and vegetable plot are one word, while the kindergarten is przedszkole — literally "before-school".
• kuchenka

  stove, cooker

  A diminutive of kuchnia, the kitchen: the little kitchen is the stove. The electric kind is indukcja — and water boils on it faster than the tea.
• lodówka

  fridge

  From lód, "ice": the name is honest — it really is cold in there. The freezer is zamrażarka, and it sits at the bottom — look for it with your feet.
• gniazdko

  socket, outlet

  Literally "little nest": the socket is a small nest. The plug is wtyczka — and the two are made for each other.
• kabel

  cable, wire

  The same cable-word, said with one l. The headphone wire is also kabel, however thin.
• pudełko

  box

  An affectionate diminutive — a little box. The shoe box and the gift box are one word; the conversation decides the size.
• dach

  roof

  From German. It leaks with the same verb as the tap — the one you know from the plumbing lesson.
• ściana

  wall (inner)

  An inner, room wall. The outer, stone and load-bearing one is mur — signs hang on that one, not pictures.
• sypialnia

  bedroom

  From the sleeping: a bedroom is a "sleeping-room". The living room has its own word — and different furniture.
• podwórko

  courtyard, yard

  A diminutive of the yard-word — and the flat looks out onto exactly that yard. A word from every Polish childhood: games, a swing and the first ball.
• sufit

  ceiling

  From the French — the same root as the stage-light word of the theatre: shared origin, the meanings drifted apart. From floor to ceiling is said with both words.
• brama

  gate

  A big gate — into a yard, a factory, an old town. Doors you know as drzwi; a brama is bigger and heavier.
• płot

  fence

  A false friend: nothing to do with the flesh-word or the raft it resembles. Its neighbor is the all-purpose enclosure-word.
• garaż

  garage

  The same word, with Polish stress on the end. A space in an underground car park is also a garage — and it is bought with the flat.
• skrzynka pocztowa

  mailbox, letterbox

  Skrzynka is the little box — a diminutive of the chest. The email inbox is also skrzynka, though people say poczta more often.
• piwnica

  basement, cellar

  The word grew out of the beer-word: a cellar where beer was once kept. The pub-word of the region misleads — here it is a basement, and the beer left it long ago.
• zmywać naczynia

  to wash the dishes

  Dishes have their own verb — literally "off-wash", while the plain wash is for hands and floors. The dishwasher is named after it — and does the same job.
• zamiatać

  to sweep

  The same root as the broom-word: the connection is audible with no dictionary. A trap nearby: the publish-word looks alike and means something else.
• prać

  to wash (laundry)

  Only about laundry. The washing machine is named after it — and the familiar laundry-noun is of the same root.
• prasować

  to iron

  A trap: stroking a cat is one verb, and ironing is another. Where one language lets "stroke" do both jobs, Polish divides the work honestly.
• przygotować kolację

  to make supper, to prepare dinner

  Prepare in the broad sense — not necessarily on the fire. A salad is prepared, a soup is cooked — the verbs split the stove fairly.
• wynosić śmieci

  to take out the rubbish

  The carrying-word with wy-: the rubbish is carried out. Śmieci you know; the bin is the rubbish-place — and the same word means the dump.
• odkurzacz

  vacuum cleaner

  From kurz, "dust": literally a "dust-remover". The vacuuming verb is worth knowing if there is a carpet in the house.
• szczotka

  brush

  The big brush: for floors, hair and shoes. The toothbrush takes a double diminutive — and is due for replacement every three months.
• wiadro

  bucket

  The same word as its cousins. It was also an old measure of volume — an honest coincidence.
• żelazko

  iron

  Literally "little iron", a diminutive of the metal. The iron-words of several languages come from the same metal — the Polish one just made the word affectionate.
• pomagać

  to help

  One helps someone in the dative with no preposition. There is no "help to me" turn — the short "to you" says it by itself.
• zamknij drzwi

  close the door

  The imperative of the closing verb. The key you know — and the closed sign in the shop window is of the same family.
• otwórz okno

  open the window

  The partner of "close", from the opening verb. The open sign you have been reading for a long time — the same word as an adjective.
• podaj mi

  pass me, hand me

  A short "to me" follows the verb at once: pass me the salt. Politer with proszę — but even without it this is a request, not an order.
• ciszej, proszę

  quieter, please

  The comparative of the quiet-adverb: "more quietly" is all there is to it. Children hear the short command — and the quiet hours hang on the walls of houses.
• wynajmować mieszkanie

