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### The Holidays Themselves

The course taught you to wish (**Wesołych Świąt!**) and to celebrate (**obchodzić**, **świętować**) — this lesson names what Poland actually celebrates.

| holiday | when | what |
|---|---|---|
| **Boże Narodzenie** | 25–26 XII | Christmas |
| **Wigilia** | 24 XII evening | Christmas Eve supper — the year's most important family meal |
| **Wielkanoc** | spring | Easter |
| **Sylwester** | 31 XII | New Year's Eve |

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### Wigilia

Grammatically a noun like any other — but culturally the heart of the Polish year: twelve dishes, hay under the tablecloth, an empty place at the table for an unexpected guest.

> *W Wigilię cała rodzina je razem kolację.* — On Christmas Eve the whole family eats supper together.

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### Note the Case

Holiday names travel in fixed frames: **na** + Accusative for the occasion (*na Boże Narodzenie, na Wielkanoc*), **w** + Accusative for the day itself (*w Wigilię, w Sylwestra*).

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Polish holidays (Wigilia, Wielkanoc)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

predicative

preposition

pronoun

proper noun

sentence

verb

This is (to jest)

The verb to be, singular (być)

Formal address (Pan, Pani)

Demonstrative pronouns (ten, ta, to)

Adjective agreement

Negation (nie)

Basic questions (czy, kto, co, gdzie, jak)

The verb to be, plural (być)

Present tense -m/-sz verbs

Reflexive verbs (się)

Coordinating conjunctions (i, a, ale)

Feminine direct objects (Accusative)

Inanimate direct objects (Accusative)

Animate masculine direct objects (Accusative)

Present tense verbs 2 (-ę, -isz / -ysz)

Expressing location (w, na)

Locative adjective agreement

Professions and nationalities (Instrumental)

Accompaniment (z + Instrumental)

Present tense verbs 3 (-ę, -esz)

Plural possessives (nasz, wasz)

Numbers 1 to 10

Genitive of possession

Genitive of negation

Lack or absence (nie ma)

Basic quantifiers (dużo, mało, trochę)

Liking things (podoba mi się)

Modal verbs (móc, musieć)

Subordinating conjunctions (bo, że)

Unidirectional motion verbs (iść, jechać)

Expressing age (mieć... lat)

Habitual motion (chodzić, jeździć)

Expressing destination (do)

Days of the week (poniedziałek, wtorek...)

Plural nouns for objects and animals

Plural nouns for people

Plural adjective agreement

Accusative object pronouns (go, ją, je...)

The past tense of to be (był)

Singular past tense (-łem, -łam...)

Expressing age (mieć + lata / lat)

Plural past tense (-li / -ły)

Perfective past tense

Future tense (będę + infinitive)

Age: one year (mieć rok)

Prices and currency (złoty, grosz)

Destination (na + accusative)

Non-masculine plurals (-e, -y, -i)

Instrumental pronouns (ze mną, z tobą)

To know (znać vs wiedzieć)

The future perfective tense

The imperative mood

Months of the year (styczeń, luty)

Greetings and farewells (dzień dobry, cześć)

Introducing yourself (mam na imię)

Thank you and sorry (dziękuję, przepraszam)

Left, right, up and down (po lewej stronie)

Parts of the body (ręka, noga)

Parts of the day (dzień, noc, południe)

What is it like? (jaki, jaka, jakie)

Speaking Polish (mówić po polsku)

Instrumental for adjectives (dobrym, dobrą)

Please do... (proszę + infinitive)

Interests (interesować się + Instrumental)

Can one? (można, trzeba, nie wolno)

By bus or by train (jechać autobusem)

Where are you from? (jestem z Polski)

Where exactly? (obok, przy, przed, za, pod, nad)

What time is it? (Która godzina?)

Not seeing her (go, jej, ich; niego, niej, nich)

When I have time (kiedy as a conjunction)

Irregular past stems (miał, mieli)

The verb 'iść' in the past (szedł, szli)

Imperfective future (będę odpoczywał)

Past aspect (robił vs zrobił)

Future aspect (będzie malował vs pomaluje)

Perfective motion with po- (pójść, pojechać)

Arrival verbs with przy- (przyjść, przyjechać)

Departure verbs with wy- (wyjść, wyjechać)

The Vocative case (Panie, Mamo)

Plural possessives (moi, moje)

Reflexive possessive pronouns (swój)

Genitive plural of masculine nouns (-ów, -y, -i)

Genitive plural of feminine and neuter nouns

Genitive plural of adjectives (-ych, -ich)

Accusative plural of masculine personal nouns

Question	Answer
Christmas (n)	Boże Narodzenie
Christmas is in December.	Boże Narodzenie jest w grudniu.
At Christmas I give presents to the whole family.	Na Boże Narodzenie daję prezenty całej rodzinie.
How do you celebrate Christmas in your country?	Jak obchodzicie Boże Narodzenie w twoim kraju?
Christmas Eve (f)	Wigilia
On Christmas Eve the whole family eats supper together.	W Wigilię cała rodzina je razem kolację.
Christmas Eve is the most important evening of the year.	Wigilia to najważniejszy wieczór w roku.
Easter (f)	Wielkanoc
At Easter we paint eggs.	Na Wielkanoc malujemy jajka.
Easter is in spring.	Wielkanoc jest wiosną.
New Year's Eve (m)	Sylwester
On New Year's Eve we dance all night.	W Sylwestra tańczymy całą noc.
Where are you spending New Year's Eve?	Gdzie spędzasz Sylwestra?

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