How You Say?

Tonący brzytwy się chwyta. 

English Phonemes: “toh-N[Ą]-tsih B[RZ]IH-tfih sh[ę] HVIH-tah”

Literal Translation: The one who is drowning a straight razor himself/herself grabs.

Elegant Translation: A drowning person will grab at a straight razor.

English Equivalent Saying: “Grasping at straws.” 

This saying uses vivid imagery to basically say that utter desperation will drive a person to do anything, even if it brings further harm to themselves. It’s a good saying to know, popular enough that any of your Polish speaking friends will know this one.

Tonący = one who is drowning [subject form]
Brzytwy = a razor, specifically, an old-timey straight razor [object form]
Się = oneself - this is a reflective word, like “me” in “I’ma grab me a sandwich” 
Chwyta = he/she/it is grabbing, gripping, or grasping at.

Questions? Comments? Show ideas? Email us! [email protected]
Visit the website! www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!

Chodzę na rzęsach! 

English Phonemes: “HOH-dzeh nah [RZ][Ę]-sah” 

Literal Translation: “I am walking on [my] eyelashes” 

This fun phrase is a popular and evocative way to say you are dead tired. Imagine actually trying to walk on your eyelashes! Hunched over, head down, eyes drooping… much like a poor fellow face-plant-ready falling asleep.

* Extra Credit Section! *
I put this phrase into the first person singular so that YOU can say that you are dead tired. The bonus is that if you want to say he/she/it is tired, you would say “chodzi” instead of “chodzę”, and if you want to say you are tired, you would say “chodzisz” instead of “chodzę” [that’s you singular, informal form. Only to be used with friends/family. Never to someone you have a formal or no relationship with.] The rest of the phrase stays the same.
So now you have three phrases for the price of one!

Chodzę = I am walking [1st person singular]
Na = on/onto
Rzęsach = eyelashes [object form]

Questions? Comments? Show ideas? Email us! [email protected]
Visit the website! www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!

Nowiny!

English Phonemes: “noh-VEE-nih”

Meaning: News!

Non-lesson show to share the results of last month’s poll and catch you up on the latest and greatest that “How You Say” is planning. 

Poll results:

What’s Inspiring You To Learn Polish?
A. I’m lucky in love with a Polish speaker — 38%
B. I have Polish speaking friends I want to surprise (and impress!) — 38%
C. I have Polish roots, but the language got lost over time — 13%
D. A mix of the above — 13% 

Patreon page is coming in the next couple months: www.patreon.com/howyousayfm

YouTube Channel for extra videos is also coming in the next couple months!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email us! [email protected]
Visit the website! www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!

Thanks to Listener Travis for the following link! 

14 Polish phrases that British people find hilarious
https://azimo.com/en/blog/14-polish-phrases-british-people-find-hilarious-say-instead

Today’s phrase:

Nie dziel skóry na niedźwiedziu!

English Phonemes: “nyeh jyehl SKOO-rih nah nyeh-JVYEH-joo”

Literal Translation: Not you share/divide [the] skin on [the] bear.
Meaning: Don’t divide the skin while it’s still on the bear.
English Saying Analog: Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched.

Clearly a hunters’ expression. Poles do have an agricultural heritage, but we are so close to woods and bodies of water, that fishing and hunting are part of the cultural ethos also. 

Here’s the breakdown of the words:
Nie = Not/No [Actively negates the verb coming after.]
Dziel = You (singular) share/divide
Skóry = Skin/Pelt/Hide [object form]
Na = On/Onto
Niedźwiedziu = Bear [object form (specifying ‘on’ what, on the bear)]

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email us! [email protected]
Visit the website! www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!

Gratulacje! Jest chłopczyk/dziewczynka!

English Phonemes: “grah-too-LAH-tsyeh yehst HWOHP-[cz]ihk jyehf-[CZ]IN-kah”

Request episode from Listener Wendy! Since I just had a baby, Wendy asks how to say “Congratulations! It’s a boy/girl!” in Polish.

Gratulacje! = General way to say Congratulations!
Jest = he/she/it is [3rd person singular of 'to be']
Chłopczyk = little boy [more affectionate and diminutive form of 'chłopiec', 'boy']
Dziewczynka = little girl [more affectionate form of 'dziewczyna', 'girl']

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Ideas for future shows? Email [email protected]
Visit the web site (and take the poll)! www.howyousay.fm
Find us on Twitter! @HowYouSayFM
Review the show on Apple Podcasts (formally known as iTunes)

Jak Kocha, To Poczeka.