  to rent a flat

  A Polish trap: the same verb means both renting from and renting out — the direction looks out of the context. The tenant is the tenancy-word, the landlord the landlord-word — and you know both from the contract.
• oddawać mieszkanie w najem

  to rent out a flat

  The second way of saying the same situation from the other side: the flat is "given over into tenancy" — the familiar tenancy-word from the documents. The ad says exactly this.
• umowa najmu

  lease agreement, tenancy contract

  Umowa, contract, plus najmu, the of-form of najem — the official word for renting. The two sides are the landlord and the tenant. Always in writing — and that is no Polish whim.
• czynsz

  rent (payment)

  A word from medieval German, alive in Poland for eight hundred years. Careful: the rent to the landlord and the rent to the housing co-op — which also covers utilities — are distinguished by what follows.
• okres najmu

  lease term

  Okres, period, plus the of-form najmu. Contracts say na czas określony, "for a fixed term", or na czas nieokreślony, "open-ended" — the second is rarer.
• pośrednik

  estate agent, middleman

  Literally "a middle-man", from the indirectly-adverb. Between the flat and you stands the middleman — and the commission, the familiar fee-word, is paid by you. The agency is the office-word.
• oglądanie mieszkania

  flat viewing

  From the viewing verb — the same root as the eye. At one viewing in a big city a dozen hopefuls turn up, and being late costs the flat.
• mieszkanie umeblowane

  furnished flat

  From the furniture-word: "furniture-ified". Ads write furnished, partially furnished and unfurnished — and the price follows the adjectives.
• wprowadzić się

  to move in

  Literally "to lead oneself in": moving into new housing is an "introducing" of yourself and your things. The same verb introduces a topic — and the misleaders too. Move-in day is the introduction day.
• wyprowadzić się

  to move out

  The partner of moving in, the prefix wy- facing outward. To be out by a date — by the end of the month. Evicting by force is the Latin eviction-word — and courts do it, not landlords.
• przeprowadzka

  move, relocation

  From the conducting-oneself-across verb: a move is a "conducting-over". One word covers a move to the next street and a turning point of a life. The moving boxes are "cartons" — from the cardboard you know.
• przeprowadzać się

  to move house

  Reflexive, like everything you do to yourself: "I am moving". Where to — to Kraków or abroad, and you have heard both phrases. The imperfection of the verb is honest: one moves and moves.
• tragarz

  porter, mover

  From the toil-word: a porter is a "heavy-worker", and the whole profession sits in the word. The dock porter is its harbor breed — and in Gdańsk that is a title with a history.
• zapakować

  to pack up (finish packing)

  From the familiar packing verb, the prefix za- adds the result: the box shut — done. The same verb wraps a present and seals a letter.
• rozpakować

  to unpack

  The prefix roz- takes apart what za- assembled: the same pair as elsewhere. Unpacking the suitcase is said with it — and the suitcase you know from the airport.
• nowy adres

  new address

  The familiar address with its adjective: in a letter one writes "I ask for a change of address". The change itself is reported at the office within the fortnight — or the fine finds you.
• transport rzeczy

  transport of belongings

  The Latinism covers public transport and freight alike — the addition tells them apart. The familiar things-word travels here. The firm that carries is called a "moving firm" — plainly.
• zadomowić się

  to settle in

  From the house-word: to settle in is to "domesticate oneself", become at home in the new place. The action turns back on itself — and it sounds warmer than "to arrange".
• przyzwyczaić się do nowego miejsca

  to get used to the new place

  The verb is bulky but transparent: to "accustom oneself to the custom" — the custom-word you know. Getting used happens to a place, to a person and to getting up early.
• meble

  furniture

  Always plural, from German — resembling its cousins only on paper. The furniture shop is the furniture-adjective one, and in it everything is "on stock" — immediately.
• kanapa

  sofa, couch

  From the French canapé, stressed in the middle. The fold-out kind takes the unfolding-adjective — and that word decides whether the guest stays the night. The bookish word for it exists and no one says it.
• fotel

  armchair

  From the Greek through the Latin: the word once named a bishop's throne chair — and that is all its luxury. A seat at the cinema and on the plane is the place-word, which you know.
• półka

  shelf

  From the half-word: a shelf is a "half-board", an origin more honest than most. The ł is w-shaped. The whole book rack is another word — from the German.
• dywan

