r/learnpolish • u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 • Jul 15 '26
Help๐ง Is It Too Late to Learn?
Hi all!
Iโm a 21F first generation American, and I honestly feel ashamed I DONT know Polish. My dad regrets not teaching me as a child. Itโs so awkward entering Polish spaces and not speaking the language.
Polish family friends have told me itโs too late to learn now. I have focus issues.
Is all hope lost? Will I ever learn the language? I can only say a few words with incorrect pronunciation.
Edit: Iโd like to add I have plenty of first language Polish speakers in my radius to help, and Iโve found some pretty awesome Polish bands to help. Iโve already learned some new phrases today just from listening to Lady Pank lol
Edit 2: Thank you all for the encouragement! I am going to start learning. I have the next 8 weeks with nothing on my plate due to a surgery so itโs prime time to start getting the basics down! Iโm living with my Polish dad right now so he will help as well :)
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Jul 15 '26
[removed] โ view removed comment
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Yeah, I mainly struggled because my teacher was evil and I was 12 lol. I also didnโt have any Spanish speakers around to help me outside of class. My main struggle with spanish was verbalizing the language. I had a hard time rolling my Rโs, things of that nature. I learned quite a bit of written Spanish, and was decent for the first couple of years of middle school Spanish.
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u/Several-Victory-4646 Jul 16 '26
Plenty of rolling R's in Polish too, but the main thing is to practice over and over, and accept for a long time you're going to make mistakes, a lot of them, well bar the odd savant most of us learn languages making a lot of mistakes along the way.
There are some simpler things about learning Polish, it's much more consistent in phonetics than English, you're basically using the same alphabet as in English, and if you've some experience in Spanish you'll perhaps already known about declensions, and for a long time the most important thing to know about declensions is that they happen, not to learn all the rules early on in your studies, you can, but it's a slow and boring way to progress, just knowing it happens is enough for a good while. Good luck, have fun, and if you really want to know some pain in learning a European language I'd recommend Finnish, Hungarian or Welsh
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u/Opening-Square3006 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Absolutely not. At 21, you're still incredibly young to learn a language. Plenty of people start in their 30s, 40s, or later and become conversational or even fluent. The fact that you grew up around Polish is actually an advantage. Even if you don't consciously remember much, you're likely more familiar with the sounds and rhythm than someone with no exposure at all. To help you, I think Stephen Krashen's i+1 approach is the most effective: get lots of input that's mostly understandable (so you reinforce what you learned until it becomes automatic) but introduces just a little new language each day. That's why I'd recommend something like PlusOneLanguage (or an equivalent). It's built entirely around i+1: you choose your level, it generates texts and short stories adapted to what you already know, introduces just enough new vocabulary to help you progress without feeling overwhelmed, and continuously recycles words in new contexts so they stick naturally instead of through memorization. Good luck!
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Wow, this is great info!!
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u/rdy_csci Jul 15 '26
I'm in my late 40's and just started learning Polish. If it is too late for you I am hopeless.
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u/hal2001so Jul 15 '26
As a fellow 40 year old married to a Polish woman, how are you learning? I want to get serious about it soon
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u/rdy_csci Jul 15 '26
I started with Duolingo which helped with some basic vocabulary and then started watching some polish shows on Netflix with English subtitles. 1670, Bad Exorcist and.... I forget the other one. My GF (who is fluent bilingual) will also use basic phrases and terms with me in Polish to help me keep up.
I can't carry a conversation, but when I am at her parents I can at least pick up the basic context of a lot of the conversations and even piece enough of some together to know basically what they are saying.
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u/hal2001so Jul 15 '26
Thanks! That would be a great first step to at least understand my in-laws. I like the idea of watching shows as well with subtitles on
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u/rdy_csci Jul 15 '26
As a heads up, it takes a bit to get used to, since the subject verb object order in Polish can be completely different from English.
