How You Say?

Jestem goły(a) i wesoły(a)!

English Phonemes: “YEHS-tehm GOH-wih(wah) ee veh-SOH-wih(wah)”

Literal Translation: I am bare and merry!

Elegant Translation: I’m broke and I don’t care!

This phrase is a fun way to say you’re broke and you don’t have a care in the world. We don’t have a similar phrase in English. We like to be cheerfully glib in Polish. What better way than by finding words that rhyme? :-)

Jestem = I am [1st person singular of verb ‘to be’] 
Goły(goła) = bare, naked, nude [adjective, singular male (female) form]
I = and
Wesoły(wesoła) = merry, happy [adjective, singular male (female) form]

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Piła Drewniana

English Phonemes: “PEE-wah drehv-NYAH-nah”

Literal Translation: Saw Wooden

Elegant Translation: A wood saw.

English Equivalent: A nag.

This is a term for someone who is repeatedly saying or doing something to the point of being annoying. It uses the idea of a device slowly grinding away at a piece of wood because that annoying persistent unyielding buzzing is a perfect description for what a nag does!

Piła = a saw [subject form]
Drewniana = wooden, or for wood [adjective, feminine subject form to pair with 'piła']

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Trzymam Kciuki!

English Phonemes: “T[SZ]IH-mahm KCHYOO-kee”

Literal Translation: I am holding thumbs!

Elegant Translation: I’m holding my thumbs!

English Equivalent: Fingers crossed!

This is used the same way that “I’ve got my fingers crossed” is used in English. It’s just that in Poland, the actual physical motion is different. We literally hold our thumbs tucked into our fists as a sign of inviting and holding onto good luck.

So if your friend is writing a new play, or starting a new business, or going into ninja training, or whatever the case may be, tell them “trzymam kciuki” and they’ll be very impressed!

Trzymam = I am holding
Kciuki = thumbs [plural, object form (which in this case looks like the subject form - Fun Fact)]

Watch the "duck face" video!

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Żebyś wiedział(a)!

English Phonemes: “[Ż]EH-bihsh VYEH-jahw/vyeh-JAH-wah”

Literal Translation: In order that you would have known!

Elegant Translation: So you know!

English Equivalent: Definitely! And how! If you only knew!

This is a higher concept idiom. This phrase is used to confirm with emphatic fervor something that was said. Example: Someone tells you that your kid has a lot of energy. You say “żebyś wiedział!” as a way to say “and how!” or “if you only knew!”

This is an informal phrase. Don’t use this in a formal setting! 

If the person you are speaking to is male, you say “wiedział”. 
If the person you are speaking to is female, you say “wiedziała”.

The word “żebyś” is also a more complex idea because it doesn’t have a one-to-one translation in the dictionary. We have words like it in English. For example, pretend you are explaining “would” to a non-native speaker. Also, “żebyś” combines “że” (so that, in order to) with “byś” (you[singular informal] would) to make the word that is most closely translated as “so that you would”. 

Żebyś = in order that you would [informal, singular]
Wiedział(a) = he(she) knew [past verb, 3rd person singular]

Watch the "duck face" video!

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Bułka Z Masłem

English Phonemes: “BOOW-kah z MAHS-wehm”

Literal Translation: Bread with butter

English Equivalent: piece of cake

Ale Mi Się Odbiło

English Phonemes: “AH-leh mee shyeh od-BEE-woh”

Literal Translation: How To Me Itself It Bounced!

Elegant Translation: Oh how that came back to me!

Google Fail: “But it bounced me!”

This is a companion episode to episode 8 - “Ale mnie ktoś wspomina!” We love talking about burps. Hey, it’s universal. Like Buddy the Elf in the movie “Elf” with Will Ferrell! “Did you hear that?”

Do not, repeat, do NOT say this with your potential in-laws at their dinner table. It’s a rather crude way to express oneself. We have more polite ways of referring to burps, say, for medical reasons. This phrase is strictly for use with friends you’re comfortable being a bit gross with. 

Ale = how, what, but
Mi = to me
Się = oneself [reflective word, as discussed]
Odbiło = he/she/it reflected, bounced back, broke off

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Słoń nastąpił ci na ucho?

English Phonemes: “swoh[ń] nah-ST[Ą]-peew chee nah OO-hoh”

Literal Translation: Elephant stepped on to you on ear?

Elegant Translation: Did an elephant step on your ear?

English Equivalent: “You have no ear for music.” Or “Are you tone deaf?”

This is a playful way to tease someone when they've missed a note while singing, or can't keep time to a rhythm, or sounds tone deaf. Don't use this with people you don't know! Not only is the case informal (using "ty" you-form instead of 3rd person addressee form), it's also obviously rude to come at strangers with criticisms about their musical prowess when you don't even know them.

Notice the structure of the sentence. The word "ci" doesn't mean "your", it means "you", the idea being you got stepped on on the ear, which is different than "twoje ucho" which DOES mean "your ear". In Polish, it's worth noting, you will frequently see things constructed this way. Saying "you got stepped on on the ear" and "your ear got stepped on" is synonymous in English, too.

słoń = elephant [singular subject form]
nastąpił = he/she/it stood on or stepped on [3rd person singular of nastąpić (to take place/occur/come/tread/supervene - depending on context)]
ci = to you, on you [object form of ‘you’]
na = on
ucho = ear [singular, object form]

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Musztarda po obiedzie!

English Phonemes: “moo[sz]-TAHR-dah poh oh-BYEH-jeh”

Literal Translation: Mustard after lunch. 

English Equivalent: Too little, too late.

This phrase paints a pretty vivid picture of a person sitting at a table waiting for mustard to come with their food, and it doesn’t come, so they eat their lunch and THEN the waiter shows up with the mustard. Some days are just like that. That’s why this phrase exists!

Musztarda = mustard [singular, subject form]
Po = after
Obiedzie = lunch [singular, object form - (because it’s after a preposition)]

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Rany Boskie!

English Phonemes: “RAH-nih BOH-skyeh”

Literal Translation: Wounds Godly.

Elegant Translation: God’s Wounds.

English Equivalent: Holy crap. Holy moly. Good God.

When someone is fed up or frustrated or surprised by something, you might hear them say “O rany boskie!” Now you know what it means!

Rany = wounds [plural, subject form]
Boskie = Godly, of God [plural, possessive form of the word "Bóg" (God)]

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Jak pies je, to nie szczeka, bo mu miska ucieka!

English Phonemes: “yahk pyes yeh toh nyeh [SZ][CZ]EH-kah boh moo MEE-skah oo-CHYEH-kah”

Literal Translation: If dog eats then not barks because from him bowl escapes.

Elegant Translation: When a dog is eating, he doesn’t bark, because his bowl is running away.

English Equivalent: One thing at a time.

Caveat: This saying has also been known to start with the word “gdy” instead of “jak”. Gdy is an old, seldom-used word that also means ‘if’. Both jak and gdy are equally valid ways to start this phrase.

The first half is the most common. Jak pies je, to nie szczeka. People usually don’t finish the entire phrase, but they all know it. 

The meaning is that you should do one thing at a time and focus on what’s important, or you’ll let all the opportunities slip out from under your nose.

Jak = if/when
Pies = dog [singular, subject form]
Je = he/she/it eats or is eating
To = then [or this, depending on sentence context]
Nie = not/no
Szczeka = he/she/it barks or is barking
Bo = because
Mu = shortened from “jemu” meaning ‘from him’ or ‘for him’
Miska = bowl [singular, subject form]
Ucieka = he/she/it escapes or is getting away

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