The Other Polish
The exam standard for B2 says it plainly: you must handle both oficjalna and nieoficjalna odmiana języka — the official and the everyday variety. This lesson is the everyday one: the words Poles use with friends and family, and would never write in a report.
| colloquial | neutral | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kumpel | kolega, przyjaciel | buddy, mate |
| fajny | dobry, miły | cool, nice |
| auto | samochód | car |
| serio | naprawdę | seriously |
| nieźle | dobrze | pretty well |
| That's my buddy from work. | To mój kumpel z pracy. |
Reacting and Insisting
Serio? is the spoken "really?"; nieźle! the spoken "not bad!". For flat refusal Polish says nie ma mowy — literally "there is no speech (of it)" — no way.
Mówisz serio? — Are you serious? Nie ma mowy, nie zrobię tego! — No way, I won't do it!
| No way, I won't do it! | Nie ma mowy, nie zrobię tego! |
The Rude Edge
Cholerny (damn), idiota (idiot) and tyłek (backside) are mild but genuinely rude — you will hear all three daily, and you should recognise the register before you use it.
Gdzie jest ten cholerny klucz? — Where is that damn key? Nie bądź idiotą! — Don't be an idiot!
| Move your backside, the bus is already coming! | Rusz tyłek, autobus już jedzie! |
mowa
The noun mowa is neutral on its own — a speech, speech as a faculty (mowa ciała, body language) — but its negative formula nie ma mowy is pure conversation.
| His speech at the wedding was very boring. | Jego mowa na weselu była bardzo nudna. |
