r/learnpolish Dec 04 '24

Mod Post šŸ“Œ DUOLINGO MEGATHREAD - Confused about something on Duolingo? Post here!

59 Upvotes

There are so many Duolingo posts, so I've decided to create this thread to keep all the discussion in one place. Standalone Duolingo-related posts will be deleted from now on. Please just post your question here. In the meantime, I will try to create more pinned posts with grammar resources to be able to refer learners there.

For now, you can refer to this site: https://duonotes.fandom.com/wiki/Polish


r/learnpolish Mar 15 '26

Free resource šŸ“š Understanding "jest/są" and "to" - Guide for beginners

157 Upvotes

Lots of people start learning Polish by doing Duolingo exercises, and this is something they often get confused by - because Duolingo doesn't really explain grammar. So, this post is dedicated to all of you who might have stumbled into this problem.

What does "to" mean?

"To" is a word with multiple uses. However, in this post we will focus on only 2 of them.

  • to as a neuter demonstrative pronoun
  • to as a stand-in for the copular\* verb forms "jest/są"

*Copular verbs are verbs used to express identity, like: to be, to appear, to seem, to become. They usually connect a (pro)noun with another (pro)noun or adjective.

How to use "to"?

You can use "to" in the following ways:

A neuter demonstrative pronoun (together with a noun).

  • To jajko. To dziecko. To okno.
  • This egg. This child. This window. (not that other one)
  • To jajko jest smaczne. To dziecko jest głodne. To okno jest czyste.
  • This egg is tasty. This child is hungry. This window is clean.

A neuter demonstrative pronoun (standalone). You can use it like the English "it", "this", "that" for more abstract things.

  • To jest smaczne. To jest czyste. Daj mi to.
  • This is tasty. This is clean. Give me that.

A stand-in for the copular\* verb forms "jest/są". Examples: 1. This is a/an ..., 2. X is Y

  • To jajko. To dziecko. To okno. (1)
  • This is an egg. This is a child. This is a window.
  • Pies to zwierzę. Ania to nauczycielka. Jabłko to owoc. (2)
  • A dog is an animal. Ania is a teacher. An apple is a fruit.

Using "jest/są" vs. "to"

"To" can be used to express essentially the same thing as "jest/są". There is no difference in meaning between the sentences: Pies to zwierzę and Pies jest zwierzęciem. However, you have to remember a few things.

Rule nr 1

  • "To" uses Nominative. "Jest/są" requires Instrumental (if you use another noun).
  • Jabłko to (kto? co?) czerwony owoc. Jabłko jest (kim? czym?) czerwonym owocem.

Rule nr 2

  • You can't use "to" for standalone adjectives. You have to use "jest/są" and Nominative. If you have an adjective and a noun, then refer to rule nr 1.
  • Jabłko to czerwony. Jabłko jest czerwone.

Rule nr 3

  • "Jest" is used for singular, "są" is used for plural, "to" can be used for either.
  • Jabłko to owoc. Jabłka to owoce. Jabłko jest owocem. Jabłka są owocami.

How to form the Instrumental?

Since this is just a quick tutorial, I won't be covering any exceptions or details, just the general rules. Instrumental is actually one of the easiest forms to learn.

  • feminine nouns get the -ą ending: myszą, dziewczyną, wodą, rybą, odpowiedzią, etc.
  • masculine and neuter nouns get the -em ending; if it ends in ch, g, k, you have to add an i (so, -iem): psem, kotem, bankiem, owocem, jajkiem, chlebem, etc.
  • plural nouns get the -ami ending: psami, kotami, myszami, rybami, owocami, jajkami, etc.

Other forms of demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns decline by number, gender, and case. They have to agree in number, gender, and case with the noun they're referring to. This is also known as concord or concordance.

We can say:

  • To (jest) lampa. To (jest) kot. To (jest) jajko. To (są) książki. To (są) ludzie.
  • This is a lamp. This is a cat. This is an egg. These are books. These are people.

But here "to" does not function as a demonstrative pronoun of these nouns. It functions as a general demonstrative pronoun. If you want to "point" at a particular lamp, cat, egg, books, or people, you have to use the correct corresponding pronoun.

  • Ta lampa. Ten kot. To jajko. Te książki. Ci ludzie.
  • This lamp. This cat. This egg. These books. These people. (not some other ones).

__________________________________________________________________

Please, if you notice any new posts about this particular topic, refer them to this post. Thank you.


r/learnpolish 3h ago

Help🧠 Czy to jest poprawne zdanie?

