Episode 13 · Real Polish with Kuba

Welcome back to Kazimierz. Over the last few weeks, Tom has been doing great. He's mastered his coffee order at Pani Basia's, he's survived the market with Pan Zbyszek, and he's even navigated the incredibly formal world of Pani Kowalska's desk.

The problem is, Tom now speaks Polish like a perfectly polite, slightly nervous Victorian gentleman. Dzień dobry to everyone. Dziękuję bardzo for everything. But today, the street is about to speed up.

Enter Kuba. He's the neighborhood handyman, he knows everyone, and he speaks at about a hundred miles an hour. He spots Tom and decides it's time to loosen him up.

Siema! Co tam słychać?

Siema! Co tam słychać? — Hey! How's it going? · SHEH-mah! TSO tam SWIH-khach?

Tom has no idea what just happened. He was bracing for a formal Dzień dobry. Instead, he got Siema. This is the ultimate casual 'Hey' among friends or younger people. Say it with me. Siema.

Siema! Co tam słychać? — Hey! How's it going? · SHEH-mah! TSO tam SWIH-khach?

And then Kuba asked, Co tam słychać? Literally, 'what can be heard over there?', but it just means 'How's it going?' or 'What's up?'. Notice that 'ch' at the end. It's a soft, breathy sound, like you're clearing your throat gently. Co tam słychać.

Siema! Co tam słychać? — Hey! How's it going? · SHEH-mah! TSO tam SWIH-khach?

Dzień dobry. Jak się masz? Bardzo dobrze, dziękuję.

Kuba is trying not to laugh. Tom just answered a casual 'what's up' with the equivalent of 'Good day to you, sir, I am very well, I thank you.' Kuba claps him on the shoulder.

No. No ba! Spoko.

No. No ba! Spoko. — Yeah. Oh, definitely! Cool. · Noh. Noh BAH! SPOH-koh.

Now we are deep in street Polish. Spoko is short for spokojnie. It means 'cool', 'chill', or 'no worries'. When someone asks how you are, you can just say, Spoko.

No. No ba! Spoko. — Yeah. Oh, definitely! Cool. · Noh. Noh BAH! SPOH-koh.

And No ba! is a fantastic little filler that means 'obviously!' or 'for sure!'. Try saying it. No ba! Spoko. It instantly makes you sound like a local.

No. No ba! Spoko. — Yeah. Oh, definitely! Cool. · Noh. Noh BAH! SPOH-koh.

Siema. Spoko.

Tom wants to keep the momentum going. He remembers his café victory. He decides to invite Kuba for a coffee. This is a big step for him.

Idziesz na kawę?

No!

Idziesz na kawę? — No! — Coming for a coffee? — Yeah! (NOT 'no'!) · EE-jesh nah KAH-veh? — Noh!

Oh, Tom. Tom's heart drops. He hears the English word 'no'. He thinks Kuba just flatly rejected him. He looks down, embarrassed.

Oh. Dobrze. Do widzenia.

Kuba is so confused right now. Why is the English guy walking away? Here is the biggest trap in spoken Polish. The word No sounds exactly like the English 'no', but it actually means 'Yeah'! It's a casual agreement.

Idziesz na kawę? — No! — Coming for a coffee? — Yeah! (NOT 'no'!) · EE-jesh nah KAH-veh? — Noh!

Before Kuba chases Tom down, let's review what we've learned so far. Siema! Co tam słychać? Hey, how's it going. Siema! Co tam słychać? Next, the relaxed filler, No. No ba! Spoko. Yeah, definitely, cool. No. No ba! Spoko. And finally, the danger zone: Idziesz na kawę? — No! Coming for a coffee? Yeah. Idziesz na kawę? — No!

Kuba jogs over and stops Tom. He realizes the mix-up and explains it in a mix of gestures and broken English. Tom's face lights up with relief.

Jasne, dawaj. Na razie!

Jasne, dawaj. Na razie! — Sure, let's go. See ya! · YAS-neh, DAH-vay. Nah RAH-zheh!

Jasne means 'clear' or 'sure'. And dawaj literally means 'give', but in slang, it means 'come on' or 'let's go'. Jasne, dawaj. Say it with me. Jasne, dawaj.

Jasne, dawaj. Na razie! — Sure, let's go. See ya! · YAS-neh, DAH-vay. Nah RAH-zheh!

And when Kuba waved to a passing neighbor, he said Na razie! This is the ultimate casual 'See ya later'. Forget Do widzenia when you're with friends. Use Na razie! Notice that 'rz' makes a 'zh' sound, like the 's' in treasure. Na razie!

Jasne, dawaj. Na razie! — Sure, let's go. See ya! · YAS-neh, DAH-vay. Nah RAH-zheh!

They arrive at Pani Basia's café. Tom uses his trusty poproszę kawę and proudly hands Kuba his cup. He belongs here now.

Dzięki, stary. Spoko.

Dzięki, stary. Spoko. — Cheers, mate. No worries. · JEN-kee, STAH-rih. SPOH-koh.

You know dziękuję is 'thank you'. But with friends, drop the formality. Just say Dzięki. It means 'thanks' or 'cheers'. Say it slowly: Dzięki. Now at normal speed. Dzięki.

Dzięki, stary. Spoko. — Cheers, mate. No worries. · JEN-kee, STAH-rih. SPOH-koh.

And stary? Literally, it means 'old'. But here, it means 'mate', 'dude', or 'man'. It's incredibly endearing. By calling him stary, Kuba has officially welcomed Tom into the neighborhood circle.

Dzięki, stary. Spoko. — Cheers, mate. No worries. · JEN-kee, STAH-rih. SPOH-koh.

Dzięki, stary. Spoko.

Dzięki, stary. Spoko. — Cheers, mate. No worries. · JEN-kee, STAH-rih. SPOH-koh.

Let's lock in everything from the second half. Jasne, dawaj. Na razie! Sure, let's go. See ya! Jasne, dawaj. Na razie! And finally, thanks mate, no worries: Dzięki, stary. Spoko. Dzięki, stary. Spoko.

Tom sips his coffee. The polite armor is starting to crack. He's no longer just a customer or a foreigner at a desk. He's stary. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Magda with her planner, walking across the square...

Will Tom use his new casual Polish on Magda? Or will he freeze up again? Find out next time. Remember, we post new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Join us, and let's keep building this world together. Na razie!