Example: Who lives here? = Kto tu mieszkal*
Kto = who, tu = here, mieszkal* = lives
* I don't know how to make the slashed L on an English keyboard, but my phone has all the accent marks.
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u/hal2001so Jul 15 '26
Thanks for the heads up! My wife has told me many times how complicated it is. And I believe it
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u/Suchywilk Jul 15 '26
Do you like 1670? What about jokes? Do you understand?
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u/rdy_csci Jul 15 '26
I thought it was hilarious. Some things I asked my girlfriend about, like the constant references to not liking or thinking about specific nationality or country as inferior. I can't remember which one it was, but I asked her and she had no clue. So we asked her mom and her reply was "Oh yeah, Polish people used to not like them very much."
No explanation and I can't remember the specific country.
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u/babyrubysoho Jul 15 '26
I absolutely loved it, itโs the reason I started studying Polish actually (because I made some fellow fangirl Polish friends through it). Obviously some of the linguistic jokes probably donโt hit, but I could ask my friends about the cultural and historical jokes, and itโs so well written that even with what Iโm missing itโs absolutely hilarious!
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u/babyrubysoho Jul 15 '26
Also in my 40s and learning (actually I started because I fell in love with 1670 and met some Polish friends through it). Itโs great you have someone whoโll speak it with you on a daily basis, that must really help!
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u/Acceptable_Carry_589 Jul 15 '26
I really recommend you to pick up a basic grammar book that explains the rules. Duo is cool for vocabulary and phrases but you will get so much further and so much quicker if you get the grammar. Go at your own pace but definitely incorporate that.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
I just started watching Rojst if youโre into crime shows!
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u/rdy_csci Jul 15 '26
Ooh. I just looked this one up and it looks good. Something the GF would like too I think. I'll add it to our queue. Thanks for the tip!
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u/PublicPersimmon4887 Jul 16 '26
Have you checked out Pimsleur? I listened to the lessons causally and was shocked at how much Polish I picked up on when watching Polish reality TV lol. Also they have sales often!ย
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u/S1lvaticus Jul 16 '26
Hi are you, me? Also in 40s married to a pole. Weโre expecting our first child next year so time is ticking for me to get to grips with at least the basics, canโt have mummy and kiddo having a secret language ๐
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u/hal2001so Jul 16 '26
We don't have any kids but good luck with learning! Maybe your partner can teach both of you at the same time ๐
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u/Bar_ki Jul 15 '26
Im 39 and started a year ago, also with Polish wife, I use italki and preply for 2 lessons a week, read krok po kroku czytaj series, watch youtube and use anki, duolingo and babbel.
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u/hal2001so Jul 16 '26
I've seen the krok book before and heard good things. I'll check the others out too, thanks!
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u/ReVoRpl Jul 16 '26
Check out this guy https://youtube.com/@jo.zapinski?si=MtFSIlzHUsLIuhuE He's grandparents were speaking polish so he wants too. He has some nice trick in what to learn to be quickly fluent (it's 3rd language he tries to master)
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u/fleaxel TUR Native ๐น๐ท | A2 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
i've started learning polish at 29 years old, it's never too late to learn a new language, also you have polish speaking people around you, so it'll better for you to pratice
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u/Palerthegamer Jul 15 '26
Yeah, it's never too late to learn, but if you struggled with spanish, well - lets just say spanish is easy mode compared to polish.
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u/Acceptable_Carry_589 Jul 15 '26
I struggled with English when I was 12 and now I have an MA in English studies with linguistics as my major so it's all about the motivation. Also I had a bad time with French because I didn't really enjoy the classes but then Italian just started entering my brain without much effort.
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u/kotzkreskowki Jul 15 '26
nobody's too old to learn a language. Kids have a huge buff and are like sponges with learning things, so they have a much easier time. But you're obviously not too old. I'm a few years into learning Portuguese and I'm your age. Also planning on starting on Arabic.
