Most of us, even before starting to study Polish, noticed the fairly frequent use of words by Poles pan, pani, państwo. A closer acquaintance with the language and culture only strengthens this impression, and our recently proletarian guts begin to rebel a little and demand the restoration of social equality by abolishing these lordly manners.
However, let’s not rush to conclusions; let’s try to understand the use of these words in modern Polish.
1. Most often, the use of the words pan, pani or państwo is just speech etiquette. The fact is that Poles do not use the form of polite address “You” at all, as is customary, for example, in Russian (by the way, Poles practically do not use personal pronouns at all: I, you, we and you). Instead, the forms pan are used - when addressing a man, pani - if we are addressing a woman, or państwo - when addressing several interlocutors at once.
Uprzejmie prosimy Państwa na widownie.
Attention! The slippery point where beginners of the Polish language often make mistakes is in translation. We translate the words Pan, Pani Państwo in such sentences into Russian as a form of polite address “You”:
Czy może Pan teraz rozmawiać?-Can you talk now?
Czy mogę zaprosić Panią na kawę?— Can I invite you for coffee?
Uprzejmie prosimy Państwa na widownię.– Please go to the auditorium.
2. If these words are addressed not to the interlocutor, but to third parties, then we translate them into Russian with the words “man”, “man”, “woman”, “people”.
Tego Pana widziałem wczoraj na Uniwersytecie.– I saw this man at the university yesterday.
Ta Pani jest z Krakowa.– This woman is from Krakow.
To jest samochód tamtych Państwa.- This is the car of those people.
3. Sometimes, when Pan, Pani, Państwo come before given names or surnames, we can completely omit them when translating into Russian. The fact is that in this case pan, pani, państwo are Polish equivalents of English miss, mister, French monsieur, madame, etc. Due to the fact that in Russian we have not used the words Mr. (Mrs.) before surnames for a long time, when translating similar constructions from Polish into Russian, we simply omit them:
Nasi sąsiędzi to państwo Kowalskich.– The Kowalskis are our neighbors.
Mama poszła do Pani Nowakowej.– Mom went to Novakova.
Pan Hoffman jest naszym profesorem.– Goffman is our teacher.
Remember! The words pan and pani will always require a 3rd verb after them. units numbers (ta pani pisze, pan Jerzy czyta), and the word państwo – in 3 l. plural numbers (ci państwo lubią herbatę).
The photographs show the Kamedulov monastery on Lake Wigry near Suwałki (from the author’s personal collection, September 2016)
Russian-Polish phrasebook - a cheat sheet for tourists traveling around Poland. A short phrasebook with pronunciation includes words and phrases commonly used in speech, which may be useful for independent travelers to navigate in cities, communicate in hotels, restaurants and shops.
First of all, it is worth noting for yourself and remembering politeness phrases - their use will allow you to win over your interlocutor. Please note that you should address strangers in the third person (pan/pani).
If you are going to visit non-tourist canteens and restaurants where mainly locals dine, be prepared for the fact that the menu may be exclusively in Polish. In this case, not only a phrasebook, but also a wider list of main dishes with explanations in Russian will be very useful.
Some words in Polish may seem similar in their spelling and sound, but their meaning is not always predictable. For example, Polish pierogi are dumplings that can have a variety of fillings, and sklep is a regular store. There are quite a lot of similar cases, and a Polish phrasebook, supplemented by an offline dictionary, will help, if possible, avoid translation incidents.
The table below shows the original spelling of words and phrases, as well as approximate pronunciation - based on transcription.
