kawa / woda
Polish "w" is English "v" — the classic slip
Common trap for English speakers Polish w = English "v": "KA-va", "VO-da". This is the most persistent English slip because the letter looks identical to English "w".
Learn it in the story
This phrase appears in the lesson:
Level pre-A1 · Lesson 1
Welcome to Kazimierz — Witaj na Kazimierzu (Intro)
Related phrases
- cześć — "hi/bye" — cz and ć are English "ch", ś is "sh"
- ładny / mały — Polish "ł" is English "w" — never say "l"
- już / rzeka — "ż" and "rz" are the SAME sound: the s in "measure"
- dziękuję — "dź" = English j; stress is the second-to-last syllable
- są / kawę — the nasal vowels "ą / ę" — hum them (ę at word-end → plain "e")