Phrases that save you in Polish
17 words in Polish on the topic “phrases that save you”: nie rozumiem — I do not understand, powoli — slowly, proszę powtórzyć — repeat, please, czy mówisz po angielsku? — do you speak English?
17 words on the topic
- nie rozumiemI do not understandRozumieć is "to understand" — a cousin of English "to reckon with", same idea of working something through. The negation nie stands apart and refuses to fuse.
- powolislowlyLiterally "at a walk's pace" — unhurried. The most useful word of the first week: Proszę mówić powoli.
- proszę powtórzyćrepeat, pleaseLiterally "I ask [you] to repeat". An infinitive after proszę and the request is complete — the politeness is already inside proszę.
- czy mówisz po angielsku?do you speak English?Czy at the front turns any phrase into a question. Languages are spoken "adverbially": po angielsku is literally "in-the-English-way". Politely: Czy mówi Pan(i) po angielsku?
- ratunku!help! (emergency)Literally "of rescue" — the shout, one word only: Ratunku! The calmer pomoc is "help" as a thing: Potrzebuję pomocy — "I need help".
- zgubiłem sięI am lostł here is a w: "zgoo-BEE-woh shcheh"
- nie działanot workingFrom działać, "to operate". About machines: Winda nie działa. About a person the same two words mean "he is not working" — context does the separating.
- proszę chwilę poczekaćwait a moment, pleaseLiterally "I ask you to wait an instant" — a Pole counts not minutes but chwile. Informal: poczekaj chwilę, the same frame: proszę plus the infinitive.
- nie mogę otworzyćI cannot openMogę 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.
- pogotowieambulance serviceLiterally "on readiness" — from the familiar gotowy, and gotówka is from the same nest. The single emergency number is 112 — here as across Europe.
- potrzebuję lekarzaI need a doctorLiterally "I am in need of a doctor": potrzebować takes the of-form, so lekarz becomes lekarza. There is no "for me" anywhere — the verb ending already says "I".
- uwagacareful! watch out!The most useful false friend: Uwaga! is "attention!" — that is, watch out. On yellow signs it says exactly this, and its second life is "attention" in the classroom: the teacher says it too.
- niebezpiecznedangerousFrom the familiar bezpieczny, "safe", with the negation on front — the same root that lives in ubezpieczenie, the insurance from the doctor's office. The adverb will be niebezpiecznie, with -ie at the end.
- proszę wezwać policjęcall the police, pleaseThe same verb as "call a repairperson" from the flat. Police is 997, the general emergency number is 112 — both free.
- zgubiłem paszportI lost my passportA relative of zgubiłem się, "I got lost": the same verb gubić. A woman says zgubiłam. The passport is paszport — and the paperwork lessons will want it.
- czuję się źleI feel badLiterally "I feel myself badly": czuć się is "to feel", and the particle się is the same one from jak się masz. The familiar źle from the first lessons slots in like it was made for it.
- nie dotykaćdo not touch (sign)Informally: nie dotykaj. But on signs the Pole writes the infinitive: Nie dotykać! — the sign speaks to everyone at once. From tykać, "to touch".
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.
What is worth knowing about these words
nie rozumiem — I do not understand. Rozumieć is "to understand" — a cousin of English "to reckon with", same idea of working something through. The negation nie stands apart and refuses to fuse.
powoli — slowly. Literally "at a walk's pace" — unhurried. The most useful word of the first week: Proszę mówić powoli.
proszę powtórzyć — repeat, please. Literally "I ask [you] to repeat". An infinitive after proszę and the request is complete — the politeness is already inside proszę.
czy mówisz po angielsku? — do you speak English? Czy at the front turns any phrase into a question. Languages are spoken "adverbially": po angielsku is literally "in-the-English-way". Politely: Czy mówi Pan(i) po angielsku?
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I do not understand” in Polish?
Rozumieć is "to understand" — a cousin of English "to reckon with", same idea of working something through. The negation nie stands apart and refuses to fuse.
- How do you say “wait a moment, please” in Polish?
Literally "I ask you to wait an instant" — a Pole counts not minutes but chwile. Informal: poczekaj chwilę, the same frame: proszę plus the infinitive.
- How do you say “I lost my passport” in Polish?
A relative of zgubiłem się, "I got lost": the same verb gubić. A woman says zgubiłam. The passport is paszport — and the paperwork lessons will want it.
- How do you say “help! (emergency)” in Polish?
Literally "of rescue" — the shout, one word only: Ratunku! The calmer pomoc is "help" as a thing: Potrzebuję pomocy — "I need help".
- How do you say “careful! watch out!” in Polish?
The most useful false friend: Uwaga! is "attention!" — that is, watch out. On yellow signs it says exactly this, and its second life is "attention" in the classroom: the teacher says it too.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 timesAdesope, 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 timesMawson & 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.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I do not understand” in Polish?
«nie rozumiem». Rozumieć is "to understand" — a cousin of English "to reckon with", same idea of working something through. The negation nie stands apart and refuses to fuse. It is one of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 17 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.