Common phrases
| Hello (good morning, good afternoon) | dzień dobry | J'en are kind |
| Good evening | dobry wieczor | good evening |
| Good night | dobranoc | dobranets |
| Hello | cześć | cheschch |
| Goodbye | do widzenia | until Wizen |
| Thank you | dziękuję / dziękuję bardzo | j"enkue / j"enkue barzo |
| Sorry | przepraszam | psheprasham |
| Bon appetit | smacznego | delicious |
| Yes | so | So |
| No | nie | Not |
Transport
| Station | stacja | statsya |
| Stop | przystanek | Przystanek |
| Railway station | dworzec kolejowy | palace of the rut |
| Airport | lotnisko | letnisko |
| Bus station | dworzec autobusowy | the bus man |
| Transfer | przesiadka | pshesadka |
| Luggage storage | przechowalnia bagażu | pshechovalnya luggage |
| Hand luggage | bagaż podręczny | luggage |
| Arrival | przybycie | Przybycze |
| Departure | clothing | dressier |
| Cash register | kasa | casa |
| Ticket | ticket | ticket |
| Can you call a taxi? | Czy moze pan(i) przywolac takso’wke? | Chshi mozhe pan(i) pshivolach taksufke? |
At the hotel
In a restaurant, canteen, store
| Soup | zupa | Zupa |
| Snack | przystawka | pshishtavka |
| Hot dish | Danie Gorące | Dana Gorontse |
| Garnish | dodatki | extras |
| Drinks | napoje | drunk |
| Tea | herbata | herbata |
| Coffee | kawa | kava |
| Meat | mięso | menso |
| Beef | wolowina | whoa |
| Pork | wieprzowina | Wepszowina |
| Chicken | kurczak | kurchak |
| Fish | ryba | fish |
| Vegetables | warzywa | vazhiva |
| Potato | ziemniaki | dugouts |
| The check, please | Prosze o rachunek | Ask about rahunek |
| Shop | sklep | crypt |
| Market | rynek | market |
| Dining room | jadalnia | food shop |
| What is the price...? | Ile kosztuje...? | Ile Kostue...? |
Months
Days of the week
Numbers
| 0 | zero | zero |
| 1 | jeden | eden |
| 2 | dwa | two |
| 3 | trzy | tshi |
| 4 | cztery | chters |
| 5 | pięć | pench |
| 6 | sześć | sheschch |
| 7 | siedem | we are generous |
| 8 | osiem | generally |
| 9 | dziewięć | j"wench |
| 10 | dzesięć | j "yeschench |
| 100 | sto | one hundred |
| 1000 | tysiąc | thousand |
Preparation of documents for Poland and learning the Polish language are very popular. That is why the employees of our translation agency have prepared a short article for our clients, which describes the traditions and peculiarities of communication in Poland, the cultural perception of Poles and their attitude towards everyone who learns the Polish language.
In order to travel or work in Poland, it is worth learning at least basic Polish words, namely: “dzien dobry” i.e. “Good afternoon!”, “do widzenia” - “Goodbye!”, “przepraszam” - “Sorry!” and “dziekuje” - “Thank you!” WITH correct pronunciation A guide to learning Polish can help you.
The usual greeting is a firm handshake. The same goes for farewell. Hugs and kisses are only permissible in the case of close friendships.
Poles do not have a general rule regarding addressing each other. During the first acquaintance, they are addressed by their first or last name, and during further meetings - only by their first name.
Poles are very attentive to body language and react to it. Avoid excessive or lack of gesticulation. When talking, try to smile, be yourself, but do not express your emotions too much. During a conversation, it is important to look your interlocutor in the eyes. Be sincere, open and avoid self-centeredness.
Polish businessmen love to talk about such global topics as social life, family and career. In order to start a conversation, it is enough to ask the question: who, what, when, why and how. The more you communicate with Poles, the more they begin to gesticulate.
Typical business reticence can eventually turn into friendly back-patting.
Avoid personal conversations when you are in a group of people. It is better to keep a conversation with each of them.
Be punctual. If you are late, warn about the reason for your lateness, otherwise you will be considered an unreliable person.
If you enter the meeting room, then wait for the person who will show you where to sit.
I will be part of the delegation in Poland. How to interact with Poles correctly?
If there is one nearby strangers, wait until they are presented to you.
Polish negotiations are being conducted with restraint. During negotiations, there may be moments of silence, which is absolutely normal. Under no circumstances try to disrupt it by talking too much. The main thing is valuable information.
