Polish › Phrases › Basic phrases
In short: these 25 phrases are the working core of everyday Polish — greetings, thanks, help, food, and small talk. Each one has native audio. Learn five a day and in a week you can genuinely navigate Poland politely. 👇
Dzień dobry!
jehn DOH-brih · the phrase that opens every door in Poland
🐌 Hear cześć (the casual hello) slowly
The polite essentials
| Polish | Say it like | Use it when… | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dzień dobry | jehn DOH-brih | hello (polite) — all 9 greetings here | |
| Cześć | CHESH-tch | hi / bye (informal) | |
| Dziękuję | jen-KOO-yeh | thank you — full lesson | |
| Proszę | PROH-sheh | please / you’re welcome / here you go | |
| Przepraszam | psheh-PRAH-shahm | excuse me / I’m sorry | |
| Do widzenia | doh vee-DZEH-nyah | goodbye (polite) | |
| Dobranoc | doh-BRAH-nots | good night |
Small talk
| Polish | Say it like | Use it when… | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jak się masz? | yahk sheh MAHSH | how are you? (informal) | |
| Dobrze, dziękuję | DOB-sheh jen-KOO-yeh | fine, thank you | |
| Miło mi | MEE-woh mee | nice to meet you | |
| Jak masz na imię? | yahk mahsh nah EE-myeh | what’s your name? (informal) | |
| Mam na imię… | mahm nah EE-myeh | my name is… | |
| Wszystko w porządku | FSHIST-koh f poh-ZHOND-koo | everything’s fine |
Getting unstuck
| Polish | Say it like | Use it when… | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nie rozumiem | nyeh roh-ZOO-myem | I don’t understand | |
| Nie mówię po polsku | nyeh MOO-vyeh poh POL-skoo | I don’t speak Polish | |
| Czy mówisz po angielsku? | chih MOO-veesh poh ahn-GYEL-skoo | do you speak English? (informal) | |
| Pomocy! | poh-MOH-tsih | help! | |
| Tak | tahk | yes | |
| Nie | nyeh | no |
Food, shops & warmth
| Polish | Say it like | Use it when… | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poproszę | poh-PROH-sheh | “I’ll have…, please” — the ordering word | |
| Ile to kosztuje? | EE-leh toh kosh-TOO-yeh | how much is it? | |
| Gdzie jest toaleta? | GDJEH yest toh-ah-LEH-tah | where’s the bathroom? | |
| Smacznego! | smatch-NEH-goh | bon appétit! | |
| Na zdrowie! | nah ZDROH-vyeh | cheers! / bless you! — all the toasts | |
| Kocham cię | KOH-hahm cheh | I love you 🤍 |
💡 Learning tip from our community: don’t memorize the list — adopt five phrases per day and say them OUT LOUD after the audio. Polish lives in the mouth, not on the page. By Friday, you’ll have all 25.
🇵🇱 The magic of poproszę: at any counter, point at what you want and say poproszę — “I’ll have, please”. It’s polite, it works for pierogi, tickets, and coffee, and it makes shopkeepers visibly soften. One word = survival.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most important Polish phrases for beginners?
Start with five: dzień dobry (hello), dziękuję (thank you), proszę (please), przepraszam (excuse me/sorry), and do widzenia (goodbye). Those five carry you through almost every polite exchange in Poland.
How do you say ‘I don’t speak Polish’ in Polish?
Nie mówię po polsku (nyeh MOO-vyeh poh POL-skoo). Follow it with ‘Czy mówisz po angielsku?’ — do you speak English? — and most younger Poles will happily switch.
Is Polish hard to learn for English speakers?
The pronunciation looks scarier than it is, and everyday phrases are very learnable. Our approach: learn whole phrases with audio first, worry about grammar later — that’s how these 25 are meant to be used.