Do you have Polish friends or know exchange students from Poland, Lithuania, Belarus or Ukraine? Are you planning to travel to Eastern Europe? Although many Poles (especially young people) know at least sufficient English to understand “Hi” or “Hello”, greeting people you meet in their native language is a great way to start a conversation and even make friends. -new friends! Just like in Indonesian, there are many different ways to greet people in Poland; Knowing these different phrases (and the customs that Poles use to greet one another) can be a major asset if you hope to meet someone you can talk to using these greetings.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using General Greetings
Step 1. To say “hi” in Polish, say “cześć
” This word is a very common, fairly informal greeting pronounced something like “cheh-sh-ch” or “chay-sh-ch”. Non-Polish people may have difficulty pronouncing this word correctly; pronouncing the "ch" sound after the "sh" sound is something that is almost never done in Indonesian.
- Note that, like the Hawaiian "Aloha," cześć can also be used to say "see you later."
- "Cześć" is a bit informal to use in serious social situations. While this word is very appropriate for friends and family members, some ethically conscious Polish people may feel offended if you use this word the first time you meet them.
Step 2. To say “good morning” or “beautiful day”, say “dzień dobry
” This greeting, which literally translates to “beautiful day”, is pronounced as “jehn DOH-bry.” The first syllable in this phrase sounds almost like “Jane” and the last syllable “bry” uses an R sound similar to a D, sounds almost like the very fast English word "buddy" (this R sound is also very common in Spanish).
This is a slightly more formal way of saying "hello" and is better suited to situations where you are talking to people you don't know or who you know are in a professional context (example: customers, bosses, teachers, etc.)
Step 3. To say “good afternoon”, say “dobry wieczór
” This word is pronounced as “DOH-bry VYEH-choorh”. "Dobry" is pronounced the same way as in "dzień dobry". The W at the beginning of the word "wieczór" is pronounced like a V, not a W in English. Both R's use the Spanish-like R sound, described above.
As in Indonesian, this greeting is used when meeting people after the sun has started to set, but before the sky is completely dark. “Dobry wieczór” has the same level of formality as “dzień dobry”
Step 4. To say "good night", say "dobranoc
" This word is pronounced as "doh-BRAH-nohts". The R in this word uses the same D/R sound as described above. The last syllable is pronounced almost the same as the English word "notes".
This word is used almost the same way you would use "good night" in Indonesian; You can say it to someone when you leave at night, right before you go to sleep, and so on
Step 5. To say “hello” in a formal situation, say “witam
” This word is pronounced as “VEE-tahm”. Again, the W is pronounced like the letter V in English. The second syllable sounds almost the same as the English word "Tom".
- Another meaning of this word is "welcome", as in "Witamy w Polsce!" ("Welcome to Poland!") This is a great greeting when you're hosting a party, event, or gathering.
- Some devout adherents of ethics may be a little offended if you greet them using witam if the timing is not appropriate, as the greeting subtly signals that you have a higher social position than the person you are talking to. But the truth is that the majority of Poles will not be offended by this mistake.
Step 6. To say “hey” informally, say “hej”
This word is easy to pronounce for English speakers; just pronounced like the way to say "hey" in English. You can hear a good example of this almost identical pronunciation in the chorus of "Hej Sokoly" (literally "Hey Eagle"), a popular Polish folk song.
It was clear that this greeting was a familiar greeting. You don't want to use it for formal situations or on people you want to have a professional relationship with
Step 7. To say “how are you?
”, say “jak się masz?” In many languages, it is customary to ask someone how they are after saying "hello"; Poland is the same. This phrase is pronounced as “yahk sheh mosh”. The first word rhymes with the English word "rock" and the last word rhymes with the English word "posh". The middle word is simply "sheh"; like "she", but with a short E sound.
Note that this phrase was recently popularized in the United States and Western Europe when Sacha Baron Cohen borrowed it as a catchphrase ("jagshemash") for the Kazakh character, Borat, in the film of the same name
Step 8. To say "bye", say "do widzenia"
When it's time to leave, use this phrase, which is pronounced "doh vid-ZEN-yah". The only thing to note here is that the W here uses the usual V pronunciation in English. The rest of the words are very easy to pronounce; the words are pronounced almost the same as in English.