  carpet, rug

  From the Persian by way of Turkish — a distant but true relative of the sofa-word. The little mat at the door is literally a "wiper-off", which you know from the travel unit.
• lustro

  mirror

  Italian by way of German. Looking in the mirror takes the preposition w. The rear-view mirror is the "foreseeing" one — the adjective from seeing ahead.
• zasłona

  curtain, drape

  From the shielding verb: a curtain is a "shield", the same image as elsewhere. The sheer one is also called this; the thick one takes the thick-adjective. The blinds are the French word with ż.
• poduszka

  pillow, cushion

  From "under" plus "little ear": a pillow is an "under-ear-let" — the English etymology is actually more logical here. The decorative kind takes its adjective.
• kołdra

  duvet, comforter

  From German. The thin blanket is a different word — the throw from the furniture lesson, taken to the sofa. The duvet cover is a cover for it — the pillowcase-word does the job.
• żyrandol

  chandelier

  The French girandole — a little branch with rings for candles: the chandelier grew out of that branch. The ż is a zh. In everyday speech people say lamp: turn on the lamp.
• farba

  paint

  From German Farbe, "color" — but in Polish it means paint; color is kolor. What it is for follows it: farba do ścian, wall paint.
• malować ściany

  to paint the walls

  One verb paints walls and draws pictures alike — as in English. Hair is painted too; fabric is dyed with another verb. The roller is the little-shaft word.
• tapety

  wallpaper

  Always plural, as in English, from the French for carpet: wallpaper is a "wall carpet". Gluing it uses the familiar gluing verb — the same one from the photos.
• płytki

  tiles

  A diminutive of the slab-word: tiles are "little slabs", and there are always many. Laying them uses the setting verb; the tiler is named from the Italian — the glazing one.
• śrubokręt

  screwdriver

  Literally "screw-twister", from the screw and the twisting you know: the tool is named more honestly than elsewhere. Cross-head and flat-head take their adjectives. The screw you met in the toolbox lesson.
• wiertarka

  drill

  From the drilling verb — the same root as believing: one drills believing one will hit. The drill bit is its own little word — and the most lost part of all. Drilling takes place in the wall.
• rura

  pipe

  From the Latin by way of German: a pipe is a pipe. The water one gets the water-adjective, while the musical one is the trumpet — a different word entirely. It leaks with the leaking verb you know.
• żarówka przepaliła się

  the bulb has burnt out

  The bulb is from the glow-word — it "glows" light. "To burn through" is the failing verb here, the prefix working as elsewhere. Replacing it is the swapping verb from the repairs.
• ogrzewanie

  heating

  From the warming verb — and the same word is the warm-up at the gym. Central or wood-fired — the adjectives sort it. In Poland it is switched on by calendar, not by weather.
• zrobić remont

  to renovate, to do a renovation

  The French Latinism: in Polish this is the redoing of a whole flat, while the familiar repair-word fixes what broke. Where one language says "repairs", Polish splits the two honestly.
• licznik

  meter (utility)

  From liczyć, "to count": a meter is a "counter", and in a car it is the speedometer. What it measures follows in the of-form: licznik wody, licznik prądu. It is read before moving in.
• stan licznika

  meter reading

  Stan is "state": the reading is the "state" of the meter on the day of reading — the same state as "at rest". It is reported once a month through the tenant portal.
• rachunek za wodę

  water bill

  Built like the phone bill: a bill for something is za plus the object form, so woda becomes wodę. It comes every other month, and the total likes to surprise.
• rachunek za prąd

  electricity bill

  A Pole calls electricity by its short current-word — and the bill says so too. The day and night tariffs are a pair — and with them the bill is visibly smaller.
• odcięli wodę

  the water has been cut off

  Literally "they cut the water", from the cutting verb: in Poland the water is not switched off but cut — and that sounds more decisive. Impersonal, with no subject — as it happens to everyone.
• kosz na śmieci

  rubbish bin

  Kosz is the bin — and the basketball hoop besides. The household bucket is also a kosz, the rubbish one. Sorting in Poland is strict: paper, glass, metals and plastics — each its own color.
• klatka schodowa

  stairwell, entrance

  Literally "the stair cage", from the cage-word and the familiar stairs. There is no separate entrance-word; in addresses they write "staircase A". The cleaning duty in it rotates — and everyone knows whose turn it is.
• domofon

