Breakdown of Dzień dobry. Jak się nazywasz?
dzień dobry
good morning / good afternoon (formal greeting)
jak się nazywasz
what is your name (informal)
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Questions & Answers about Dzień dobry. Jak się nazywasz?
Why does Dzień dobry translate to "Good morning"?
Literally, Dzień dobry means "Good day". Polish doesn't have a separate everyday greeting just for the morning. You use Dzień dobry from the moment you wake up until the evening, when you switch to Dobry wieczór ("Good evening").
Why do we use jak (how) instead of "what" for asking someone's name?
Because the verb nazywać się literally means "to call oneself". So in Polish, you aren't asking "What is your name?", but rather "How do you call yourself?" (Jak się nazywasz?).
What is the purpose of the little word się here?
się is a reflexive word that means "oneself" (in this case, "yourself"). Without it, the verb nazywasz would mean you are naming or calling someone or something else. Adding się turns it into "you call yourself".
Can I use Jak się nazywasz? to ask anyone for their name?
No, this is the informal way to ask. The -sz ending on nazywasz means you are using the informal "you". You should only use this with children, people your own age, or in casual settings. For strangers, elders, or formal situations, you would use the formal words for sir or madam: Jak się Pan nazywa? (to a man) or Jak się Pani nazywa? (to a woman).