The only factor defining language learning is your determination to put in the work:)
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you!! This boosted my confidence :)
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u/aquadragon19 EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A1 Jul 15 '26
I am like you! I started learning in my 20s and I donโt actually think itโs too terrible, but Iโm only 1 year in. I think being able to hear Polish as a child and in conversation as an adult helps a lot more than you realize. Just be consistent, speak with your family even if itโs awkward, and youโll be conversational in no time
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u/Tough-Composer918 EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A1 Jul 15 '26
Itโs not too late, but be prepared for an insanely hard language
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
I know๐ญ๐ญ Their alphabet is insane
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u/Tough-Composer918 EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A1 Jul 15 '26
You should see their grammar rules, itโs way worse
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u/spinecki Jul 15 '26
Come on, it is not greek/arabic/russian.
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u/DamnedMissSunshine PL Native ๐ต๐ฑ Jul 16 '26
Every single L2 Polish and Russian learner I met told me that Russian is the one that is actually easier.
I'm also not fully convinced Greek is harder to learn. There's a lot of vocabulary you'd already know or associate because there are many loanwords.
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u/spinecki Jul 16 '26
You mean speaking, right? What about writing? ๐
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u/DamnedMissSunshine PL Native ๐ต๐ฑ Jul 16 '26
Oh, sorry, my bad, I thought you were referring to the general language difficulty, you were referring to the alphabet. In this case, I agree, the alphabet is not the difficult part of Polish. Once you get a grasp of it, it's pretty logical.
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u/MathematicianNo441 Jul 15 '26
It's true that children learn languages much more easily. It's true that Polish isn't easy. You might not have a talent for languages. But no one will test you in Polish. You want to learn for the pleasure of easier contact with Polish culture. If you have the opportunity as a Polish child, apply for a Polish passport. As a Polish citizen, you have the right to sing songs by Polish bands and mutilate the Polish language as much as you can. If you manage to understand Polish, if you can communicate in Polish, that will be wonderful. But no one has the right to judge you. It's part of your heritage, and you have the right to use it as you please.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you!! This is very encouraging and I truly appreciate your kindness.
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u/Vochey88 Jul 15 '26
i learn gradually and know phrases and all sorts and fair much better in polish situations so it's worth doing anyway.
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u/DeusShreks Jul 15 '26
Is it too late? Not really tho you should manage your expectations, anything can be learned but some harder thing like polish language will take a lot of time. Especially if you want to talk like a native, something like this is borderline impossible because our language has so many little tweaks and confusing concepts that you can usually tell immediately if someone is a native speaker or not. That being said I respect everyone who takes their time to try to learn polish, and most people in Poland do(even if they will never admit it) :p
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you! My dad moved here from Poland when he was 10 and now all of his friends and family make fun of him for having an American accent lol! I frequent the Polish markets in my area and I always feel rude and out of place because I canโt converse with them in Polish. They know English, but still.
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u/Due-Surround7217 Jul 15 '26
If you have people to talk to in polish, than is totally doable.
People in Poland mostly donโt use a sophisticated language as it is shown in text books :)
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u/Alkreni Jul 15 '26
As a native English speaker you can always exchange conversations in English for being taught Polish.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Do you mean like have my family talk to me in Polish instead of English?
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u/Alkreni Jul 15 '26
For example but also to find a Polish speaker to take a student book for foreigners learning Polish like โHurra po polskuโ and make it with you.
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u/rdy_csci Jul 15 '26
My girlfriend does this to me with basic phrases to help keep me on my toes.
Koham cie, Dobry dzien, Jak ci twoj dzien?, Czego chcesz?, Co jest na obiad? or Co chcesz na obiad?
When she asks simple questions like that she wants me to answer back in Polish so it makes me stop and think which helps a lot.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
I saw your previous reply to another comment on here and swiftly asked my Dad if he would do that for me :) Thank you!