  intercom, entryphone

  A Greco-Latin assembly of "house-sound", as in English. The video version prefixes it — and it is displacing the old one. To ring up is the same verb as ringing the door.
• hałas od sąsiadów

  noise from the neighbors

  The din-word came from the same old speech as its cousins nearby. Quiet hours in Poland run from ten to six — and violations get reported to the wardens.
• regulamin domu

  house rules

  The Latinism for a set of rules — it hangs in the stairwell in plain sight. It says when quiet begins, where laundry dries and who mops the landing.
• piekarnik

  oven

  From the baking verb you know: the stove that bakes. The whole cooker is the kitchen-word; the oven is only its baking part.
• mikrofalówka

  microwave

  The full name is the "microwave kitchen"; in everyday speech it is cut down, exactly as elsewhere. Reheating in it is the reheating phrase.
• tarka

  grater

  To grate cheese takes a far-shaped but frequent verb — the grated cheese on the packet is its participle. By ear do not mix it with the tart — the pie with filling.
• chochla

  ladle

  Feminine: a big ladle. Scooping with it is the pouring verb. The diminutive is the smaller kitchen ladle.
• pokrywka

  lid, cover

  A diminutive of the cover-word: both forms are alive, from the covering verb. Taking the lid off uses the taking-off verb you know.
• deska do krojenia

  cutting board

  The board in general plus the cutting, from the familiar cutting verb: a board for cutting. The skateboard is the same board — only with wheels.
• fartuch

  apron

  A homely word — memorize it whole. The doctor's apron is the medical kind: the same apron, only long and white.
• obrus

  tablecloth

  A short word, related neither to the towel nor to the napkin: the tablecloth is precisely this. The table "under the tablecloth" is set — the image as elsewhere.
• blender

  blender

  An Anglicism, declined like a native. The immersion kind is "hand-held", the jug kind is "chalice-shaped" — you will meet both in the instructions.
• pojemnik na jedzenie

  food container, lunchbox

  The container-word comes from the holding verb: the thing that holds. For work one takes the container for the second breakfast — in Poland that is a separate meal.
• grzebień

  comb

  Combing one's hair is the combing verb. The brush for hair is a different object — though it stands next to the comb on the shelf.
• maszynka do golenia

  razor, shaver

  The machine-word in general plus the shaving: a "shaving machine". The electric kind takes the adjective; the disposable one says "for one use".
• szampon

  shampoo

  It came from Hindi by way of English and declines like a native. The conditioner is literally "nourishment" for the hair.
• nożyczki

  scissors

  Plural only, as in English: the scissors are blunt. From the knife-word. Nail scissors are scissors "for nails": do plus the of-form plural.
• igła

  needle

  The eye of the needle is literally an "ear" — which you know. The fir-needle and the syringe-needle are this word too. Threading it takes a long but logical verb.
• nitka

  thread

  A diminutive of the thread-word: the sewing kind is precisely this. It is sold on a spool. The color of the thread is named by the same word as the paint.
• wyrzucić

  to throw out, to discard

  From the throwing verb with the out-prefix. Thrown into the rubbish bin you know. And "thrown out" of a job is this verb too.
• przechowywać

  to store, to keep

  The hiding verb with the through-prefix: storing is keeping across time. Medicines are stored in the fridge — the instruction will say the word.
• pralka

  washing machine

  From the washing verb: the washing machine is a "washing one". The drum is the drum-word you have; the laundry too.
• zmywarka

  dishwasher

  From the washing-off verb; the dishes are the word you know. The tablets for it are "tablets for the dishwasher" — not to be confused with the pharmacy.
• zamrażarka

  freezer

  From the freezing verb, with the frost-root. The fridge you know — often one cabinet, but the words are different. The ice inside is the familiar ice.
• wentylator

  fan

  A Latinism, spotted at once; its verb drives air. The air conditioner is said short — a pet form of the long conditioning-word.
• grzejnik

  radiator, heater

  From the warming verb, which you have. The heating radiator and the mobile heater are both this word. Kin to the heating-noun from the flat unit.
• suszarka do włosów

  hairdryer

  From the drying verb: a dryer in general. Without the "for hair" it is already the laundry dryer — the specification is obligatory.
• przedłużacz

  extension cord

  From the lengthening verb — the same one that extended your visa. The socket is the word you have: the extension cord rescues you when the socket is far.
• włącznik

