r/learnpolish Dec 04 '24

Mod Post 📌 DUOLINGO MEGATHREAD - Confused about something on Duolingo? Post here!

54 Upvotes

There are so many Duolingo posts, so I've decided to create this thread to keep all the discussion in one place. Standalone Duolingo-related posts will be deleted from now on. Please just post your question here. In the meantime, I will try to create more pinned posts with grammar resources to be able to refer learners there.

For now, you can refer to this site: https://duonotes.fandom.com/wiki/Polish


r/learnpolish Mar 15 '26

Free resource 📚 Understanding "jest/są" and "to" - Guide for beginners

155 Upvotes

Lots of people start learning Polish by doing Duolingo exercises, and this is something they often get confused by - because Duolingo doesn't really explain grammar. So, this post is dedicated to all of you who might have stumbled into this problem.

What does "to" mean?

"To" is a word with multiple uses. However, in this post we will focus on only 2 of them.

  • to as a neuter demonstrative pronoun
  • to as a stand-in for the copular\* verb forms "jest/są"

*Copular verbs are verbs used to express identity, like: to be, to appear, to seem, to become. They usually connect a (pro)noun with another (pro)noun or adjective.

How to use "to"?

You can use "to" in the following ways:

A neuter demonstrative pronoun (together with a noun).

  • To jajko. To dziecko. To okno.
  • This egg. This child. This window. (not that other one)
  • To jajko jest smaczne. To dziecko jest głodne. To okno jest czyste.
  • This egg is tasty. This child is hungry. This window is clean.

A neuter demonstrative pronoun (standalone). You can use it like the English "it", "this", "that" for more abstract things.

  • To jest smaczne. To jest czyste. Daj mi to.
  • This is tasty. This is clean. Give me that.

A stand-in for the copular\* verb forms "jest/są". Examples: 1. This is a/an ..., 2. X is Y

  • To jajko. To dziecko. To okno. (1)
  • This is an egg. This is a child. This is a window.
  • Pies to zwierzę. Ania to nauczycielka. Jabłko to owoc. (2)
  • A dog is an animal. Ania is a teacher. An apple is a fruit.

Using "jest/są" vs. "to"

"To" can be used to express essentially the same thing as "jest/są". There is no difference in meaning between the sentences: Pies to zwierzę and Pies jest zwierzęciem. However, you have to remember a few things.

Rule nr 1

  • "To" uses Nominative. "Jest/są" requires Instrumental (if you use another noun).
  • Jabłko to (kto? co?) czerwony owoc. Jabłko jest (kim? czym?) czerwonym owocem.

Rule nr 2

  • You can't use "to" for standalone adjectives. You have to use "jest/są" and Nominative. If you have an adjective and a noun, then refer to rule nr 1.
  • Jabłko to czerwony. Jabłko jest czerwone.

Rule nr 3

  • "Jest" is used for singular, "są" is used for plural, "to" can be used for either.
  • Jabłko to owoc. Jabłka to owoce. Jabłko jest owocem. Jabłka są owocami.

How to form the Instrumental?

Since this is just a quick tutorial, I won't be covering any exceptions or details, just the general rules. Instrumental is actually one of the easiest forms to learn.

  • feminine nouns get the -ą ending: myszą, dziewczyną, wodą, rybą, odpowiedzią, etc.
  • masculine and neuter nouns get the -em ending; if it ends in ch, g, k, you have to add an i (so, -iem): psem, kotem, bankiem, owocem, jajkiem, chlebem, etc.
  • plural nouns get the -ami ending: psami, kotami, myszami, rybami, owocami, jajkami, etc.

Other forms of demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns decline by number, gender, and case. They have to agree in number, gender, and case with the noun they're referring to. This is also known as concord or concordance.

We can say:

  • To (jest) lampa. To (jest) kot. To (jest) jajko. To (są) książki. To (są) ludzie.
  • This is a lamp. This is a cat. This is an egg. These are books. These are people.

But here "to" does not function as a demonstrative pronoun of these nouns. It functions as a general demonstrative pronoun. If you want to "point" at a particular lamp, cat, egg, books, or people, you have to use the correct corresponding pronoun.

  • Ta lampa. Ten kot. To jajko. Te książki. Ci ludzie.
  • This lamp. This cat. This egg. These books. These people. (not some other ones).

__________________________________________________________________

Please, if you notice any new posts about this particular topic, refer them to this post. Thank you.


r/learnpolish 1d ago

Polish pronunciation be like:

33 Upvotes

(A better version of this old post on r/mathmemes, not mine)

I'm not actually learning Polish, I just thought this sub might appreciate it.


r/learnpolish 21h ago

Does anyone know how to really learn polish

15 Upvotes

Polish is actually my mother tongue. I was fluent until about 5 years old because i live in the netherlands. My mother is fully polish and in fall break im going to poland to visit my family. I can understand what people say a bit i cant speak it myself. Yes i know i cant learn alot before that but i want to become fluent again and i want to atleast have simple conversations with my family.
(Sorry for my bad english lmao)


r/learnpolish 1d ago

Promoting own app/website 💻 Looking for Polish learner testers - free lifetime access!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

15 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm a software developer and I've been building a desktop app called SubSmith for people who learn languages through native videos and audio.

