Greetings
Dzień dobry
jane DOH-bry
Good day — the default formal greeting to anyone you don't know.
Cześć
cheshch
Hi / bye, informal. Only with people you're on first-name terms with.
Social
Dziękuję
jen-KOO-yeh
Thank you. 'Dzięki' is the casual version.
Proszę
PRO-sheh
Please, here you are, you're welcome, and 'pardon?' — one word doing four jobs.
Pan / Pani
pan / PAH-nee
Sir / madam, used with the verb instead of 'you'. Polish is formal by default and skipping this is genuinely rude.
Na zdrowie
nah ZDRO-vyeh
Cheers — and also what you say when someone sneezes.
Daily life
PESEL
PEH-sel
Your national identification number. Gates tax, healthcare, banking and almost every online service.
Karta pobytu
KAR-ta po-BY-too
Residence card — the physical proof of your temporary residence permit.
Urząd
OO-zhond
A government office. You will spend meaningful time in them; book appointments online in advance.
Food
Pierogi / żurek / bigos
pyeh-RO-ghee / ZHOO-rek / BEE-gos
Dumplings, sour rye soup, hunter's stew — the cornerstones of Polish comfort food.
Milk bar (bar mleczny)
bar MLECH-ny
Subsidised cafeteria serving traditional food at very low prices. A genuine institution, not a novelty.
Emergency
112
The single European emergency number
Emergency services. 997 police, 998 fire and 999 ambulance also work.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.