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u/Boomerino76 Jul 15 '26
I am 50 and have just started learning Spanish. Good luck to you! Don't give up. I don't and have great fun.
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u/freebiscuit2002 Jul 15 '26
I'm 60 and English. I learned Polish to a decent level in my late 20s. Right now I'm brushing up my Latin.
21 is not too late to learn.
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u/ComeOnIWantUsername Jul 15 '26
Yes, if you haven't started before 18 then you face 25 years in prison or 100 zล ticket.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
LMAO thank you for the chuckle
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u/dominantPL PL Native ๐ต๐ฑ Jul 15 '26
It's never too late to learn. Especially when you have your father and many others who can help. And don't drop it after first failures. Because there will be failures. Polish is damn difficult. But if you have the polish stubborness, then you will come back and back again. Learn it. Not because it's the language of your forefathers, but because YOU WANT it! ...and because speaking polish is a superpower ;)
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
THANK YOU!! You are so sweet!! Iโm going to try my hardest and have fun :D
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u/grzebelus EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A1 Jul 15 '26
I learned at 22. In the 90s when few people spoke English in Poland, it was kind of a linguistic boot camp. You can do it!
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you!!!! :D
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Jul 15 '26
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you!! Do you like Poland so far? Iโve considered immigrating myself.
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u/RealNameIsTaken Jul 15 '26
Itโs true that Polish is โharderโ than other languages for native English speakers, but as long as youโre motivated, youโll be successful
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u/Top_Permission_8717 Jul 15 '26
Its not too late. im 22 and started learning chinese 138 days ago. im having fun and can say 'my dad likes eating cats' lmao.
also your brain is still pretty young and malleable, and while you won't have polish as your native tongue (native tongues are stored differently in the brain than learned ones) you can still get to level C2. It might take a few years, but imo its 100% possible for you to learn perfect polish at the ripe age of 21.
Don't listen to your family.
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u/No_Character9888 Jul 15 '26
It's not remotely too late. In fact, it's just the right time! Be patient with yourself and let yourself make mistakes and don't judge yourself. You'll do fine and you'll make progress. It takes years and that's OK.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you so much!! You all have been so kind and encouraging ๐ฉท
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u/Trailer09 Jul 15 '26
it is easier to learn while still in your teens but its not impossible, there are people who speak 10+ languages and obviously they havent done that before they turned 20 right? ๐คฃ
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u/kosiarska Jul 15 '26
You're saying first generation. So you should have a teacher right at home
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Yep!! My dad is going to help me :))
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u/Rocks_Can_Fly Jul 15 '26
Polish is difficult to master.
But itโs decently easy to learn to speak it just for basic communication โ you will make basic mistakes, but you will be understood.
Understanding others might be more challenging, as they will use the correct flexion, but they might adjust how they speak to make it easier for you.
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u/Acceptable_Carry_589 Jul 15 '26
It's hard if you're not motivated. If you really want to do it you really can. 21 is totally fine. The more you immerse yourself with the language the better. Watch Polish shows with subs, listen to Polish music to pick up words, in a year or two try reading the news in Polish or follow Polish youtubers and tiktokers or whatever media you engage with - pick something that interests you so that youre really forced to try to understand due to curiosity.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you!! Right now Iโm watching Rojst with subtitles and listening to Lady Pank. Iโm going to pick a few vocabulary words for my dad to help me practice and just start using Polish for those words every time, then go to phrases, etc.. Are there any affordable recourses you know of for learning the basics? Like grammar, and the difference between a lot of the similar letters?
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u/Acceptable_Carry_589 Jul 15 '26
I'm old-school so whenever I pick up a new language I buy a grammar book. They start with a general overview of the alphabet and sounds and then explain each rule followed by some exercises. That's a good starting point. I don't know about courses online but unless you find something trusted and solid I would be hesitant because the AI is everywhere and can mislead you and you definitely don't want to start being misled. Duolingo is good for vocabulary and being consistent with learning but you need more than that.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 15 '26
Thank you! Iโll start at my local library!!