  light switch

  A reversed trap: the word is built from the switching-on verb, but it is the switch — it switches both ways. The light switch sits by the door; you poke it every day.
• wkręt

  screw

  From the twisting verb: a screw is a "twisted-in". The nail you know — a nail is hammered, a screw is twisted. The screwdriver keeps the same twist inside.
• klucz do nakrętek

  wrench, spanner

  The key-word you know — for doors, for cars — so the specification is obligatory. The nut comes from the screwing-on verb: a key for nuts.
• szczypce

  pliers, tongs

  Plural only. From the pinching verb: a pinching tool. The salad tongs in the kitchen are the same word — one tool, different jobs.
• taśma izolacyjna

  insulating tape, electrical tape

  The tape-word is any tape: insulation tape, sticky tape, a ribbon in the hair. The first adjective does the sorting — from the insulation-Latinism.
• klej

  glue

  A short word, declined simply. To glue, to glue together, to glue on — the prefixes from this very lesson.
• taśma klejąca

  sticky tape, adhesive tape

  Literally "a gluing tape": a stationery thing named honestly. The double-sided kind takes the side-adjective.
• sznur

  rope, cord

  The clothes-line is the laundry kind; the shoelace is its natural diminutive. The thick ship's rope is another word — this one reaches up to clotheslines.
• przykleić

  to glue on, to stick (with glue)

  The prefix means "up close": gluing onto something takes do plus the of-form. Swap in the away-prefix and the thing comes unglued.
• wkręcić

  to screw in, to twist in

  From the same twisting verb as the screw: a screw is precisely twisted in. Unscrewing flips it — a tight jar also "unscrews" with effort. Attaching a shelf is screwing it to the wall.
• zmierzyć

  to measure

  From the measure-word: to measure is to take a measurement. The tape measure is its diminutive. The Polish proverb advises: measure once, cut twice.
• naprawiać samemu

  to fix things oneself

  The self-word has a special dative form: by oneself. The English "own hands" are not needed: I fix everything myself.
• prysznic

  shower

  From German, spotted at once. Taking a shower is literally "taking" one — the same turn as in English.
• budzik

  alarm clock

  A diminutive of the waking verb. Setting the alarm — the setting verb; sleeping through it — the oversleeping verb.
• termometr

  thermometer

  The Greek-Latin word is easy to spot. Air temperature puts the air-word into the of-form — and temperature itself you know.
• toster

  toaster

  An Anglicism, read the Polish way. The toasted slice is a toast — and the breakfast with it Poles call a toast breakfast.
• maszyna do szycia

  sewing machine

  Literally "a machine for sewing". Built like the washing machine and the dishwasher you know — only the sewing one keeps its full name.
• fundament

  foundation (of a building)

  A Latinism: the foundation. Commoner in the plural: the foundations of the house. Figuratively — the basis: the foundations of democracy, exactly as in English.
• wykończenie

  finishing (work), interior finish

  From the finishing-off verb — bringing to the end: the finish — plaster, tiles, paint. The finishing works; the finish-ready — for your own painting.
• opuszczać

  to lower

  A trap: the same word means "to abandon" — opuszczać dom. Here it is motion downward: blinds, a hand, a flag.
• ruszać

  to move, to touch

  Both "to move" and "to touch": Nie ruszaj! — "don't touch!". One form covers both senses.
• upuszczać

  to drop

  Literally "to let down" — the same u- prefix as opuszczać. To drop it = to let it out of your hands.
• zbierać

  to pick up (from the floor), to gather

  To gather and to pick up: scattered things zbierasz z podłogi — from the floor. The partner of the familiar podnosić — that one is about lifting and carrying.
• wieszać

  to hang

  The hanger is wieszak, from the same verb. One hangs clothes, pictures and laundry on the line.
• zdejmować

  to take off, to take down

  The prefix z- takes from above: a picture from the wall, a book from the shelf, clothes off yourself — one verb for all.
• składać

  to fold

  A trap: the same word means "to submit, to file" — składać dokumenty. Here it is folding things in two.
• rozkładać

  to unfold, to spread out

  The partner of składać: the prefix roz- undoes what was folded. One spreads out a map, a patience game and things into their places.
• rozwijać

  to unwrap

  The partner of zawijać. The trap: the same word means "to develop" — rozwijać zainteresowania, "to develop interests".
• wpuszczać

  to let in

  W- inward plus puszczać, "to let": letting in is letting inside. A guest, a cat and fresh air are let in identically.
• wypuszczać

