Fablingo / Fablingo Polish / Level pre-A1
Episode 10 · A Coffee at Pani Basia's
Duration: 6:40
After this lesson you can:
Find the café, order a coffee or tea on your own — the first case, by ear — say what you want and like, be polite, and hear Pani Basia warm to a fond kochanie.
In this episode
The hospitality thread pays off: Tom finds the café himself (gdzie jest kawiarnia? — tu, na rogu) and orders for the first time without pointing — poproszę kawę — the first case slipped in by ear, then admits lubię kawę. naprawdę ją lubię! Pani Basia warms live from a polite co podać? into a fond to co zwykle, kochanie? — the exact moment she stops treating him as a customer and starts treating him as one of hers. His cup, from now on, is "his."
Welcome back to Kazimierz. Over the last few days, Tom has started piecing together a life here. He has a room, he's survived the local council office, and he's even made a couple of friends.
But navigating bureaucracy is one thing. Sometimes, the real milestone in a new country is much simpler. You just want to wake up, walk down your street, and get a decent cup of coffee without feeling like an alien.
Tom knows there's a café nearby. He's been there once. But Kazimierz is a maze of little streets, and today he's turned around. Luckily, Kuba is just coming out of a record shop.
Gdzie jest kawiarnia?
Tu, na rogu.
Our first real navigation tool! Gdzie jest means 'where is'. Kawiarnia is the café. And Kuba points and says, Tu, na rogu. Here, on the corner. Say the whole exchange with me: Gdzie jest kawiarnia? — Tu, na rogu.
Gdzie jest kawiarnia? — Tu, na rogu. — Where's the café? — Right here, on the corner. · GJEH yest ka-VYAR-nya? — Too, na RO-goo.
The tricky part is that 'w' in kawiarnia sounds like a 'v'. Try asking 'Where is the café?' with me. Gdzie jest kawiarnia?
And the answer: Tu, na rogu. Róg is a corner, and na rogu means on the corner. Try saying it. Tu, na rogu.
Tom spots the green awning. He pushes the heavy wooden door open, and the bell chimes. He steps inside, takes a breath, and tries out a greeting we know well.
Dzień dobry.
Dzień dobry! Co podać?
Dzień dobry! Co podać? — Good morning! What can I get you? · JEHN DO-bry! TSO PO-datch?
Ah, the classic hospitality greeting. Co podać? literally means 'What to serve?' This is the standard, polite way you will be asked for your order anywhere in Poland. Say it with me: Dzień dobry! Co podać?
Dzień dobry! Co podać? — Good morning! What can I get you? · JEHN DO-bry! TSO PO-datch?
The 'c' in co is a 'ts' sound, like in cats. And podać ends with a soft 'ć', which sounds a bit like 'ch'. Co podać?
Now it's Tom's turn. No pointing at the menu today. He knows the word for coffee is kawa, and water is woda. But watch what happens to those words when he actually orders them.
Poproszę kawę i wodę.
Poproszę kawę i wodę. — A coffee and a water, please. · po-PRO-sheh KAH-veh ee VO-deh.
He did it! Did you hear that? He didn't say kawa, he said kawę. And he didn't say woda, he said wodę. This is the real trick to sounding natural. Say his order with me: Poproszę kawę i wodę.
Poproszę kawę i wodę. — A coffee and a water, please. · po-PRO-sheh KAH-veh ee VO-deh.
In Polish, when you ask for something, the word changes slightly to show it's the target of your action. The 'a' at the end of kawa changes to an 'ę'. It sounds like a nasal 'eh'. Kawę.
Say 'I would like' first. Poproszę. Now add the coffee, making sure to end with that 'ę' sound. Poproszę kawę.
Proszę.
Let's pause and see what we've picked up. Finding the place: Gdzie jest kawiarnia? Tu, na rogu. The greeting: Dzień dobry! Co podać? And the perfect order: Poproszę kawę i wodę.
Tom takes a sip. He's English, so he's used to tea, but Pani Basia makes a brilliant cup of coffee. He looks up, and she's watching him.
Lubię kawę. Naprawdę ją lubię!
Lubię kawę. Naprawdę ją lubię! — I like coffee. I really like it! · LOO-byeh KAH-veh. na-PRAV-deh yow LOO-byeh!
This is a great phrase. Lubię means 'I like', and because he likes it, the ending changes again. Then he adds naprawdę, meaning really or truly! Say the whole thing with me: Lubię kawę. Naprawdę ją lubię!
Lubię kawę. Naprawdę ją lubię! — I like coffee. I really like it! · LOO-byeh KAH-veh. na-PRAV-deh yow LOO-byeh!
And to emphasize it, he adds naprawdę, which means really or truly. Try saying 'I like coffee'. Lubię kawę.
Fast forward to Friday morning. Tom has been in every single day this week. He walks in, takes his scarf off, and steps up to the counter. He opens his mouth to say poproszę kawę...
...but Pani Basia beats him to it. And notice, she drops the polite, formal 'Co podać?' entirely.
To co zwykle, kochanie?
To co zwykle, kochanie? — The usual, love? · To TSO ZVI-kleh, ko-HA-nyeh?
This is the exact moment Tom stops being a tourist. To co zwykle means 'The usual', and kochanie is a term of endearment like 'love' or 'darling'. Say it with me: To co zwykle, kochanie?
To co zwykle, kochanie? — The usual, love? · To TSO ZVI-kleh, ko-HA-nyeh?
And kochanie is a term of endearment. It means love, or darling. It's warm, familiar, and maternal. When Pani Basia calls you kochanie, you belong here. Try saying it. Kochanie.
Tak, dziękuję.
He didn't even have to ask. His cup, from now on, is 'his'. He takes his coffee and sits at his corner table.
Let's review the phrases that turned Tom into a regular. First, getting there: Gdzie jest kawiarnia? — Tu, na rogu. Then, the polite welcome: Dzień dobry! Co podać? The perfect order: Poproszę kawę i wodę. Sharing what he likes: Lubię kawę. Naprawdę ją lubię! And the beautiful reward: To co zwykle, kochanie?
Tom is settling in nicely. But as the weekend approaches, kuba has invited him out for the evening. And socialising in a noisy pub is a whole different challenge. Join us next time. We're here every Tuesday and Friday. Do widzenia!
Vocabulary
| Phrase | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gdzie jest kawiarnia? — Tu, na rogu. | Where's the café? — Right here, on the corner. | |
| Dzień dobry! Co podać? | Good morning! What can I get you? | |
| Poproszę kawę i wodę. | A coffee and a water, please. | |
| Lubię kawę. Naprawdę ją lubię! | I like coffee. I really like it! | |
| To co zwykle, kochanie? | The usual, love? |
Grammar in this lesson
the SECRET SAUCE, live — to order you say poproszę kawę, not kawa (item 5); the -a → -ę ending is heard, felt as "what you say when you want something," never named — and lubię kawę wears the very same ending, so the pattern soaks in across two verbs (item 9). Gdzie + a location answer with być tu (items 11, 3). Pani Basia's register shift — polite co podać? melting into a fond to co zwykle, kochanie? — the Pani→ty dial made audible (item 6).