Episode 16 · I live in Kazimierz

Welcome back to Kazimierz. And welcome to Level One. If you were with us for Level Zero, you know Tom has officially decided to stay in Krakow.

He's traded his survival phrases for a real, rented room. It's a bit empty, but it's his. Now, he just needs to be able to tell people about his actual life here.

And right on cue, his friend Ola knocks on the door. She's the one who found him this place off Plac Nowy, and she's not about to let him hide away in it.

Cześć Tom! No, to jak tam twój polski?

Cześć. Um... jestem Tom. Jestem z Anglii.

It's a good start. But Ola knows he's been hoarding those pieces for weeks. She sits down, ready to pull some real sentences out of him.

Co robisz?

Co robisz? — What do you do? · tso RO-beesh

She's asking, What do you do? Or, what are you doing? Co robisz. The word co is what, and robisz is the 'you' form of to do.

Co robisz? — What do you do? · tso RO-beesh

Notice that 'sh' sound at the very end of robisz. That ending is the fingerprint of the 'you' form in Polish. Try saying it with me: Co robisz?

Co robisz? — What do you do? · tso RO-beesh

Once more, nice and natural. Co robisz?

Co robisz? — What do you do? · tso RO-beesh

Tom blanks for a second. He does remote design work, but how do you even begin to say that? Ola slides him a lifeline.

Pracuję w mieście.

Pracuję w mieście. — I work in town. · pra-TSOO-yeh v MYESH-cheh

She gives him a perfect, simple chunk: Pracuję w mieście. I work in town, or in the city.

Pracuję w mieście. — I work in town. · pra-TSOO-yeh v MYESH-cheh

The word for I work is pracuję. See that little nasal tail at the end? Pracuję. That tells everyone it's 'I' doing the action. Say it: pracuję.

Pracuję w mieście. — I work in town. · pra-TSOO-yeh v MYESH-cheh

And w mieście means in town. The trickiest part is the cluster in the middle, but just soften it. mieście. Let's put it together. Pracuję w mieście.

Pracuję w mieście. — I work in town. · pra-TSOO-yeh v MYESH-cheh

Pracuję w mieście.

Pracuję w mieście. — I work in town. · pra-TSOO-yeh v MYESH-cheh

Ola beams. He's got the engine running now. So she asks the next logical question.

Gdzie mieszkasz?

Gdzie mieszkasz? — Where do you live? · gjeh MYESH-kash

Gdzie mieszkasz? Where do you live? Gdzie is where, and mieszkasz is you live. Notice that 'sh' ending again? It's the 'you' form.

Gdzie mieszkasz? — Where do you live? · gjeh MYESH-kash

The hard part here is just starting the word gdzie. It's a g and a j sound right together. Gdzie. Try saying the whole question with me: Gdzie mieszkasz?

Gdzie mieszkasz? — Where do you live? · gjeh MYESH-kash

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu.

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. — I live in Kazimierz. · MYESH-kam na ka-zhee-MYE-zhoo

Exactly! Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. I live in Kazimierz. He remembered that when talking about himself, the verb ending changes.

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. — I live in Kazimierz. · MYESH-kam na ka-zhee-MYE-zhoo

Mieszkam. The 'am' at the end means I do it. I live. And because Kazimierz is a special historic district, we say na Kazimierzu, not 'w'.

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. — I live in Kazimierz. · MYESH-kam na ka-zhee-MYE-zhoo

Try it. It flows beautifully once you get the rhythm. Mieszkam na Kazimierzu.

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. — I live in Kazimierz. · MYESH-kam na ka-zhee-MYE-zhoo

One more time, own the space. Mieszkam na Kazimierzu.

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. — I live in Kazimierz. · MYESH-kam na ka-zhee-MYE-zhoo

Look how much he can already say. Let's check those four pieces before we add the final one. First, asking what someone does: Co robisz? Co robisz? Then answering: Pracuję w mieście. Pracuję w mieście. Asking where they live: Gdzie mieszkasz? Gdzie mieszkasz? And answering proudly: Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. Mieszkam na Kazimierzu.

Back in the attic, Ola notices the battered notebook full of scribbles and arrows. She taps it.

Uczę się polskiego.

Uczę się polskiego. — I'm learning Polish. · OO-cheh sheh pol-SKYE-go

She just handed him the most important sentence of all. Uczę się polskiego. I'm learning Polish.

Uczę się polskiego. — I'm learning Polish. · OO-cheh sheh pol-SKYE-go

Literally, it means 'I teach myself of Polish'. Uczę się. There's that 'ę' ending again for I. Say the first part: uczę się.

Uczę się polskiego. — I'm learning Polish. · OO-cheh sheh pol-SKYE-go

And polskiego is Polish. It sounds a bit long, but just glide through it: polskiego. Let's try the whole thing: Uczę się polskiego.

Uczę się polskiego. — I'm learning Polish. · OO-cheh sheh pol-SKYE-go

Uczę się polskiego.

Uczę się polskiego. — I'm learning Polish. · OO-cheh sheh pol-SKYE-go

Ola stands up, claps her hands, and points to the door. Practice time is over. She's sending him down to the courtyard to use this on a real person.

Tom walks down the stairs, repeating the chunks under his breath. He hits the courtyard, and immediately bumps into Kuba.

Siema! Co robisz?

Pracuję w mieście.

Spoko. A gdzie mieszkasz?

Mieszkam na Kazimierzu.

I... uczę się polskiego.

No ba! Dawaj na kawę.

He did it. He's not just a tourist asking for coffee anymore; he's a guy who lives here. Let's lock in his new life. I live in Kazimierz: Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. Mieszkam na Kazimierzu. I work in town: Pracuję w mieście. Pracuję w mieście. I'm learning Polish: Uczę się polskiego. Uczę się polskiego. What do you do?: Co robisz? Co robisz? And where do you live?: Gdzie mieszkasz? Gdzie mieszkasz?

As Kuba walks away, Tom spots Magda crossing the courtyard with her planner. He's got real sentences now. Will he actually use them on her? Find out in the next episode. We drop new lessons every Tuesday and Friday. See you then!