  to let out

  The partner of wpuszczać: the wy- is outward. The dog is let out into the garden and the bird out of the cage.
• otwierać

  to open

  The present is otwieram. The perfective otworzyć — the same pairing as "opening" and "open".
• zamykać

  to close

  From zamek, "lock" — the same root as zapinać, "to fasten". One closes a door, a window and a shop.
• zamykać na klucz

  to lock

  No separate verb exists: to lock = "to close on the key". Na klucz is the same preposition pair as in na wsi — "in the village".
• otwierać kluczem

  to unlock

  Literally "to open with the key": the instrumental with no preposition, the way "with a knife" is nożem. To unlock = to open with the key.
• włączać światło

  to turn on the light

  W- plus łączyć, "to join": to switch on is to join to the current. The same verb turns on the TV and the music.
• wyłączać światło

  to turn off the light

  The partner of włączać: the wy- disconnects. One switches off the light before sleep and the sound on the phone.
• naciskać

  to press (a button)

  Na- plus ciskać, "to press down": to press is to press onto. The button is przycisk, from the same verb — the thing you press onto.
• obracać klamkę

  to turn the handle

  Obracać is "to rotate" — a door handle and the Earth about its axis alike. Klamka is the door handle, recognizable by its kinship with klucz, "key".
• pukać

  to knock

  The word knocks by itself: puk-puk. One knocks do drzwi — at the door, the same preposition do as in entering.
• dzwonić do drzwi

  to ring the doorbell

  The same dzwonić as on the phone; do drzwi does the distinguishing. The doorbell is dzwonek, the same root.
• próg

  threshold

  The ó is said oo. "On the threshold" is na progu, the at-form after na; figurative too: na progu zimy — "on the threshold of winter".
• uchwyt

  handle, grip

  Klamka lived in the phrase "turn the handle"; uchwyt is a handle and a holder in general — of a drawer, a door, a bag. From trzymać, "to hold".
• zamek

  lock

  The same word as the zip on a jacket and the castle of fairy tales; only context tells them apart. From it, zamykać — "to close" — which you know.
• dzwonek do drzwi

  doorbell

  Dzwonek is also the school bell; the door one is distinguished by the addition do drzwi — "to the door". Both words you know.
• parapet

  windowsill

  Looks like "parapet", but in a flat it is the windowsill. "On the windowsill" is na parapecie — after na the t softens into ci.
• firanka

  curtain (sheer)

  Zasłona is the heavy drape; firanka is the light see-through curtain through which the street is visible.
• lampka nocna

  night light

  Literally "little night lamp": lampa you know, lampka is the small one, and nocna is from noc. Instrumental: z lampką nocną.
• umywalka

  sink (bathroom)

  From myć, "to wash": the thing one washes at. This is the bathroom basin; the kitchen one goes by another name — zlew.
• wanna

  bathtub

  Written with two n's, heard with one. The bathroom room is łazienka, which you know; do not mix the tub and the room.
• klozet

  toilet (the fixture)

  Like the old word for a closet, but in Polish it is the fixture itself, not only the room. Colloquial and neutral at once.
• wąż ogrodowy

  garden hose

  Literally "a garden snake": wąż, "snake", you know, and ogrodowy is from ogród. Polish never grew a separate word for the hose.

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.

• Ich dom ma duży ogród

  Their house has a big garden
• Szukam mieszkania blisko centrum

  I am looking for a flat near the center
• Miejsce zamieszkania: Kraków

  Place of residence: Kraków
• Mieszkanie ma dwa pokoje

  The flat has two rooms
• Mama jest w kuchni

  Mum is in the kitchen
• Gdzie jest łazienka?

  Where is the bathroom?

What is worth knowing about these words

dom — house, home. Matches sound and meaning at once. Both the building and the hearth: w domu — at home, do domu — home.

mieszkanie — flat, apartment. From mieszkać, "to live". In rental ads it meets you in the first line, usually with do wynajęcia — "for rent".

miejsce zamieszkania — place of residence. Literally "the place of residing" — this is how forms and questionnaires name your dwelling. You know mieszkanie, the flat; here the same root, only in official clothes.

pokój — room. A double word: pokój is both "room" and "peace", one shape for two senses. A two-room flat is mieszkanie dwupokojowe — counted by the rooms, not the bedrooms.

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

Room, key, water, electricity. You will need them on your first day in a rented flat.

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