When I first moved to an English-speaking country one thing that drove me crazy as a Polish expat was my colleagues asking me how I was in passing, oftentimes not even waiting for an answer. For me, as a Polish speaker, this question was an invitation to a conversation and I was ready and willing to give them a full report on my well-being.
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“How to say ‘hello’ in your language?” is a common question among the polyglot community. People usually breeze happily through Spanish hola, French salut, or Italian ciao. But when the time comes for Polish cześć, their eyes widen and discomfort appears on their faces.
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Meeting new people and being able to have an engaging conversation are probably some of the main reasons for learning a new language. But knowing your verb conjugations or having extensive vocabulary might not be enough to prevent you from committing a social faux pas.
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Memorizing new words is probably one of the most tedious processes in learning a language. This is why seeing a familiar looking word can spark a sigh of relief.
