Polish Phrases: The Most Common Words for Everyday Life

100+ common Polish phrases with English translations and IPA pronunciation. Greetings, small talk, numbers, colours, and the cultural context that makes each phrase actually work.

Polish phrases are more than short expressions to memorize. They are the way you signal respect, warmth, and belonging in a language that takes formality seriously and rewards effort generously. A single well-placed dzień dobry from a foreigner earns a warmer welcome than a full paragraph of textbook English.

If you are here because a family member speaks Polish and you want to hold your own at the table, or because you are travelling to Kraków next month, or because you fell for the sound of the language and want a foothold, this guide covers the phrases that actually get used in real Polish life. Every phrase comes with English translation and IPA pronunciation, plus the cultural context you will not find in a phrasebook.

What makes Polish phrases different (before you start memorizing)

Three things about Polish phrases surprise almost every English-speaking learner. Knowing them ahead of time saves you weeks of quiet awkwardness.

1. Formality is built into the vocabulary, not the tone. Polish has a hard split between formal and informal address. Strangers, older people, shopkeepers, and anyone you have not been invited to call by first name get addressed with Pan (Mr.) or Pani (Mrs./Ms.) plus the verb in the third person. Friends, family, and children get ty and the second person. Using ty where you should use Pan is not casual, it is rude. This is why the same greeting comes in two flavours: Dzień dobry (formal, always safe with strangers) and Cześć (informal, only after you have been invited into it).

2. Diminutives are everywhere and they are affection, not baby-talk. Polish diminutivizes names, food, animals, even weather. Katarzyna becomes Kasia, Aleksander becomes Olek, coffee (kawa) becomes kawusia when you want to be warm about it. If a Polish person calls you by a diminutive of your name, that is a small sign that you are being accepted. If they diminutivize the food they cook for you, that is a bigger one.

3. One word (proszę) does the job of five English ones. Proszę means please, here you go, you are welcome, come in, and go ahead, depending on the situation. This is one of the most useful pattern-recognitions in Polish: instead of memorizing five phrases, you memorize one word and read the context. Same trick works for dziękuję (thank you, no thank you, that will do) and przepraszam (sorry, excuse me, I beg your pardon).

Keep those three in mind and every table below reads differently.

Polish phrases you should know

*

Greetings in Polish

Polish greetings follow the clock. Dzień dobry covers everything from mid-morning until early evening, then dobry wieczór takes over. Unlike English, there is no separate word for “good afternoon”. If it is bright out and past 10 a.m., dzień dobry is still what you say. In shops, cafés, elevators, and hotel lobbies, greeting people is not optional politeness, it is expected. Walking into a small shop in Poland without saying dzień dobry reads as cold.

English	Polish	IPA
Welcome!	Witamy!	[ˈvʲitami]
Good day to you!	Dzień dobry!	[d͡ʑɛɲ ˈdɔbrɨ]
Good morning to you!	Witaj rano!	[ˈvʲitaj ˈra.nɔ]
Good evening!	Dobry wieczór!	[ˈdɔbrɨ ˈvʲɛ.t͡ʂur]
Good to see you.	Miło cię widzieć.	[ˈmiwɔ t͡ɕɛ ˈvʲidʑɛt͡ʂ]
I’m glad to see you.	Cieszę się, że cię widzę.	[ˈt͡ɕɛʂɛ ɕɛ ʐɛ t͡ɕɛ ˈvʲid.zɛ]

If you are greeted in Polish, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Polish	IPA
Have a nice day too!	Również miłego dnia!	[ˈruvɲɛʐ miˈwɛɡɔ ˈdɲa]
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too.	Dziękuję, miło cię widzieć również.	[ˈd͡ʑɛŋˌkʊjɛ, ˈmiwɔ t͡ɕɛ ˈvʲidʑɛt͡ʂ ˈruvɲɛʐ]

How is your conversation partner?

Jak się masz? is the classic “how are you”, but there is a cultural note that trips up English speakers. In Polish culture, “how are you” is not the automatic greeting-filler it is in English. If someone asks, they usually want an actual answer. This is why the honest response Nie czuję się zbyt dobrze (“I’m not doing so well”) is a real option, not a faux pas. Poles appreciate directness, and small talk about weather or how tired you are lands warmly.