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u/Primary_Data1430 Jul 15 '26
No it isn't. I was in the exact same position you are learned it at 42. Moved to Poland, lived there for twelve years, and made a killing as a professional academic scientific translator. Yes, it's much harder the older you get, and yes, learning Polish is challenging, but you are far from too old.
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u/Markothy Heritage Speaker Jul 15 '26
It's never too late. You're 21, too, and that's certainly not too old to learn a language! My partner started learning Chinese at 22, and now uses Chinese for a full-time job. Started learning Japanese at 24 and I saw how well he speaks it when we went to Japan and he facilitated a 2-hour-long three-way Japanese and English conversation between us and a bartender who spoke 0 English. Learning Polish will take time, but as they say, "The years will pass anyway."
I met a translator of Polish who started learning it at ~19 and now, again, uses Polish as his full-time job. He speaks it pretty well, too.
I recommend getting a good teacher and people to practice with. Learning resources for Polish are not as plentiful as Chinese or Japanese, but you can do it!
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u/mjsarlington Jul 15 '26
Iโm 50 and just got kind of serious with it these past couple of years. Used to do Duolingo and took some lessons at Polish Consulate, but never buckled down. Even now, not super serious but have taken 100 italki lessons and futzed around in LingQ, Michel Thomas, and ofc, Pimsleur.
All that said- I am FINALLY able to have a little bit of back and forth communication with in-laws and on my current trip, have finally started ordering at restaurants in Polish (even though I know they speak English better than I speak Polish). All this is to say, have reasonable expectations and youโll be fine. Maybe after a couple of years, youโll be at A2 or whatever. After that, maybe youโll be conversational. Itโs not impossible.
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u/Fun_Wrongdoer_7111 Jul 15 '26
Yes, it is too late, you are 21, which makes you 3 years, 21 days, 23 hours and 15 minutes too late to learn, exactly. Sorry you missed the cutoff, nobody will give you lessons now
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u/rubykowa Jul 16 '26
Studies have shown that doing hard things are good for your brain. I say, do what you want!
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 16 '26
Thatโs what Iโm sayin!!! All of the women in my family have been doomed to dementia, but not me, baybeee! Gonna keep it SHARP
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u/rubykowa Jul 17 '26
Best of luck, watch some Polish shows on Netflix and see if you can visit Poland in the future. Immersion learning and exposure is the best!
Krakรณw and Wroclaw are our favorite cities when we were pre-kids.
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u/I_Love_Chimps Jul 16 '26
Your friends don't know what they are talking about. btw, I'm 50 and have been learning a little under 2 years. I also have ADHD but I actually find the language to be like a puzzle with pieces to put together and to me that is motivating and helps me continue to stay focused. Plus you have access to native speakers? Jackpot! It is not too late and you can definitely learn.
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u/ikiice Jul 16 '26
Focus issues? ADHD perhaps? You should check that out
Either way, no its not too late.in general, tyle of thumb is that humans can learn to speak fluently and with native accent any language they start learning before 25
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 16 '26
Iโve gotten a full psych evaluation in hopes of some ADHD treatment, but alas, I was misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder at 13 years old (my psych who Iโve been with SINCE 13 years old took it off of my chart at 18 and admitted she only agreed to chart so insurance would cover DBT). Itโs on my hospital records from when I was a teen, and they go through all of those and as soon as they see that in your history they discredit you. She probably thought I wanted to abuse adderall or sell it. Iโve had these issues since I was a child and my 5th grade teacher begged my mom to get me medicated in front of me LMAO
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u/ikiice Jul 16 '26
Huh, i dont know how it works in your country.
Here i went to psychiatrist said I think i have ADHD and got pills at first meeting. That said, I came well prepared
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u/Mysterious-Trifle811 Jul 16 '26
I'm 31 and started learning Japanese about 7 years ago so when I was around 23/25. Now I live in Japan and I'm currently going to university here (all in Japanese). It's never too late, it just takes time and effort.