Poles usually negotiate with a group of people, rather than with just one person. If you have gained their trust, this will usually help seal the deal.
Be thoroughly prepared for any meeting or negotiation and make sure that you have the right to make concessions on your part.
And finally, Polish, English and German are the languages in which business negotiations are most often conducted.
Every meeting begins with small talk. Such communication allows everyone to relax and make a good impression.
Be patient. The decision-making process in Poland is much slower than in South America.
Before concluding a business agreement, be prepared for several meetings.
According to Polish business etiquette, in order for the business to be successful, it is customary to give gifts before the conclusion, especially when contracts are concluded for the first time, as well as after the conclusion of the contract. The best gifts are always items that reflect national culture. If you are Swiss, then you can safely give chocolate. Also a good gift would be a book that tells about your country or region.
If you want to get to know your business partners better, invite them for coffee or lunch. This way you can communicate better with them, but you should not start talking about business until they start first. As a rule, a toast is said before or after a meal. If you want to make a toast, it is very important to make eye contact. Don't start drinking until your guest has finished his toast. If your guest makes a toast while standing, then you should stand too. A common toast in Poland is “na zdrowie!” those. "For health."
It is very important to show special respect for elders. For example, in crowded public transport, young people give up their seats to older ones.
5 main topics of conversation:
- Your home country, city and way of life
- Your education and work experience
- Funny jokes and stories that everyone loves
- Your hobbies and things that interest you
- Art, music and culture
5 main taboo topics:
- Politics in general, if they don't start talking about it first
- Emphasize or boast about money and wealth
- Avoid talking while keeping your hands in your pockets
- Religion in general, if they don't start talking about it first
- Don't sit with your legs crossed.
One of the main factors influencing the development of Polish culture and way of life is considered to be the geographical location of Poland, which has always been at the crossroads of European routes and in contact with different cultures West and East.
Basic principles of communication culture in Poland: traditions, values and prohibitions
Thus, the traditional clothing of the Polish gentry (XVI, XVII centuries) - kuntushes and zhupans - came to Poland from the East; in Polish cities one can find signs of many European architectural styles, and in Polish cuisine there are elements of German and Ukrainian.
Quoting the world-famous Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi: “The Polish mentality can be described as follows: we look at everyone and try to be like them, choosing the most suitable. Polish culture has strong Latin roots. We accepted Roman principles of thinking, Russia – Byzantine ones...”
The results of sociological surveys outside Poland show that representatives of other countries attribute the following traits to Poles: spontaneity and openness; enterprise and hospitality; independence of thinking and greater independence of judgment; respect for traditions and religiosity.
Poles respect professionalism in any field, which is reflected in speech etiquette: if you are involved in medicine, then others will call you nothing more than “Mr. Doctor”; if you work in the field of education, then they will address you as “Mr. Professor.”
An interesting feature of spoken Polish is the normative use of diminutive suffixes when addressing a neutral interlocutor (client, partner, etc.).
For example, in a store you may be offered “khlebuschya” (translated from Polish: “bread”), in a kiosk - “newspaper”, in a pharmacy - “mixture”, in a coffee shop - “coffee” (in Polish: “kavusi” ). Don’t be surprised if a Pole you know addresses you as “fish” or “frog” (from Polish: frog): such forms of address are generally accepted and indicate that the interlocutor is disposed towards you.
Polish men of all ages and classes are distinguished by their gallantry, which has become part of the national culture of behavior. Poles kiss the hands of ladies, open doors for them, and if necessary, they will gladly help carry a heavy bag and give up their seat in transport to a woman or people of an older age category.
Poles are famous for their love of holidays, banquets and feasts with all their attributes (dancing, toasts, rich food...). It should be noted that the Poles are the most grateful dancers in the world; it is not for nothing that the energetic krakowiak (in Polish: “krakowiak”) and mazurka (“mazurek”) are truly Polish folk dances.