Method 2 of 2: Using Appropriate Customs for Greetings
Step 1. When you are unsure, use a semi-formal or formal greeting
Unlike in today's English and Indonesian speaking countries, for Polish people, it's not uncommon for you to greet someone you've never met before as if you were already friends. Greetings are usually a little more “closed” and formal than many English or Indonesian speakers are accustomed to. So often, it's better to use the more formal greetings you know (like “dzień dobry” and sometimes even “witam”) than to risk using the informal greetings “hej” or “cześć.”
Of course, once you get to know someone, you can usually use informal greetings for casual conversation. However, unless you are a confident Polish speaker, you may want to take it easy and follow the conversation of the person you are talking to
Step 2. Use "Pan" and "Pani" for men and women respectively (or use honorifics)
Respect is an important concept when it comes to greetings in Polish society (especially greetings made in a business or official setting). Therefore, you will want to call the people you meet by their proper title until you are asked to address them by their first name. If you don't know the honorific title for the person you're talking to, use "Pan" for men and "Pani" for women like "Tuan" and "Nyonya" in Indonesian.
Don't be offended if you're not asked to call someone by their first name. Being invited to this "inner circle" was a huge social step for the Polish people; many business and professional relationships go on for years without "skipping this step."
Step 3. You can greet close friends with a kiss on the cheek
Close friends and family members in Poland tend to be more "loving" than in English-speaking countries or Indonesia. While it's common for grown men and teens who don't know each other to greet each other with a handshake, it's not uncommon for people who know each other to give each other a friendly kiss. This is by no means a sign of romantic affection; this can be done commonly by almost any kind of combination of two people as long as they are friends or have a close relationship (example: people of the opposite sex, people of the same sex, siblings, parents and children them, and so on).
In Poland, it is customary to use three kisses on the cheek: first on the right cheek, then on the left cheek, and then on the right cheek again.
Step 4. Be prepared for "personal space" that is narrower than your usual personal space
If a Pole stands really close to you after you've just met, no offense! People in Poland and other Polish-speaking countries usually have a much narrower "personal space" than people born in English-speaking countries and Indonesia. For example, it is not uncommon for platonic female friends to hold hands while walking together. Familiarize yourself with these differences; If a Pole is willing to put an arm around you, it might be taken as a compliment.
Step 5. Greet everyone at social events, but greet the women first
When attending social events such as parties or business meetings, it is important etiquette to greet everyone you meet in the room; "passing by someone" but not acknowledging his existence can be considered something disrespectful. Traditionally, women are greeted first in Polish society. Usually, your host will introduce you, so you may not have to worry about this.
When an older Polish man greets a woman much younger than he is, he may gracefully kiss her hand as a gesture of tender affection. If you're a man, don't use this gesture (especially with someone close to your age); this can be considered rude, a slight violation of the norm of decency, or even insulting
Step 6. Say ("thank you") when asked how you are doing
If you really want to impress your Polish hosts, say this phrase when someone asks how you're doing after the first greeting. The implication here is that, by asking you, someone has shown an interest in your situation. By saying "thank you," you are graciously acknowledging their interest and extending social courtesy to them in return.
"Dziękuję" is pronounced almost the same as "jin-KOO-yuh."
Step 7. Don't be "prymitywny"
In Polish, someone who is rude, who ignores social etiquette is called "prymitywny" (literally "primitive"). Fortunately, avoiding these nicknames is easy: just give your sincere effort to greet the people you meet with respect and treat them with the courtesy and friendliness you'd want to be given to you too. Unless you are a very good Polish speaker, you will probably commit some minor etiquette violations while in the Polish-speaking community. As long as you try your best to be polite and admit your mistakes, you'll be fine; anyone who complains to you for minor speech errors in a language unfamiliar to you is primatywny.
Tips
- When speaking to people you don't know very well or people with advanced degrees, it may be best to use "Dzien dobry" as a greeting. Use the more informal “Czesc” when talking to people you are already familiar with or with children.
- Practice pronouncing Polish words, as some of them may be difficult to pronounce at first. There are many online sites where you can hear the correct pronunciation of some of the words in this article, including here.
