How You Say?

Śmiało, śmiało!

English Phonemes: “SHMYAH-woh SHMYAH-woh”

Literal Translation: Boldly, boldly!

English Equivalents: Go on, then! Off you pop! Let’s go! Have at it! Go on! 

This is a way to encourage someone to do something. It’s a positive supportive thing to say to someone. 

The idiom itself is super Polish. Thinking about the grammar, usually in English you don’t see an adverb standing alone like this. But in Polish it’s completely okay. The form that śmiało is in is also interesting because in a sentence the word will probably have different endings (śmiale [adv.], śmiałe [adj.], śmiała [adj.], śmiały [adj.]) and rarely will it look like it does here when it’s in a sentence surrounded by other words. 

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Żyć nie umierać!

English Phonemes: “[ż]ihch nyeh ooh-MYEH-rahch”

Literal Translation: To live not to die!

English Equivalent: That was worth living for!

This phrase is an exclamation of excitement when something is so great, you’re happy to be alive to enjoy it. It’s like saying, ‘oh man, living is the best right now so I can immerse myself in this thing!’ It’s funny because it almost implies a choice to not die before you get to savor whatever it is you’re excited about. 

You can say this about anything you’re happy about, from a decadent bar of chocolate, to a beautiful vacation you’re on - and anything in between. It carries with it the connotation of enjoying blissful perfection in something. Something worth living for.

Żyć = to live [infinitive]
Nie = no, not
Umierać = to die [infinitive]

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***New YouTube video!***
"The Duck Face" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhDzV56mkYQ

Sto lat! Jeszcze stówę!

English Phonemes: “stoh laht YEH[SZ]-[cz]eh STOO-veh”

Literal Translation: 100 years! Another 100!

English Equivalent: Bless you!

This is the way we say “gezundheit” or “bless you” after anyone sneezes. The meaning behind it is that you’re wishing the person healthy life for 100 years, and with each subsequent sneeze, you’re adding another 100 to that tally. 

This is more informal than formal, but even with long-time formal acquaintances, you could get away with using this. (We might talk about the more formal way in another show.) 

sto = 100 [subject form] 
lat = years
jeszcze = another, more
stówę = 100 [object form]

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***New YouTube video!***
"The Duck Face" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhDzV56mkYQ)

Co za dużo to nie zdrowo!

English Phonemes: “tsoh zah DOO-[ż]oh toh nyeh ZDROH-voh”

Literal Translation: What over much this not healthy. 
Elegant Translation: What is too much isn’t healthy. 
English Equivalent: There can be too much of a good thing. 

A phrase that I heard many times during my childhood! Sage wisdom indeed. Moderation is key. There really is such a thing as "too much" of anything. So if you see your Polish-speaking friend/family member maybe taking on too much of something, remind them to slow down with this phrase!

co = what
za = over, beyond [remember this is the ninja preposition, with tons of meanings depending on context]
dużo = a lot, much, many
to = this, then [rarely]
nie = not, no
zdrowo = healthy

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Guzik prawda! 

English Phonemes: “GOO-[ź]eek PRAH-vdah”

Literal Translation: Button truth.

English Equivalents: B.S.! Yeah, right! A likely story! 

We Poles are experts at euphemisms! Curse word replacement therapy! Finding ways of swearing without actually swearing is a Slavic specialty. 

This phrase is a softened and polite way of saying “G**** Prawda” (Google Translate the 4 letter English swear that starts with an ‘S’), much in the way we trim “Bull S***” to B.S. in English. And "Guzik Prawda" is used the same way. 

Much like we in English say "aw, sugar" instead of "aw, s***", the choice of the word "guzik" is very deliberate here simply because it starts with the same "goo" sound as the swear word in Polish.

Guzik = a button
Prawda = truth

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Za dziękuje nic się nie kupuje!

English Phonemes: “zah j[ę]-KOO-yeh neets shyeh nyeh koo-POO-yeh”

Literal Translation: For thank you nothing oneself one does not buy.

