Polish

Parting ways can be hard, but every “hello” inevitably brings a “goodbye.” To avoid…

Hello! This greeting is the start of many conversations, and if you’re speaking with…

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.

Like in other languages, in Polish slang, particular phrases arise spontaneously and accidentally due to hilarious social and political situations. Some of them are popularized by the media or formed on the internet. For the most part—young people create slang language by assigning new meanings to familiar words.

“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.

I hate to say it, but before last night I hadn’t talked to my…

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.

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.

My language-learning journey started when I was about three years old when my parents…

If you’re wondering how to learn a language fast and fluently, exercise could be…

When I was in Morocco, I got to stargaze in the Sahara desert and…

Before you get out there and start mingling merrily, it pays to know a little cultural etiquette. Our international guide to party protocol will help you raise a glass in the most common languages and understand how to rub elbows without committing a faux pas.