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Business culture in Poland. Etiquette.
lady
lady in Poland
Alternative descriptions
Polka, but not a butterfly
Polish
Polite address to a woman in Poland
Monica, but not Lewinsky
Mistress in Warsaw
Mistress from Warsaw
Lady from Lodz
Appeal to a polka
Polish mistress
Mistress from Krakow
Lady from Gdynia
Dear Polish
. ... Monica from zucchini
Woman in Poland
Dear Polish girl
Master's wife in Poland
Polka, but not dance
. ...Teresa of the Zucchini
Polish lady
Mistress in Poland
Married Polish woman
Polish lady
Lady from Warsaw
Miss Warsaw
Addressing a woman in Poland
Polish lady
Appeal to a Polish lady
Panenka after getting married
Fraumadam from Krakow
REJECTED polka
Madam from Krakow
Appeal to a Polish woman
Woman from Poland
Polish madam
Lady from Poland
Polish master's wife
Lady from Poznan
Polish equivalent of the French madame
Panenka after the wedding
Mrs. Warsaw
Lady from Warsaw
Lady from Chorzow
Mistress Polish
The wife of a landowner, a gentleman in the old days in Ukraine and Poland
In ancient Indian mythology, one of the leaders of the demons
Most of us, even before starting to study Polish, noticed the fairly frequent use of words by Poles pan, pani, państwo. Let's try to understand the use of these words in modern Polish.
1. Most often, the use of the words pan, pani or państwo is just speech etiquette. The fact is that Poles do not use the polite form of address “You” at all, as is customary, for example, in Russian (by the way, Poles practically do not use the personal pronouns I, You, We and You). Instead, the forms pan are used - when addressing a man, pani - if we are addressing a woman, or państwo - when addressing several interlocutors at once.
Uprzejmie prosimy Państwa na widownie.
Attention!
events in Poland
The slippery point where beginners of the Polish language often make mistakes is in translation. We translate the words Pan, Pani Państwo in such sentences into Russian as a form of polite address “You”:
Czy może Pan teraz rozmawiać?-Can you talk now?
Czy mogę zaprosić Panią na kawę?— Can I invite you for coffee?
Uprzejmie prosimy Państwa na widownię.– Please go to the auditorium.
2. If these words are addressed not to the interlocutor, but to third parties, then we translate them into Russian with the words “man”, “man”, “woman”, “people”.
Tego Pana widziałem wczoraj na Uniwersytecie.– I saw this man at the university yesterday.
Ta Pani jest z Krakowa.– This woman is from Krakow.
To jest samochód tamtych Państwa.- This is the car of those people.
3. Sometimes, when Pan, Pani, Państwo come before given names or surnames, we can completely omit them when translating into Russian. The fact is that in this case pan, pani, państwo are Polish equivalents of English miss, mister, French monsieur, madame, etc. Due to the fact that in Russian we have not used the words Mr. (Mrs.) before surnames for a long time, when translating similar constructions from Polish into Russian, we simply omit them:
Nasi sąsiędzi to państwo Kowalskich.– The Kowalskis are our neighbors.
Mama poszła do Pani Nowakowej.– Mom went to Novakova.
Pan Hoffman jest naszym profesorem.– Goffman is our teacher.
Remember! The words pan and pani will always require a 3rd verb after them. units numbers (ta pani pisze, pan Jerzy czyta), and the word państwo – in 3 l. plural numbers (te państwo lubią herbatę).
When arriving in any country, it is better to know in advance all the subtleties and rules of local etiquette, so that no unpleasant situations happen to you.
Today we’ll talk about the rules of etiquette in Poland, what is considered the norm here and what is not.
Poles are a proud people, many people are religious and very family-oriented. There is an opinion that people in Poland do not like Russians and Germans, which may be related to the Second World War and the USSR. Therefore, it is better not to touch on these topics, as well as the topic of the Holocaust, in conversation. But this is just an opinion, and Russians who have visited this country or moved there say the exact opposite, the people are friendly, the service staff is well-mannered and not rude, people on the streets will kindly tell you and show you how to get there and what to find.
But mentality here is different from ours, although Poles also drink vodka, are afraid of their bosses and give up their seats to older people on public transport. These basic rules of etiquette will reveal who the Poles are and how they should behave.