English	Polish	IPA
How are you doing?	Jak się masz?	[jak ɕɛ maʃ]
Are you doing well?	Czy wszystko w porządku?	[t͡ʂɨ fʂɨsˈtʂʨɔ v pɔˈʐɔntku]

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Polish	IPA
Thank you for asking, I am fine.	Dziękuję, że zapytałeś, mam się dobrze.	[ˈd͡ʑɛŋˌkʊjɛ, ʐɛ zapɨˈtaˈwɛɕ, mam ɕɛ ˈdɔbʐɛ]
Thank you, I am fine.	Dziękuję, mam się dobrze.	[ˈd͡ʑɛŋˌkʊjɛ, mam ɕɛ ˈdɔbʐɛ]
Thank you, I am not doing so well.	Dziękuję, nie czuję się zbyt dobrze.	[ˈd͡ʑɛŋˌkʊjɛ, ɲɛ ˈt͡ʂuje ɕɛ zbɨt ˈdɔbʐɛ]
Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing?	Dzięki, mam się dobrze. Jak się masz?	[ˈd͡ʑɛŋki, mam ɕɛ ˈdɔbʐɛ. jak ɕɛ maʃ]

*

More information on the full Learn Polish guide.

Saying goodbye in Polish

Do widzenia is the formal goodbye you use with shopkeepers, strangers, and anyone in the Pan/Pani register. Between friends, cześć works both as hello and goodbye, just like Italian ciao. Dobranoc is strictly for bedtime, not for saying goodbye late in the evening. Getting these three right earns you more warmth than a memorized paragraph.

English	Polish	IPA
Goodbye!	Do widzenia!	[dɔ vʲidˈzɛɲa]
Take care of yourself!	Dbaj o siebie!	[d̪baj ɔ ˈɕɛbʲɛ]
See you tomorrow	Do zobaczenia jutro	[dɔ zɔbaˈt͡ʂɛɲa ˈjutɾɔ]
See you soon	Do zobaczenia wkrótce	[dɔ zɔbaˈt͡ʂɛɲa ˈfkrut͡sɛ]
See you later	Do zobaczenia później	[dɔ zɔbaˈt͡ʂɛɲa ˈpuʐɲɛj]
Good night	Dobranoc	[dɔˈbrɑːnɔt͡s]
Sleep well	Śpij dobrze	[ɕpʲij ˈdɔbʐɛ]
Talk to you later.	Porozmawiamy później	[pɔrɔzˈmaːvjami ˈpuʐɲɛj]
Nice to have met you!	Miło cię poznać!	[ˈmiwɔ t͡ɕɛ ˈpɔznat͡ʂ]

Introducing yourself in Polish

Polish has separate words for first name (imię) and surname (nazwisko) and asks about them separately. When Poles meet someone for the first time in a formal setting, they often shake hands and use both. In casual settings, first name alone is standard. If somebody asks for your imię, they want your first name only. This distinction matters because Polish surnames change form for men and women (Kowalski for a man, Kowalska for a woman), which can throw off English speakers who expect one fixed spelling per family.

English	Polish	IPA
My name is Jonas.	Mam na imię Jonas.	[mam na ˈimʲɛ ˈjɔnas]
What is your name?	Jak masz na imię?	[jak maʂ na ˈimʲɛ]
What is your surname?	Jakie jest twoje nazwisko?	[ˈjakjɛ jɛst ˈtvɔjɛ nazˈfisko]
What is your first name?	Jakie jest twoje imię?	[ˈjakjɛ jɛst ˈtvɔjɛ ˈimʲɛ]

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English	Polish	IPA
Where do you come from?	Skąd pochodzisz?	[skɔnt pɔˈxɔd͡ʑiʂ]
I am from London.	Jestem z Londynu.	[ˈjɛstɛm z lɔnˈdɨnu]
Are you from Birmingham?	Czy jesteś z Birmingham?	[t͡ʂɨ ˈjɛstɛɕ z ˈbɨrmɪŋəm]
No, I’m from Madrid.	Nie, jestem z Madrytu.	[ɲɛ, ˈjɛstɛm z maˈdrɨtu]
Great, I’m from Madrid too.	Świetnie, ja też jestem z Madrytu.	[ˈɕfjɛtɲɛ, ja tɛʂ ˈjɛstɛm z maˈdrɨtu]
Where do you live?	Gdzie mieszkasz?	[ɡʑɛ ˈmʲɛʂkaʂ]
I live in Berlin.	Mieszkam w Berlinie.	[ˈmʲɛʂkam f bɛrˈlʲinʲɛ]