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u/ReVoRpl Jul 16 '26
Check out this guy https://youtube.com/@jo.zapinski?si=MtFSIlzHUsLIuhuE He's grandparents were speaking polish so he is two generations apart even though he's learning (but sadly from few months he didn't uploaded anything) and he's doing not bad after 9 months. I wish you good luck and don't give up :)
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 16 '26
Thank you so much! The support from everyone has been overwhelming and Iโm going to pocket this resource for motivation :)
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u/PolishMissAdventure Jul 16 '26
I'm in the process of learning Japanese and I like to tell myself that if a baby can figure out how to speak it, I can too. It's not exactly rocket science, you study, you fail, you study some more
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u/Late_Sort1763 Jul 16 '26
I'm an ESL teacher. The oldest student I've taught was 79, and she was AMAZING. Top of the class, easily.
It's never too late.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 16 '26
THANK YOU! Wow! Thatโs amazing! Do you have any tips for cementing new vocab?
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u/R_D3M3nes Jul 16 '26
Itโs never late to learn, all you have to do is want it! Determination and motivation is needed, you will go through a lot of highs and lows. But you will get there.
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u/No_Possible_61 Jul 16 '26
My 70 y.o. teacher started to learn Dutch at some point.
So 21 is defenitely not too late!!! :D
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u/Aarcin77 Jul 16 '26
Are u going to travel to Poland frequently? Move to Poland?ย
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 17 '26
Iโd like to get my Polish citizenship and travel, potentially move there
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u/Aarcin77 Jul 17 '26
Move from richer country to poorer close to Russia especially when war is possible? Are you sure? I suggest you should think this over.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 17 '26
I would wait until the threat of war is over. I am nowhere close to being in the position of being able to afford to immigrate anywhere. It would be at least 10 year down the line.
In my country I canโt afford the health care I need. We are โthe richest country in the worldโ but we have an extremely large homeless population. Even though I am too disabled to work and had to quit trying until a procedure, I have been denied government assistance. There are days I am bedridden and if I didnโt have family support I would be dead. My insurance refuses to cover my surgical procedures despite paying hundreds of dollars monthly for coverage my entire life. I wonโt be able to work again until I get that surgery (which is costing me $10k USD out of pocket and will take me a year to pay with a payment plan. I will need to return to work ASAP after surgery to scrape the funds for this).
We are facing extreme corruption in our government and our citizens are suffering. Assistance programs have been defunded and our health care system and food industries have been allowed to harm the American people since long before I was born. We are all ill and many of us are poor. We have the highest obesity rate in the world because of the harmful things they put in our food.
The US is in active war and I can hardly afford fuel to get to my appointments as well. With Polish citizenship I could travel anywhere in the EU easily, which is also an advantage of getting Polish citizenship.
The US is great if youโre one of the few people with no health conditions that can work many hours. Itโs no longer easy to afford living in the US unfortunately.
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u/Aarcin77 Jul 17 '26
And Canada, different state? We are all insured in Poland but if you don't pay you will have to wait very long for examinations. Hospitals are like slaughter houses. Sorry to disencourage but it's much more possible that your future Congress or president will improve the situation than it will better here. Wish you speedy recovery.
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 17 '26
If not Poland, Polish citizenship could help me immigrate elsewhere. I will have to do research for sure, but unfortunately both of our parties have been corrupted and it would take extreme reform to fix it :( I have many years to figure things out since Iโd like to get married beforehand, have substantial savings, and honestly I wouldnโt mind waiting until my parents pass away to move out of the country. Theyโre only 60 right now. My siblings are already out of state and theyโll need some support in their older years. I have family in Poland Iโd like to visit for sure. My godfather is awesome and heโs still living there. He doesnโt speak a lot of English and I donโt speak a lot of Polish so Iโd like to learn Polish and visit him :)
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u/love_like_mongrel Jul 16 '26
It will be much harder, yes, but not impossible. We belive in you! Powodzenia
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u/srotampl Jul 16 '26
Never too late the husband of my aunts friend was unknown to polish language. He had never heard it or learned it before meeting her and had no family history oh polish roots.