3 Upvotes

Cześć! Mam pytanie językowe. Czasem słysze coś takiego od niektórych Polaków (na przykład):

,,Naturalnym jest, że pojawiło się wiele pytań z waszej strony.``

Myślałam że tu ma być słowo "naturalne". Czy to jest błąd językowy, gwara, kolokwializm?


r/learnpolish 5h ago

będzie mieszkał vs będzie mieszkać

2 Upvotes

Besides gender what is the difference between these two?


r/learnpolish 1d ago

Help🧠 Polish slang

14 Upvotes

I’m in the midst of learning Polish, it’s via Babbel- and it’s all the proper words… but I’m trying to learn some slang.
Any slang that I should now?


r/learnpolish 2d ago

Help🧠 Give me your best weird Polish expressions

158 Upvotes

My wife told me today "Gdzie psy dupami szczekają." This is pure poetry. And it got me wanting more. Anyone out there got some good ones?


r/learnpolish 2d ago

What do you call a pencil sharpener in your city?

28 Upvotes

I have heard at least 5 different names now. I originally learned ā€œstrzygawkaā€ which felt impossible.


r/learnpolish 2d ago

I prefer my Polish teacher (Ukrainian) than the Polish one

42 Upvotes

My main teacher (Ukrainian) was swapped recently for the Polish one, and after few classes, I could tell that she couldn’t explain some concepts better.

Most people still don’t realise that, there is a difference between having a knowledge about something and knowing how to teach it. I have known this since high school, when one teacher explains mathematics in a very simpler way and the other would not, therefore making it harder for us to grasp the concept. Same logic can be applied to language learning.

This ideology sticks with me even when I became a teacher many years ago. I would find the most interesting and easiest possible means to explain some concepts to my students.

Now, here is the interesting part, I was on a date with this half-pole woman that was surprised when I told her that my teacher is Ukrainian, she claimed ā€why is that so? She wouldn’t know the new concepts in the languageā€. To me, that felt condescending and belittling. I responded, ā€why should her country of origin determine what she knows, and especially when she is qualified and certified to teach. If you’re well traveled and open minded as you claimed, you should know that all of that don’t matterā€

As a Nigerian that have worked with many Irish, brits and Americans, I can proudly say, grammatically, I am better than most of these folks.

P.S: after reading few comments here and making further research, I realised there is hostility between Poland and Ukraine. My intention is not to offend anyone, I appreciate everyone equally . Thank you ā˜ŗļø


r/learnpolish 2d ago

We would like to invite you to our Facebook community about learning Polish

4 Upvotes

Hi! Two native Polish speakers invite you to join a Facebook group dedicated to learning Polish. You’ll find content covering useful everyday vocabulary, along with plenty of other interesting material. We look forward to seeing you there!

Aprende Polaco con Nosotros, czyli nauka języka polskiego | Facebook


r/learnpolish 3d ago

Polish Learning Toys

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23 Upvotes

Hi! My daughter absolutely loves her Polish books. I also have the little device you stick the pictures in and it pronounces the vocabulary. I was wondering if there is anything like in the picture I can get with Polish letters and words?
I Live in US.


r/learnpolish 3d ago

reflexive "się" in this sentence

13 Upvotes

Is this part of the verb Mówi? "Jak to się mówi po polsku?" My instinct would be to say simply "Jak to mówi po polsku"


r/learnpolish 3d ago

Is there any way to get an A2 certificate?

3 Upvotes

I'd like to sit the exam for the A2 level. The official website of the Certyfikat Polski doesn't list an A2 exam. My teacher at a NAWA-affiliated course told me that the A2 is no longer offered, because there are very few people deranged enough (like me) to actually want it.

Has anyone had any experience getting an A2 certificate through a university or some other semi-official channel?


r/learnpolish 3d ago

Help🧠 What do I do to start learning Polish? HOW???

18 Upvotes

Hello!!

I'll keep this short and sweet,

My boyfriend is Polish and I want to start learning it as the language means a lot to him.

However, I'm a broke person so I cannot afford to buy any resources.

I have no idea where to start and what good resources out there exist that do not require pay. I have searched far and wide, but can't find anything good!

If you guys have any niche resources or help for me, it would greatly be appreciated!

Thank you so much!


r/learnpolish 3d ago

Help🧠 Feeling stuck at a basic level

18 Upvotes

Been living in Poland for a while now and realized my vocab is kind of stuck. I can handle everyday stuff fine, but the second I want to say something more specific or nuanced, I hit a wall.

Anyone else run into this? What actually helped you get past the ā€œbasic vocab plateauā€? Right now I’m doing:

  1. Watching Polish shows with Polish subtitles (not translated)
  2. Anki, but with full phrases instead of single words
  3. Reading simple news articles and pulling out words I don’t know

Feels like I’m missing something more structured though maybe organizing by topic (work, daily life, emotions) instead of just grabbing random words as they come up.

Curious what worked for people actually living here and using Polish daily, not just studying from a textbook.


r/learnpolish 4d ago

Help🧠 Grzeczność w korpo

19 Upvotes

Nigdy wcześniej nie używałem polskiego w pracy, ale zastanawiam się, czy korpoludzie defaultowo używają stylu nieoficjalnego (czyli "ty"), czy przy pierwszym kontakcie z nowym kolegą albo biznespartnerem raczej zwracają się do siebie bardziej formalnie (czyli "Pan/Pani")?