If your Polish stalls mid-conversation, these phrases will save you:

English	Polish	IPA
Do you speak English?	Czy mówisz po angielsku?	[t͡ʂɨ ˈmufʲiʂ pɔ ãɡʲɛlˈsku]
Yes, I speak English.	Tak, mówię po angielsku.	[tak, ˈmufʲɛ pɔ ãɡʲɛlˈsku]
Yes, I speak some English.	Tak, mówię trochę po angielsku.	[tak, ˈmufʲɛ ˈtɾɔxɛ pɔ ãɡʲɛlˈsku]
No, I do not speak any English.	Nie, nie mówię wcale po angielsku.	[ɲɛ, ɲɛ ˈmufʲɛ ˈfʲt͡sɑːlɛ pɔ ãɡʲɛlˈsku]
I only speak English.	Mówię tylko po angielsku.	[ˈmufʲɛ ˈtɪlkɔ pɔ ãɡʲɛlˈsku]
I understand some Polish.	Rozumiem trochę po polsku.	[rɔˈzuːjɛm ˈtɾɔxɛ pɔ ˈpɔlskʊ]

Younger Poles under 35 usually speak decent English, especially in Warsaw and Kraków. Older generations often do not. In the countryside, expect German or Russian to be more common as a second language than English. This is worth knowing before you assume “everyone speaks English”.

Useful sentences with “I am…”

The verb być (to be) works differently than English “to be”. Polish often drops the pronoun (“I”) because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. Jestem means “I am”, jesteś means “you are”, and so on. This is why Polish sentences look shorter than their English translations: the grammar carries the pronoun inside the verb.

English	Polish	Phonetic Transcription (IPA)
I am English.	Jestem Anglikiem.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm anˈɡlʲi.kʲɛm/
I am injured.	Jestem ranny.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈran.nɨ/
I am here.	Jestem tutaj.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈtu.taj/
I am hungry.	Jestem głodny.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈɡwɔd.nɨ/
I am thirsty.	Chce mi się pić.	/ˈxʨɛ mi ɕɛ ˈpit͡ɕ/
I am a single person.	Jestem osobą singlową.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ɔˈsɔ.bɔ̃ ˈsin.ɡlɔ.vɔ̃/
I need help!	Potrzebuję pomocy!	/pɔˈtʂɛ.bujɛ pɔˈmɔ.t͡sɨ/
I am tired.	Jestem zmęczony.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈzmɛn.t͡ʂɔ.nɨ/
I am happy.	Jestem szczęśliwy.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈʂt͡ʂɛ̃ɕ.lʲi.vɨ/
I am sad.	Jestem smutny.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈsmut.nɨ/
I am in love.	Jestem zakochany.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm za.kɔˈxan.ɨ/
I am ill.	Jestem chory.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈxɔ.rɨ/
I am ready.	Jestem gotowy.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ɡɔˈtɔ.vɨ/
I am busy.	Jestem zajęty.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm zaˈjɛ̃tɨ/
I am lost.	Jestem zgubiony.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm zɡuˈbʲɔ.nɨ/
I am a tourist.	Jestem turystą.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm tuˈrɨ.stɔ̃/
I am new here.	Jestem tu nowy.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm tu ˈnɔ.vɨ/
I am confident.	Jestem pewny siebie.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈpɛv.nɨ ˈɕi.bʲɛ/
I am proud.	Jestem dumny.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm ˈdum.nɨ/
I am a teacher.	Jestem nauczycielem.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm naʊ.t͡ʂɨˈt͡ʂjɛ.lɛm/
I am late.	Jestem spóźniony.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm spuʑˈnʲɔ.nɨ/
I am 30 years old.	Mam 30 lat.	/mam ˈtɾɨˈd͡ʐɨt͡ɕi lat/
I am in a hurry.	Śpieszę się.	/ˈɕpʲɛʂɛ ɕɛ/
I am surprised.	Jestem zaskoczony.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm zas.kɔˈt͡ʂɔ.nɨ/
I am angry.	Jestem zły.	/ˈjɛs.tɛm zwɨ/

Notice something? Adjectives change ending for gender in Polish. A man says Jestem zmęczony (I am tired), a woman says Jestem zmęczona. Every “I am [adjective]” sentence follows this pattern. The tables above use the masculine ending as default. If you are a woman speaking, swap the final -y for -a in most adjectives (szczęśliwy becomes szczęśliwa, smutny becomes smutna). This trips up most beginners for exactly one week, then becomes automatic.