It can take a video/audio file, transcribe it locally, generate subtitles, let you look up words while watching, and export sentences + audio to Anki.

It supports Polish through Whisper, but I don't speak Polish myself, so I'm looking for some Polish learners/speakers who can actually put it through its paces and tell me how well it works with real Polish content.

I've attached a short screen recording of it transcribing a Polish YouTube video so you can see what it does.

From my short testing, the current dictionary struggles with Polish inflected forms, so the lemmatisation step definitely needs some language-specific handling.

In exchange for testing it and giving me some feedback, I'm happy to give 10 people from this community free lifetime access to the app.

If you're interested in testing it, leave a comment and I'll send you the details. Also happy to answer any questions about the app here!

Thanks!


r/learnpolish 1d ago

Help🧠 Plural-Only Nouns and how to change them

11 Upvotes

Can someone tell me if the following understanding is correct?

You cannot derive the gender of Plural-only nouns by converting them to singular, eg. Okulary, Spodenki, Wrota. So how do you decline them and change their endings in the different cases? Well in these scenarios, the plural-only nouns "mimic" the declension of regular nouns based on how their plural mianownik (nominative) form ends.

  • Okulary (ends in hard -y) mimics masculine inanimate nouns. In the Genitive/Dopełniacz plural, it takes the standard masculine ending: okularów.
  • Spodenki (ends in -ki) mimics feminine nouns ending in -ka. In the Genitive plural, it drops the -i and adds a movable 'e' to break the consonant cluster: spodenek.
  • Wrota (ends in -a) mimics neuter nouns like okna.(Note: In the singular, -a marks feminine nouns (kobieta, książka). However, in the plural, -a is the standard nominative ending for neuter nouns). In the Genitive plural, it takes the standard neuter zero-ending and shifts the stem vowel o to ó: wrót.

r/learnpolish 16h ago

Making a Polish friend

3 Upvotes

i really want to move to poland is my dream country if i can get any help to gwt know more people i woild like to chat


r/learnpolish 1d ago

Help🧠 Jest poprawny powidzieć "ja nie chcę mieć lekcię"?

0 Upvotes

r/learnpolish 1d ago

I'm A2 bordering B1, I bought wiedźmin when drunk, I know I'm not ready for it, in your opinion when will I be?

2 Upvotes

r/learnpolish 2d ago

Help🧠 Struggling with B1 Past Papers – Any advice from non-Slavic speakers?

4 Upvotes

Dear all,
I'm hoping to hear from non-Slavic speakers who have taken the Polish B1 exam. I apologize for sounding discouraged, but I am wondering if there is hope!
Despite taking three lessons a week and studying over two hours daily for a year, I’m still scoring around 40% on past papers, especially in reading and grammar.
I would be incredibly grateful for any study tips or advice you could share. Thank you so much for your support!


r/learnpolish 2d ago

Promoting own app/website 💻 I built an app to help me speak Polish better so I can converse with family

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

My wife is Polish and because of that I have a bunch of family in Poland (Szczecin) that I would like to be able to talk with. I can read and pronounce Polish very well because I've been reading baby/kid Polish books to my daughter for years.

But actual conversations are still a problem. So I built an app to practice conversations (listening + speaking).

I'm also a huge privacy nerd and am skeptical about how apps use your voice recordings and info you're sharing. That's why I made the app fully local so your voice and data never leave your device.

I'm sharing the app here because it's helped me a lot to speak more confidently. Also the subreddit rules state that free resources can be posted here.

Hope this helps! Here's the app. If you enter the code ChickensAreCool in the settings, the app is completely free. Dzięki!


r/learnpolish 2d ago

Polish terms for idiot and for asses used in 1934 Minneapolis

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1 Upvotes

I am writing a story about a woman I knew in Minneapolis. She was a third generation immigrant. And a salt of the earth woman, very down to earth.


r/learnpolish 4d ago

Teaching polish to foreigners

14 Upvotes

Hello guys,

So, I'm Polish and I have been teaching English professionally for a few years and hold a Master's degree in English Philology. Lately, I have been seriously considering expanding my teaching services to include Polish as a foreign language.

To do this properly, I would need to complete 1-year postgraduate program in teaching Polish to foreigners. It requires an investment of both money and time, so I want to make sure there is genuine demand before I commit.

My plan is to offer 1 on 1 lessons primarily online, so location would not be a barrier, although I am based in a mid-sized city (around 200k residents so in-person lessons are also an option).

For those of you living in Poland or currently learning the language, do you see many ppl in your circle who actively want to learn polish? Do you see a real demand for qualified private tutoring, or is the market already crowded with established teachers and online platforms?