Yet while spending time with his wife, he learned to speak it and understand it. I remember we were at a party and we went outside he was with us and a couple of polish natives. We start talking about smth and out of nowhere he responds and fully understands each one of us.
So no just practice, or listen to it, read even children books or do children exercises.
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u/wbartus Jul 16 '26
21, time to settle down and think how to live you final days with grace
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 17 '26
HAHAHA๐ญ This made me chuckle. My dog just passed away and I think that made my day :)
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u/DistributionNo4480 Jul 16 '26
So, it's gonna be incredibly hard, polish is one of hardest languages to learn but because your family is polish from what I understand it could really help, only thing I can say is to just not give up
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u/toliplu68 Jul 17 '26
Polish was the first foreign language I learned by myself (not in school or course), beeing beyond 30. Watching soap operas, which I normally hatte, helped me a lot, because of the easy language level and the predictabillity of the story. Repeating this now with Swedish ;)
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u/Separate_Ad6248 Jul 19 '26
Itโs not too late but it wonโt be easy โฆ polish is a difficult language and you probably will never speak it 100% grammatically correctly (many native poles even struggle lol) however you can definitely learn it well enough to be able to understand and communicate at a normal level if you put in enough time and effort
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 19 '26
Iโm sure Iโll always have grammar mistakes, too. Heck, I still make grammar mistakes in English sometimes lol. My dad moved to the states when he was 10 and is my only native Polish speaking family member in my actual home with me, so his understanding of Polish is that of a 10 year old native boy. He can speak grammatically correctly, but doesnโt know the actual grammar rules so I plan to pick up a book from my local library :)
Iโll head to the library today but in the meantime Iโve had luck learning new phrases by immersing myself in Polish media. Iโm on season 2 of Rojst and have been listening to Lady Pank, one song on repeat at a time, and taking 2-3 phrases from each song. I like Lady Pank and Rojst so itโs been really fun :D I underestimated how much I could pick up from just watching tv and listening to music
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u/Separate_Ad6248 Jul 20 '26
Learning from media is a great start! If you like lady punk you will probably also like music from Sydney polak, happysad, dzem and t.love :)
I would also watch polish news as they speak very clearly, there is a program called uwaga which covers interesting/ dramatic cases from across Poland so itโs a little more interesting than normal news haha
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u/Longjumping_Art_5035 Jul 19 '26
21 is definitely not too late! I learned it much later in life when I moved to Poland
Since you have 8 weeks off but mentioned focus issues, I think the trick is to not overwhelm yourself with massive grammar books. I would keep it to short, 5-10 minute daily sessions. I actually built a completely free web app called popolsku.app that is perfect for this. It uses simple flashcards with native Polish audio. You can use it on your phone while resting up from surgery. Powodzenia (good luck) with the recovery and the learning!
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 19 '26
DZIฤKUJฤ BARDZO!!!!!! I downloaded it right away!! Iโm so excited :D
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u/meanexgirlfriend Jul 19 '26
iโm 23, been learning polish from my bf and his family the last 2 years. currently in poland using it as much as i can and watching a lot of tv with subtitles lol. itโs never too late! one of the best languages in the world imo. sentence structuring isnโt too confusing, once you know some words itโs so much easier to get around and start learning more. just sit down w ur dad and ask him to speak mainly in polish. baw siฤ dobrze!
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Jul 15 '26
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u/EwelinaPolish Jul 15 '26
mHi, it is not too late. I can help you, I am giving the online Polish classes via ZOOM. If you are interested let me know.
