“Hello In Polish” And Other Handy Polish Phrases You Might Like To Know

The Polish language transpired as a language of its own around about the 10th century. For 600 years, however, it was merely a spoken language, not inked on paper until Christian speakers adopted the Latin alphabet.

Polish has remained a fairly pure language, taking minor influences from other West Slavic languages. It differs from these languages, however, because of its basis on the Latin alphabet rather than the Cyrillic one.

Polish speakers congregate around the globe, spanning across Australia, Brazil, Canada, USA, Germany, UK, and Russia. In Scotland, Polish immigration took place in two main waves. The first, following WWII, when Polish soldiers took up residence here. The second, when Poland joined the EU in 2004.

There are indeed some best languages and easiest languages to learn, and these lists may not include Polish, but knowing key phrases in Polish may prove helpful given the recent calculated numbers of Polish-speakers in the UK.

In the 2011 Census, it was found that over half a million people in the UK considered Polish to be their primary language.

In Scotland in 2013, it was estimated that Polish is the sole spoken language of 3% of households. 

In business, knowing a little Polish might prove fruitful too. Poland is actually the UK’s largest export market, and overall, the UK is the 3rd largest investor in Poland, making it useful for business expanding overseas to learn some language tips. Having basic Polish language phrases up your sleeve could enhance your personal relationships in business.

Now on to our handy Polish phrases!

‘Hello’ in Polish

Immersing yourself in a language can be challenging, but the best place to start is with a simple “Hello”. To strike up a conversation with a native Pole, it’s fairly straightforward!

‘Cześć’, pronounced chesht, is a common way to greet others in Poland.

Alternatively, you can use a more informal greeting in the form of ‘hej’, pronounced hey. This is more appropriate for friends rather than business meetings.

In Polish, the combination of ‘Cz’ sounds like ch and ‘ść’ makes a sht noise.

‘Good Morning’ in Polish

As the sun peeks up into the sky, you’ll want to know how to greet your Polish speaking friends when you see them for the first time that day.

Good morning in Polish is ‘dzien dobry’, pronounced jen dough-bray. Pretty simple and one Polish phrase you can use widely!

‘How Are You’ in Polish

If you’re feeling brave, you can amp up the ante in your Polish conversational skills by whipping out, ‘Jak sie masz?’.

It’s pronounced yahk sheh mahsh so it’s another relatively easy Polish phrase to have under your belt.

‘Have A Good Day’ in Polish

Earn brownie points by wishing your Polish speaking companion a good day with ‘Dobrego dnia’, pronounced do-bray-go de-nay-ah.

This one sounds like it looks so if you see it written down, you can decipher it smoothly.

‘Thank You’ in Polish

At the close of a meeting, show gratitude to the other party for their time with the Polish phrase for thank you.

‘Dziękuję’. This is pronounced nothing like the way it looks – jih-coo-ye.

The ‘Dz’ combination makes a jih and the letter j sounds like a y.

‘Happy Birthday’ in Polish

You’ll need to concentrate hard here because this is a long one!

Happy birthday in Polish is ‘Wszystkjego najlepszego z okazji urodzin’, pronounced Vshi-stkye-go nay-lep-shee-go z oka-zyi oo-ro-jean. Got that?

If you honestly can’t get your tongue around that twister, it is common to cheer ‘Sto lat!’, stow lat, for all sorts of popular occasions. ‘Sto lat’ is an informal term, translating roughly to cheers. So, it’s not exactly saying happy birthday, but it’s a good way to get involved in the fun. This is certainly one of the trickier phrases to learn, so read our guide on how to improve pronunciation to get this phrase nailed!

‘I Love You’ in Polish

If you find you have that warm fuzzy feeling around your Polish speaking partner, tell them ‘kocham Cię’.

Pronounced ko-ham-chu, it means I love you in Polish!

The ‘ch’ here makes an h sound.

‘Goodbye’ in Polish

When it comes to bidding your Polish friend adieu, you have a few options.

Quite simply, bye is the same as the word for hello, ‘cześć’. This is informal, used for friends or family.

If you wish to say good night, the more formal Polish phrase is ‘dobranoc’ (dough-bra-nots).

Alternatively, you could say good evening, ‘dobry wieczor’, pronounced like dough-bry vye-chur.

In Need Of Professional Services?

These Polish phrases are handy but you might be looking for something more thorough. If you’re considering learning a language as a business move, we’ve explained the best languages for international business to learn.

At Global Language Services, we offer Polish translation services. Our expert translation team ensures your message is communicated effectively to Polish speakers, whether it be oral or written.

Our Polish translators are native speakers so you can feel confident that their translations will be of the highest standard, catering to a wide range of industries.

If you are in need of Polish translation services, contact us today with a full brief for a tailored quote.

Cześć!