Apologising in Polish

Przepraszam is a workhorse. It means “sorry”, “excuse me”, “I beg your pardon”, and “may I get past you”. You will use it a dozen times a day in Poland: bumping into someone on the tram, asking a stranger for directions, ordering at a café. Poles do not overuse “sorry” the way English speakers do, but przepraszam at the right moment is expected and warmly received.

English	Polish	Phonetic Transcription (IPA)
I apologise.	Przepraszam.	/pʂɛˈpraʂam/
Sorry, that was not the intention.	Przepraszam, to nie było zamierzone.	/pʂɛˈpraʂam, tɔ nʲɛ ˈbʲiˈwɔ zaˈmjɛˈrɔ.nɛ/
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose.	Przepraszam, nie zrobiłem tego celowo.	/pʂɛˈpraʂam, nʲɛ zroˈbʲiɛm ˈtɛɡɔ ˈt͡sɛ.lɔ.vɔ/
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me.	Przepraszam, to było bardzo niezdarne z mojej strony.	/pʂɛˈpraʂam, tɔ ˈbɨwɔ ˈbar.d͡zɔ ˈɲɛz.dar.nɛ z ˈmɔ.jɛj ˈstrɔ.nɨ/

*

More on the full Learn Polish guide and the intermediate stage.

Polish phrases with cultural context (the ones every guide leaves out)

These are the phrases that separate someone who “knows tourist Polish” from someone who has actually spent time with Polish people. Learn these and you will hear yourself in Polish sitcoms, in your partner’s family conversations, at the table with your grandmother’s cousins.

Smacznego [smaˈt͡ʂnɛɡɔ] — enjoy your meal. Said by whoever brought the food and by everyone at the table before starting to eat. Skipping it in Poland is like refusing to say grace at a religious dinner: nobody will scold you, but the moment feels wrong. Reply with Dziękuję, nawzajem (thank you, likewise).

Na zdrowie [na ˈzdrɔ.vʲɛ] — literally “to health”. Two uses: as a toast when drinking (cheers), and as what you say when someone sneezes (bless you). Same phrase, opposite settings. Poles find it charming when foreigners get both right.

Proszę bardzo [ˈprɔ.ʂɛ ˈbar.d͡zɔ] — “you’re welcome” or “please, go ahead”. The go-to response when someone thanks you. Warmer than plain proszę.

Jasne [ˈjasnɛ] — literally “clear”, used like English “sure” or “got it”. A casual verbal nod that shows you are following along. Sprinkle it in conversation and you sound less like a textbook.

No [nɔ] — sounds like the English word “no” but means the opposite. A verbal filler somewhere between “yeah”, “well”, and “so”. Polish conversations are full of it: No dobrze (well, okay), No jasne (yeah, sure), No pa (well, bye). Getting used to Poles constantly saying “no” while meaning “yes” is a small rite of passage.

Pa [pa] — short, informal goodbye between friends. The word English speakers hear most often at the end of casual phone calls in Poland. Not to be confused with the formal Do widzenia.

Nara [ˈnara] — very casual “later” or “bye” among young Poles. Only use with friends your age or younger. Comes across as trying too hard if you use it with older adults.

Kurwa [ˈkur.va] — Poland’s most famous swear word, roughly equivalent to English “f**k”. Officially vulgar, functionally omnipresent, especially among men and in Warsaw. You will hear it as a comma, as an intensifier, as pure emotional punctuation. This is a word to recognize, not to use with people you have just met. In family or professional settings, avoid entirely. Among friends, watch how they use it before joining in.

The reason these seven matter: they are what your Polish partner’s family, your grandmother, and your Polish coworkers actually say all day. A textbook phrase is polite. These phrases mean you have been paying attention.

Useful signs and notices in Polish

Signs to recognize when travelling in Poland. Public spaces, transport, official buildings, and shops all use these variants. Reading them fluently is half of feeling comfortable in a Polish city.