Spoken speech
The most common greeting phrase- “czesc”, which is pronounced like “tshesch”. Here, as in many other countries, there are different greeting phrases depending on the time of day:
- “Dzień dobry” (good day) – good afternoon;
- “Dobry wieczór” (good evening) - good evening;
- “Do widzenia” (before the vision) - goodbye;
- “Dobranoc” (dobranets) – Good night, Good night.
Handshake It is also appropriate here instead of the usual greeting. Sometimes you can, as a greeting, kiss on the cheek, with a barely noticeable touch of the cheeks.
Both men and women can shake hands. If you come to a large company of men and women, you need to greet the women first. There is still a custom here to kiss a woman on the hand, although this does not happen so often.
Be polite To Poles you need to use the addresses “pan” and “pani”, which are used as a prefix to the first or last name. For example, in a restaurant it would be wrong to simply call the service staff with the word “waiter”; do it “Mr. Waiter”, this is considered polite.
People who have just met can call each other by their last name with the prefix “pan”, “pani”. It is more respectful when you use both your last and first names.
Public places
Like many other countries in the world, in Poland it is customary let women go first, hold doors for them, give up seats on public transport. More take older people seriously, making sure to give up your seats on public transport.
In public places, including bus stops, squares, parks, playgrounds and parking lots no smoking. Also, carrying an even closed bottle of alcohol in your hands is considered a violation and you can easily get a fine. Not to mention drinking alcohol on the street.
Drunk driving is also seriously punished. In addition, this rule also applies to cyclists. And in general, to the rules traffic they are taken very seriously and there are considerable fines even for minor violations. Therefore, you should take this seriously and never violate it, remember that this is bad, especially in a foreign country.
You should also pay attention to rules of behavior in temples(churches). Photography is prohibited here. As mentioned above, Poles are quite religious, so a lot of people visit temples. But you can also sit here during the service, and the priest can tell a joke during the service.
Business etiquette
So you shouldn't be too surprised.
Table and guest etiquette
We have already written about how to politely call waiters, now let’s talk about tips. Here it is customary to leave at least 10% of total amount tip the waiter. Although in some restaurants “tea” is already included in the bill.
When visiting, you will definitely see soup on the table. Any feast, for any occasion, starts with soups. Here they love borscht and mushroom soup. Borscht is often consumed from a cup.
During the feast you may be asked explicit questions. You shouldn’t be surprised, since the Poles are very sincere and open people. This is how they try to improve their relationship.
After dinner, it is customary to thank not only the hostess, but also everyone present for the good company and a wonderful evening.
Poles love and drink vodka, some even think it national drink. Sometimes they drink vodka after a feast, without a snack, but with a carbonated drink or juice. Here you can ask to dilute it, this will not be considered something indecent, especially for women. Vodka is often diluted with apple juice and this drink is called charlotte.
In bars and restaurants you can find fruit beer or beer with juice, which can be served with a straw.
Most popular toasts in Poland it is “for health”, “for ladies”. However, like ours. If guests gather to celebrate a birthday, they sing the song “sto lat”, which means they wish to live a hundred years.
When you are invited to dinner or a visit, you can bring a small present. A win-win option is a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of wine. Here it is customary to give flowers without packaging.
Business etiquette
Regarding business relations, he also has a lot in common with general rules business etiquette. Honesty, openness and punctuality are valued here. Also, business partners will be pleased if you use a few phrases in Polish.
Sign good manners is the interchange of business cards. The inscriptions on the cards may be in English.
Before moving on to the main business It's common to talk about general topics here, for example about social life, work experience. In this way, Poles try to understand their partner better and establish sympathy for each other. But it’s worth holding back from talking about money.
It may happen that during business conversations there will be a long pause. There is nothing strange here, since the Poles like to resolve issues slowly. The only thing is do not fill these pauses with other persuasion, this is considered impolite. It would also be impolite to answer the phone during a conversation.
Today we will talk about polite address in Polish and its features.