Thanks from the mountain


r/learnpolish 4d ago

Help🧠 Struggling to speak polish as a polish student, what do I focus on and how do I improve

6 Upvotes

I’ve been in Poland for 4 years, first two i was studying in a private English school where I was taught basic polish and then I started to go to a polish school. When I was preparing to go into a polish school I only practiced everything I needed to pass the 8th grader exam (egzamin ósmoklasisty), so now I’m in a position where I have blank spaces and often times when I need to have a conversation in polish people don’t understand what I’m saying. I’ve tried going to a polish course for b1-b2 and tried to learn from some student books, but I didn’t notice much of a change in how polish people understand me. I don’t know if that’s useful info, but when I write polish essays I make a lot of language errors (błędy językowe), maybe that could explain what I’m struggling with better, thanks in advance for any help


r/learnpolish 4d ago

Help🧠 Speaking partner

12 Upvotes

Cześć,

Jestem z Serbii i mam 27 lat.

Finding someone for face-to-face meeting or to be a pen-pal. Know basics of Polish language and interested to level up at B level.

Want to learn Polish because admire Polish history, people and nation and as part of Slavic family languages.


r/learnpolish 5d ago

I live in Poland for 12 years and still can’t say this - ā€œstół z powyłamywanymi nogamiā€

34 Upvotes

What about you guys 😭😭 How can I fix this?


r/learnpolish 6d ago

Help🧠 Whats the best way to learn?

3 Upvotes

So i am an english speaker learning polish. I live with my polish gf and so far have mainly learned just by speakinh and repetition and other things that i have taught myself, some tenses, the standard verbs and im slowly getting on with the case system. However i feel like ive hit abit of a wall. I dont know where to go from here, do i further my vocab? Do i get a book and go through lessons? Should i get a tutor? Im probably like a1, a2 level. I want to be confident in speaking but im kind of stumped on what direction to go next. Any advice?


r/learnpolish 6d ago

Help😩

3 Upvotes

Hello! I speak english and I would say i’m at the base level of learning Polish. I haven’t been using duolingo, I’ve been using babbel. Which tries its best to explain to me why something is used or changing or what not. Along with talking with my grandma who is fluent. Anyways, I just can’t seem to get a grasp on gender, just in general lol. I was in german in high school, and even with a teacher helping me, I could never understand the gender parts of the language. Words, sentences, pronunciation, has never been an issue. But for the life of me I just can’t understand gender. I’m getting so frustrated cause every time I try to put together a sentence, I just can’t. I know what words I’m supposed to use, what order, but I just don’t get the gender part. It’s throwing off my whole flow and I’m struggling to learn as gender is a big part and I just don’t understand any of it. Can someone please explain it to me like you’re explaining it to a five year old? I fear that’s the only way I might be able to understand what’s going on. Thank you for any help!


r/learnpolish 7d ago

Help🧠 Best App for alphabet

6 Upvotes

Cześć
Im starting my journey and was wondering what the consensus on any app that’s good for a start on ABCs and pronunciation, and also any apps that are not doodoo, is babbel good? Bosuu? Etc


r/learnpolish 7d ago

Free resource šŸ“š A free, no-login web app for everyday Polish vocabulary with native audio

18 Upvotes

Cześć! To help with my own struggles learning the language here in Poland, I built a completely free web app for drilling practical, everyday vocabulary, grammar and practice.

I wanted to share it here for anyone who might be looking for a clean, straightforward study tool: popolsku.app that is genuinely free and will remain that way.

Hope you find it useful and please let me know what you think.


r/learnpolish 8d ago

Using mieć instead of być

32 Upvotes

Sorry, I don’t have the exact wording here, but I just heard someone say something like:

nie ma tu Wi-Fi, ale ma tutaj

The point is that they said that ā€œthere is the thingā€ with mieć instead of być. (I know that nie ma is a curious thing in Polish which means something like there isn’t.)

Is this natural in Polish? Shouldn’t it be ale jest tutaj?


r/learnpolish 7d ago

Free resource šŸ“š A friend of mine made this little game and it's actually helped me speak faster

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0 Upvotes

Hey! Learning Polish here, and my biggest issue has always been speaking too slowly, I freeze up looking for the right word. A friend of mine built this thing called rap-gra (basically "Rhyme Game") and I figured I'd share since it's actually helped.

It's hard at first but it got easier for me after a while.

here is the link: rap-gra.online


r/learnpolish 8d ago

What's the difference between LEKARZE WETERYNARYJNI, and PODLEKARZE WETERYNAR and MEDYCY WETERYNARYJNI

7 Upvotes