English	Polish	Phonetic Transcription (IPA)
Entrance	Wejście	/ˈvɛjɕt͡ɕɛ/
Toilet	Toaleta	/tɔaˈlɛta/
Exit	Wyjście	/ˈvɨjɕt͡ɕɛ/
Attention!	Uwaga!	/uˈvaɡa/
Police	Policja	/pɔˈlʲit͡sja/
Emergency services	Służby ratunkowe	/ˈswuʐbɨ raˈtunkɔvɛ/
Fire brigade	Straż pożarna	/straz pɔˈʐarna/
Passage forbidden.	Przejście zabronione.	/ˈpʂɛjɕt͡ɕɛ zaˈbrɔɲɔnɛ/
Caution!	Ostrzeżenie!	/ɔsˈtʂɛʐɛɲɛ/
This building is under video surveillance.	Ten budynek jest objęty monitoringiem wideo.	/tɛn buˈdɨnɛk jɛst ɔbˈjɛntɨ mɔnɪˈtɔrɪŋʲɛm vʲiˈdɛɔ/

Two of these are worth extra attention. Toaleta is often just written as WC on doors, but public bathrooms in Warsaw and Kraków usually charge 2 to 4 zloty, and the signs are labelled by gender using triangles: pointing-down triangle for women, pointing-up for men. And the Polish emergency number is 112, same as most of Europe.

Numbers to 25 in Polish

Polish numbers are one of the trickier corners of the language because they trigger case changes on the following noun (one coffee is jedna kawa, two coffees is dwie kawy, five coffees is pięć kaw). Learn the numbers first, worry about the noun endings later.

English Number	Polish	Phonetic Transcription (IPA)
1	jeden	/ˈjɛ.dɛn/
2	dwa	/dva/
3	trzy	/t͡ʂɨ/
4	cztery	/ˈt͡ʂtɛ.rɨ/
5	pięć	/pʲɛɲt͡ɕ/
6	sześć	/ʂɛɕt͡ɕ/
7	siedem	/ˈɕɛ.dɛm/
8	osiem	/ˈɔ.ɕɛm/
9	dziewięć	/d͡ʑɛˈvʲɛɲt͡ɕ/
10	dziesięć	/d͡ʑɛˈɕɛɲt͡ɕ/
11	jedenaście	/jɛ.dɛˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
12	dwanaście	/dvaˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
13	trzynaście	/t͡ʂɨˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
14	czternaście	/ˈt͡ʂtɛˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
15	piętnaście	/pʲɛtˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
16	szesnaście	/ʂɛsˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
17	siedemnaście	/ɕɛ.dɛˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
18	osiemnaście	/ˈɔ.ɕɛmˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
19	dziewiętnaście	/d͡ʑɛˈvʲɛtˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/
20	dwadzieścia	/dvaˈd͡ʑɛɕ.t͡ɕa/
21	dwadzieścia jeden	/dvaˈd͡ʑɛɕ.t͡ɕa ˈjɛ.dɛn/
22	dwadzieścia dwa	/dvaˈd͡ʑɛɕ.t͡ɕa dva/
23	dwadzieścia trzy	/dvaˈd͡ʑɛɕ.t͡ɕa t͡ʂɨ/
24	dwadzieścia cztery	/dvaˈd͡ʑɛɕ.t͡ɕa ˈt͡ʂtɛ.rɨ/
25	dwadzieścia pięć	/dvaˈd͡ʑɛɕ.t͡ɕa pʲɛɲt͡ɕ/

Practical note: prices in Polish cafés and restaurants come in złoty (zł) and grosze (100 grosze = 1 zł). A coffee typically costs 12 to 20 zł depending on the city. Memorizing 1 through 25 covers almost all everyday pricing conversation.

Colours in Polish

Colours change ending for gender in Polish, just like adjectives. The forms below are the masculine base forms. A white shirt (masculine noun biały) is biała koszula because koszula is feminine. Learn the base first, worry about matching endings later.

English Colour	Polish	Phonetic Transcription (IPA)
Red	czerwony	/t͡ʂɛrˈvɔ.nɨ/
Blue	niebieski	/ɲɛˈbʲɛs.kʲi/
Green	zielony	/ʑɛˈlɔ.nɨ/
Yellow	żółty	/ˈʐuw.tɨ/
Black	czarny	/ˈt͡ʂarnɨ/
White	biały	/ˈbʲa.wɨ/
Orange	pomarańczowy	/pɔ.maˈraɲ.t͡ʂɔ.vɨ/
Purple	fioletowy	/fʲɔ.lɛˈtɔ.vɨ/
Pink	różowy	/ˈruː.ʐɔ.vɨ/
Brown	brązowy	/ˈbrɔ̃.zɔ.vɨ/

Cultural note: Biało-czerwoni (white-and-red) is what Poles call their national football team, mirroring the flag. If somebody says it with feeling during a match, you know why.