Elegant Translation: One can’t buy oneself anything with ‘Thank You’.

English Equivalent: Talk is cheap.

za = for [the ninja preposition again]
dziękuje = Thank You [3rd person singular of verb form, AND the noun form]
nic = nothing
się = oneself [reflective word, as discussed]
nie = not, no
kupuje = he/she/it buys (or is buying)

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Gdzie kucharek sześć, tam nie ma co jeść. 

English Phonemes: “gjeh koo-HAH-rehk [sz]eh[ś][ć] tahm nyeh mah tsoh yeh[ś][ć]”

Literal Translation: Where cooks six, there not is what to eat.

Elegant Translation: Where there are six cooks, there is nothing to eat.

English Equivalent: Too many cooks spoil the broth.

gdzie = where
kucharek = cook, cooks [this diminutive form can be applied to both singular and plural]
sześć = six
tam = there
nie = no, not
ma = he/she/it has. Can mean “is” where combined with direction words like “here/there”
co = what
jeść = to eat 

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Co za mydłek!

English Phonemes: “tsoh zah MIHD-wehk”

Literal Translation: What a soapy person!

This is a super colloquial phrase, and a very not-nice thing to say about someone. The real meaning is related to soap in that it’s a way to describe a person who is slithery, weak, wishy-washy, and has no spine. The vibe is hard to find in words, and an exact comparison in English is hard to pin down... think of it as a combination of "liar", “jerk”, “snake”, “weakling”, "spineless", “sneak”, and “creep”, as well as adding the feeling of something that is disgusting to be around. You don’t want to be near a mydłek for longer than you have to. It feels frustrating and gross to deal with such a person.

So, yeah, be careful how you use this phrase. If you call someone a mydłek, them is fightin’ words.

co = what
za = a, an, for, too, instead of, past, behind, under, beyond, on, at, after, to, in, as, by... [depending on context. One of the most versatile prepositions in Polish.]
mydłek = soapy person [as discussed above]

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Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu!

English Phonemes: “nyeh vih-VOH-wooy VEEL-kah z LAH-soo” 

Literal Translation: Don’t you call forth wolf from woods!
Elegant Translation: Don’t draw the wolf out of the woods!

The closest English saying is “let sleeping dogs lie”. Or, for you Harry Potter fans, remember the Hogwarts motto draco dormiens numquam titillandus, Latin for “never tickle a sleeping dragon”.

This saying advises prudence. You’re saying “don’t (deliberately) invite danger”. The best way to deploy this gem is in a case where your Polish-Speaking buddy is about to do something that you know can only backfire at them. Whether they know it or not is irrelevant. This phrase is meant to make them think twice in either case.

nie = not, no
wywołuj = (you) call forth, (you) bring forth [singular instructive form - a command]
wilka = wolf [singular object form]
z = from, with [depending on context]
lasu = forest, woods [object form]

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Pierwsze śliwki robaczywki. 

English Phonemes: "PYER-f[sz]eh SHLEE-fkee roh-bah-[CZ]IH-fkee"

Literal Translation: First plums wormy.
Elegant Translation: The first plums are filled with bugs.

This saying serves as a warning. The closest thing we have in English is “Haste Makes Waste” or maybe even “Buyer Beware” (though today’s phrase has nothing to do with commerce). It’s an agricultural reference that warns us that the first plums of the season are always filled with bugs — that we should be careful before we jump at the first fruit we see.

So if you see your Polish speaking friend/family member rushing to grab that first deal they see, or ready to buy that first whatever-they-are-in-the-market-for, and you think they can do better, feel free to drop this pearl of wisdom on them! They will be impressed, AND they will thank you!

Pro Tip: Can be combined with “Uwaga” or “Uważaj” from Episode 7!

pierwsze = first [plural, subject form]
śliwki = plums [plural, subject form]
robaczywki = bug-filled, wormy [plural, subject form] [a playful form, instead of “robaczywe”]

Note that the word “are” is omitted here because it’s understood.

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