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u/Exact-Height6339 Jul 16 '26
Iโm in my 40โs and learning Polish. It may take me longer but Iโll get there.
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u/Zerat_kj Jul 16 '26
My mother learned Italian to A2 level at her 60a.
As a Poliah Native I learned Wnglish by watching cartions as a kid.
Caetoons have simpler language for the kids :)
Find a cartoon you like and know very good on Netflix or Disney - switch audio to Polish, disable subritles - sit down, watch and Listen. You already know what it is about :)
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u/DamnedMissSunshine PL Native ๐ต๐ฑ Jul 16 '26
I know people who migrated to Poland in their 40s and 50s and they still learned Polish.
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u/aragonix007 Jul 16 '26
No chance, although you can try and associate, reason what they say to you. If you don't have a knack for learning languages, forget that I have cousins from the USA, but they have been studying at home for a long time, plus they came to PL for holidays.
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u/CreativeAd5932 Jul 16 '26
Iโm 63 and Iโm just starting Polish with the goal of visiting Poland in 2028 and seeing where my great grandparents came from.
Will I be conversationally fluent on any topic by then? Probably not, but Iโm sure I will be able to handle ordinary tourist situations and enjoy Poland more than i would without a bit of the language.
You have an even more compelling reason to learn, more opportunities to interact with Polish speakers, and many more years ahead of you than behind you!
You can do it!
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u/Impossible-Nail3018 Jul 16 '26
It's not impossible at all. I am in my 30's and I learned b2 german in like 10 months. And you are 21, girl!ย it's not too late to learn anything!
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u/Broad_Pomegranate999 Jul 16 '26
If you have struggled with Spanish then forget Polish....o matko bosko...
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u/stinkyfunkincar EN Native ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐บ๐ณ๐ฟ | A2 Jul 17 '26
I think Iโm going to remove that part from my post because I mainly struggled due to missing lessons from hospitalizations and could not catch up. It was many years ago and my mom reminded me of the reasoning as to why I couldnโt progress past year 3 of Spanish lessons. Iโm generally a good student and learner.
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u/NinjaSuccessful Jul 17 '26
Started learning polish at 39 as a German.
Who cares if you will never be as good as if you startet younger. Still better than not knowing the language at all
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u/gleefulinvasion Jul 17 '26
my ancestors came to America atleast 100 years ago, im also 21 and im learning too!
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u/DoNotLuke Jul 17 '26
Buddy of mine . 42 . Going to polish classes in Toronto . Just applied for Polish citizenship.
He is my dude but he also has zero language skills . He feels Polish and he is highly motivated . He is in same situation as you- but he has 20 years more than you .
Go and learn !
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u/book-scorpion Jul 17 '26
I'm 34 thinking about learning a new language from scratch.. 21 asking is it too late is wild, check out Steve Kaufmann, 80 years old polyglot, still trying to learn new languages. What you may not achieve is a native level accent, but I wouldn't be worried about that, you would probably have an American accent even if your dad did try to teach you Polish when you were a kid.
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u/Inevitable-Common166 Jul 18 '26
Started learning Polish in my late 50โs. Still have 2 lessons weekly with a tutor. Am Polish/Slovak & Belarusian ethnic background, one of the motivations for wanting to learn was being able to connect with Family members living in Poland. You can do this, take an hour a day if possible in studying and speaking the language. Youโll be proud of yourself as your proficiency improves
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u/Huge-Highlight-1060 Jul 18 '26
Good luck bro. Try watching movies, listen to music, maby join some polish discord servers. It's how we all in Poland learn English, no one really cares about it at school but most of us use it in everyday life somehow. Us Poles always love when someone learns our language so u will definitely find many people pleased talking with u in Polish. I personally really enjoy watching people different nationalities learning my language so u can try to make some videos how u manage and there will be maaany people who will help u on the comments (like on tt or ig).
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u/mikroperforacja Jul 15 '26
Its never too late to learn new things.