Heading “Entertainment Friday”
I suggest you relax and smile as you familiarize yourself with the meaning of some words of the Polish language.
In many languages there are certain words that sound funny to us or mean the opposite of what we think.
Such words also exist in the Polish language.
And in this post I want to share some of these words that do not mean what it seems at first glance. They are also called “false friends of the translator” or write “carefully – Polish” 🙂
I hope that such a selection will cheer you up and help you not to get into ambiguous situations during your communication with Poles or traveling to Poland.
I have selected the ones that make you smile.
By the way, if you are learning Polish, I highly recommend Lingualeo. There are many interesting exercises and assignments in the free version. Through this site you can learn not only Polish, but other languages as well. There is also a mobile application. Register, choose your level and train. In short, I recommend it.
Now back with some funny words in Polish. Before you start reading them and looking at the pictures in this post, I suggest watching the video. This is for those who like to guess themselves the correct meaning of words.
The pictures are the same as below, so it will be interesting to watch only before reading the post.
Let’s smile together or be vigilant
- Angielski – English, not “angelic” – anielski
- Biegunka [slider] – diarrhea
- Bzik [quirk] – quirk
- Czaszka [cup] – skull
- Dynia [melon] – pumpkin (melon – melon [melon])
- Dywan is a carpet, not a “sofa” – kanapa
- Dworzec is a train station, not a “palace” – pałac
- Jutro – tomorrow, not “morning” – rano
- Groza – horror, nightmare, thrill, fear, not “thunderstorm” – nawałnica, burza
- Grzywna is a fine, not hryvnia
- Grzeczny is not “sinful”, but “polite”
- Hulajnoga [hulajnoga] – scooter
- Krzesło is a chair, not a “chair” – fotel
- Nabyć [nabych] – buy
- nagle – not impudent, but sharp 🙂 P.S. I remembered the laughter at the courses, when the sentence included the phrase to knock on the door and this “knock on the hard knock” was insolently fart. Yes, really farting is impudent :))), and even at the door :))
- Narty – skis, not “sleds”
- Napiwek [napivek] – tip
- Ordynarny [ordynarny] – rude
- Owoc [sheep] – fruit
- Pacan – colloquial “fool”, “idiot”, not “kid” – chłopak, koleś
- Pamiątki – souvenirs
- Piłka is a ball, not a file
- Piłka nożna – football, not a “foot file”
- Piwnica is a basement, not a pub
- Plotka [lash] – gossip
- Podrożnik [podrozhnik] – traveler
- Podstawa [potstava] – base, base
- Pojazd – any vehicle, not a “train” – pociąg
- Potrawa [herb] – food, dish
- Potrawka [cooking] – boiled meat with sauce
- Pozorny – seeming, not “shameful” – haniebny, sromotny
- Prosto is simple. When you asked for directions in Poland and they answered “prosto”, it means that you go straight, not just 🙂
- Pukać [fart] – not fart, but knock
- Rano – morning, not “early” – wcześnie
- Rozprawa [dismissal] – discussion
- Puszka is a tin can, not a cannon – armata
- Samochód [samohut] – car
- Skazać [tell] – to sentence, condemn
- Sklep [crypt] – shop
- Spodnie [sodne] – trousers. Spodenki [spodenki] – cowards.
- Spódnica [spudnica] – skirt
- Spotkanie [spotkane] – meeting
- Ukrop – boiling liquid, not “dill” – koper
- Upominać – make a comment; put on view; and not “to mention” – wzmiankować; wspominać; wymieniać
- Upływać [upўywaҷь] – to expire, pass (about time)
- Uroda – beauty, not “ugly” or “ugly” – poczwara; brzydal
- Woń [stink] – smell, aroma. Wonny [won] – fragrant
- Zabór – capture; conquest, not a “fence” – parkan, płot
- Zakaz [zakas] – ban. Zakaźny [zakҗny] – infectious, contagious
- Zawód [zavut] – profession, specialty.
- Zawodowiec [factory worker] – professional, specialist.
- Zapominać [memorize] – forget Zapomnieć [memorize] – forget
- Ziemniak – potatoes
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