Actually, it’s probably worth starting with Russian: when we address someone, we use the polite form “You”. And it makes no difference whether it is a man, a girl or a group of people:
“Would you be so kind as to...?”
This appeal is universal and the direction here is determined either by the interlocutor or the context, but not by the wording. Actually, as far as you can already guess, Polish opens up this opportunity, using in its modern language such forms as “Pan/Pani” which you have probably already heard about. Let's look at all the available branches, both singular and plural:
That is, as you can see, the Polish language splits the Russian “You” into 5 different classes. In addition, when addressing “you” we always use the verb in the appropriate form (from a grammatical point of view - second person plural: will those, although those, sleep those, working those) without our offer is aimed at one person or at a group. In Polish they use the third person: will there be Pan/Pani? Will there be Panove/Pane/Panstvo [if in Russian grammatically it is neuter(Państvo – it), then in Polish, naturally, it is plural in the personal-masculine form – they] ?
How to teach this?
In fact, for Russian speakers there is one archaism that makes learning these word forms several times easier. It sounds like "gentlemen."
- Will the gentleman dance? – Czy będzie Pan tańczyć?
- Will the lady dance? – Why not?
- Will ladies/gentlemen dance? – Czy będą Panowie/Państwo tańczyć?
As you can see, when using this form, everything falls into place and sentences acquire a natural structure. Using this formulation, just like in Polish, we use the verb in the third person (singular or plural: will, will).
Interesting facts:
- In Polish, “Pan” is equivalent to the Russian address to “You”: to superiors, strangers, elders, just a polite address, etc.;
- In Polish, the address slips in the second form of the plural (for example: “Czy państwo macie długopisy?”);
- When addressed in person in a letter, forms of politeness are written with a capital letter;
- In some cases, a man may be addressed as “Panie” - this is not a mistake at all, but on the contrary - a very material address (in the vective case);
- The Polish “ty” fully corresponds to the Russian “you”;
- The address "wy" ("you") is used if it is directed at a group of people with whom they communicate using "ty".
It should be noted that this difference between Polish and Russian is one of the fundamental ones in the language and is used very often and everywhere. Therefore, its study is mandatory initial stage, so that further development is easy and enjoyable.
Add the article to bookmarks so as not to lose it and re-read it so many times until you realize that you are already identifying the form automatically without any memory.
PAN AND PANI PANUVATI WILL BE THEIR HUMP. GALICHIANS DICTATE THEIR OWN. 
The City Council of Lutsk, the administrative center of the Volyn region of Ukraine, approved the official appeal “pan” and “pani” to the residents of the city. These words should be used by employees of executive bodies, deputies, heads of individual utility companies, institutions and organizations.
The draft decision was introduced by deputy Askold Pekarsky. According to him, this address was actively used in the business style of the Ukrainian language. The deputy also noted that recently the scope of its use has expanded, but there is an opinion that the words “pan” and “pani” are alien to Ukrainians.
The draft states that previously these words were synonymous with unlimited despotic power in most Slavic languages. They were especially ignored in Ukraine in Soviet era, although they can tell a lot about the past of the people. “In addition, by the mere fact of its existence, the word “pan” refutes the favorite axiom of Soviet ideologists about the common and simultaneous origin of the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian languages,” noted the Lutsk press service.
Before this, a similar decision was made in the Zaporozhye region. Previously, Lutsk banned publicly showing and playing songs of a number of Russian singers and actors, as well as Gerard Depardieu.
http://social.eadaily.com/url?e=simple_click&blog_...ialnoe-obrashchenie-pan-i-pani
10/29/2015 at 12:31
POSTSCRIPTUM: The Poles will explain who is PAN and who is slaves... This is what it means to rewrite history - they forgot, and now they probably don’t know that lords were the name of the Poles, their masters, under whom they lay flat. Well, never mind - the restitution process has already begun, they will soon be reminded of who they were and who they will become again. The gentlemen are hungry. No intelligence, no imagination. Gentlemen share one pair of pants! Well, crests, well, Panov, you are hilarious, and that’s all!” 