Days of the week, months and seasons in Polish

Polish month names come from Slavic roots rather than the Latin ones English uses. Styczeń (January) comes from a root meaning “to join” (marking the join between old and new year); lipiec (July) comes from lipa, the linden tree that blooms in that month. Learning them is a small door into how Polish sees the year.

English	Polish	Phonetic Transcription (IPA)
Monday	poniedziałek	/pɔˈɲɛd͡ʑa.wɛk/
Tuesday	wtorek	/ˈftɔ.rɛk/
Wednesday	środa	/ˈɕrɔ.da/
Thursday	czwartek	/ˈt͡ʂfartek/
Friday	piątek	/ˈpʲɔntɛk/
Saturday	sobota	/sɔˈbɔ.ta/
Sunday	niedziela	/ɲɛˈd͡ʑɛ.la/
January	styczeń	/ˈstɨ.t͡ʂɛɲ/
February	luty	/ˈlʊ.tɨ/
March	marzec	/ˈmar.zɛt͡s/
April	kwiecień	/ˈkfʲɛ.t͡ɕɛɲ/
May	maj	/maj/
June	czerwiec	/ˈt͡ʂɛr.vʲɛt͡s/
July	lipiec	/ˈlʲi.pʲɛt͡s/
August	sierpień	/ˈɕɛr.pʲɛɲ/
September	wrzesień	/ˈvr͡ʐɛ.ɕɛɲ/
October	październik	/ˈpaʑ.d͡ʑɛr.nʲik/
November	listopad	/lʲiˈstɔ.pad/
December	grudzień	/ˈɡru.d͡ʑɛɲ/
Spring	wiosna	/ˈvʲɔs.na/
Summer	lato	/ˈla.tɔ/
Autumn	jesień	/ˈjɛ.ɕɛɲ/
Winter	zima	/ˈʑi.ma/

Polish weekdays are not capitalized (unlike English). Neither are months. Only names, places, and the first word of a sentence take capitals in Polish. This is a small giveaway that separates practiced learners from beginners in written Polish.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you politely address a stranger in Polish?

Use Pan (Mr.) or Pani (Mrs./Ms.) followed by the verb in third person. For example, “Excuse me, do you know where the station is?” becomes Przepraszam, czy Pan wie, gdzie jest dworzec? when speaking to a man, or czy Pani wie to a woman. Never use ty (informal “you”) with someone you have just met unless they invite you to switch.

How do you say “please” in Polish?

Proszę (pronounced [ˈprɔ.ʂɛ]) covers “please”, “here you go”, “you’re welcome”, and “come in”, depending on context. It is one of the most versatile words in the language. When someone hands you something and says proszę, they mean “here you are”. When you want to ask for something politely, put proszę at the start or end of your request.

Are Polish phrases hard to pronounce?

They look harder than they sound. Polish pronunciation is fully phonetic once you learn the digraphs (cz, sz, rz, ch, dz) and the accented letters (ą, ę, ć, ś, ż, ź, ł, ń). Words like przepraszam or szczęśliwy stop looking impossible once the sound patterns click, which usually happens in the first two weeks of serious practice.

How many Polish phrases do I need to travel in Poland?

Around 50 to 100 phrases cover most everyday travel situations: greetings, ordering food, asking for directions, shopping, emergencies, thanks and apologies. This page covers close to that number. Learn them out loud rather than just reading them, and you will be functional in Poland within a week of consistent practice.

What is the most common Polish phrase?

Dzień dobry (good day) is what you will say and hear more than any other phrase in Poland. It is used from mid-morning until early evening in shops, offices, elevators, restaurants, and any social encounter with someone you do not know well. Get comfortable with it first, and every other conversation opens more smoothly.

*

Continue reading in the Polish learning cluster:

• The complete Learn Polish guide (pillar)
• Babbel Polish: full review
• Best apps to learn Polish (honest 2026 comparison)
• Learning Polish on Duolingo: what works better

Prefer another language?

• 🇳🇴 Polske fraser (norsk versjon)