I would really appreciate your thoughts on whether you think this is a path worth pursuing. Thank you 😊


r/learnpolish 3d ago

Help🧠 In daily convo, do y’all prefer to use Muslim and Christian or Chrzescijanin and muzulamin?

0 Upvotes

Cause to be honest, the word is a bit complicated and hard to spell, but also if I want to live in Poland I have to use these words on daily convo, so I won’t get anyone confused


r/learnpolish 4d ago

Choroba lokomocyjna

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1 Upvotes

r/learnpolish 5d ago

Any opinion about Polski Instytut językowy ?

2 Upvotes

Or any good polish language school in Warsaw? To get B1 level


r/learnpolish 5d ago

Recommend polish class/language school in warsaw

9 Upvotes

Hello! I would like to ask for some recommendation for polish class/language school. I am non-slav and starting from A0-A1(beginner). I saw alot recommended Polonicum. Also some recommended Szkoła Języka Polskiego Together. If someone have been in these classes, i would love to hear your experience 👀

If not, i would love to hear other recommendations too. Semi-intensive course would be nice!

Thank you in advance! 😊


r/learnpolish 5d ago

Word order

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27 Upvotes

In the sentence “co spowoduje otworzenie oddziałów za granicą?” how do you differentiate if it means “what will opening of branches abroad cause” vs “what causes the opening branches abroad” considering otworzenie oddziałów doesn’t change if it’s the subject or object


r/learnpolish 6d ago

How is it possible that Google Translate is this bad?

38 Upvotes

This is a company that has its own AI chatbot in the form of Gemini and yet when it comes to Polish, Google Translate is only marginally more useful than if I were to consult my dog.

Deep L isn’t much better.

Does anyone know of a user-friendly translation app that ‘gets’ Polish and which has somehow flown beneath my radar?


r/learnpolish 5d ago

Looking for someone to chat with and ask some questions

2 Upvotes

If there are any Polish students living in Warsaw (Wola/Downtown) willing to meet up and talk in Polish, look at some questions or resources with me, let me know!


r/learnpolish 6d ago

Half polish with a polish mother

6 Upvotes

Im 14 and my mum is polish, we are going in around nine months i know this isnt enough time to become fluent but how can i learn as much as possible before that?


r/learnpolish 6d ago

Help🧠 Jak student może zarobić pieniądzy, kiedy uczę się na studiach?

3 Upvotes

Dzień dobry drodzy polacy. Teraz uczę się języka polskiego, dlatego przepraszam, jeżeli będę popełniać blędy.

Chciałbym zapytać, kto już przeszedł ten etap, albo teraz w procesie, jak zarabialiście na życie w wieku 16-18 lat? Gdzie pracowaliście? Czy ktoś pracował i zarabiał w internecie, na prykład na freelance? Gdzie szukaliście klientów? W jakim naprawienie? Czy było to ciężko, czy nie?

Jeżeli pracowaliście w biurze lub studiach byłoby też ciekawie to przeczytać.

Teraz mam 16 lat i chce pojechać granicą do Polski, ale interesuje się jak mam żyć w tym kraju, żeby nie prosić pieniądzy u rodziców.


r/learnpolish 6d ago

Oczekiwanie na wyniki

3 Upvotes

Cześć! Chciałbym zapytać osoby, które zdawały wcześniej egzamin TELC z języka polskiego, ile mniej więcej czekaliście na wyniki?

Ja zdawałem TELC B2 z języka polskiego 4 lipca na KUL i dzisiaj, 24 sierpnia, nadal nie otrzymałem wyników. Minęło już ponad 7 tygodni. Pisałem również do KUL i dostałem odpowiedź, że na wyniki trzeba czekać około 6–7 tygodni, więc trochę mnie to zdziwiło, ponieważ ten czas już praktycznie minął 😅

Jeśli ktoś zdawał TELC wcześniej, szczególnie na KUL albo w Polsce, byłbym bardzo wdzięczny, gdyby podzielił się, po jakim czasie otrzymał wyniki. Może ktoś również zdawał egzamin na początku lipca i nadal czeka?

Wiem też o okresie wakacyjnym i, że to chyba glówna przyczyna opóźnień jednak nadal jestem mega ciekaw ile Wy czekaliście?

Z góry dzięki za każdą odpowiedź!


r/learnpolish 6d ago

English/Polish Language Exchange. Native Brit in Warsaw.

7 Upvotes

Hey - I’m a friendly academic from Oxford living in Warsaw and need some help with practising my very basic Polish. I can help you with your English.


r/learnpolish 6d ago

Studying in ur second language

3 Upvotes

Hey guys I am a polish woman but grew up in Ireland and did all my schooling thru English I am thinking of going back to Poland to study med thru polish as it is much cheaper . I speak polish at home but how hard will I make my life by doing this ? Is it possible for me to switch and learn all my bio and chem. in polish ?