English Phonemes: “yahk KOH-hah toh poh-[CZ]EH-kah”

Literal Translation: If he/she/it loves, then he/she/it will wait.

Similar to the English saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”, this saying conveys the meaning that love will overcome obstacles of time and space apart.

Jak = if, how [depends on context]
Kocha = he/she/it loves [3rd person singular conjugation of “Kochać”]
To = this, then [depends on context and placement in sentence]
Poczeka = he/she/it will wait [3rd person singular of “Poczekać”, to wait (with intent of waiting further)]

Questions/Comments/Suggestions/Ideas/Requests? Email [email protected]
Visit our homepage (and take the poll)! www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM

As always, please review the show on iTunes! 

Lastly, sorry for any baby sounds in the background of this recording! The little Pole heard me recording and wanted to participate. ;-)

Kocham Cię! Ja Cię Kocham!

English Phonemes: “KOH-hahm chyeh” and “yah chyeh KOH-hahm”

Here are two different ways to say ‘I love you!’ Both are equally common and entirely correct. Got a special someone who speaks Polish in your life? Let them know how you feel!

‘Kocham Cię’ literally translates to “I love you” where ‘Cię’ is ‘you’ singular in the object form and ‘Kocham’ is the conjugated verb first person singular of the verb ‘to love’, so here, it means ‘I love’.
And ‘Ja Cię Kocham’ literally translates to “I you I love” where ‘Ja’ is ‘I’ in the subject form, ‘Cię’ is ‘you’ singular in the object form, and the conjugated verb ‘Kocham’ still means ‘I love’. The word order for this simple sentence is very flexible, as you can see.

Practice these for tomorrow! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Requests? Email the show! [email protected]
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Leave us a review on iTunes please! 
Visit our website for past episodes, show notes, and take the poll! www.howyousay.fm

Cicha woda brzegi rwie.

English Phonemes: “CHEE-hah VOH-dah B[Ż]EH-gee rvyeh”

Literal Translation: Quiet water edges rips.
More elegant translation: Still waters tear at the water’s edge.
English equivalent saying: “Still waters run deep.”

This is a very popular saying in Polish. It has the same meaning as “still waters run deep”, meaning that if you look at the surface of a calm body of water, you don’t know how deep or powerful anything under the surface might be. Ah, sweet mystery!

Cicha = quiet, calm, still, silent [feminine singular adjective]
Woda = water, body of water [feminine noun, subject form]
Brzegi = edges, borders, coasts, riverbanks [masculine noun, plural object form]
Rwie = he/she/it rips, tears at [3rd person singular present tense]

There’s a very old song based on this saying, too. Pretty much every Pole knows it. Originally performed by Zbigniew Kurtycza with music composed by Eddie Rosner in the 1950s. Ludwik Jerzy Kern wrote the lyrics. (Few people remember any of that now, though! It’s a cultural staple.)

A few YouTube links of modern renditions of the song "Cicha Woda Brzegi Rwie":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr5oOzCEWbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9jYkZ4CXRs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRDUu_ifVGQ

Full song lyrics with close-enough English translation:
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/cicha-woda-still-waters.html

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email us! [email protected]
Visit the website! (And take the poll!) www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!

Dostaniesz w pysk! 

English Phonemes: “doh-STAH-nye[sz] v pihsk” 

Literal Translation: You will receive in the animal face!

Fun Fact, this is also the title of a song by an artist called “Wdowa” which means “Widow” in Polish. I just found that out. Anyway.

It’s a phrase that means “Oh, you’ll get it!” like, “Pow! Right in the kisser!” It’s best coupled with a shaking of a fist. Only use this one in informal settings and in playful banter! It’s definitely a threat otherwise! Super impolite, but I wanted to share anyway, because it’s popular enough to be a joke you hear. Just in case it ever comes up, you’ll know what it means!  

Like in English, there are different words for different types of faces. Google Translate and some dictionaries don’t make this clear sometimes. So, as Fun Extra Credit, here are a few different words for “Face” in Polish, with their connotations:

Twarz (“tvah[sz]”) = Face (respectful) - the default word normally used
Facjata (“fah-TSYAH-tah”) = Face (respectful) - usually applies to the face of a building
Morda (“MOH-rdah”)= Face (disrespectful) - connotes a vapid, animal-like, vacant, primitive face
Ryj (“rihy”)= Snout (or any protruding face shape that can dig or burrow)
Paszcza (“PAH-[sz][cz]ah”)= Face, maw (sort of), the face of a big dangerous animal, like a lion or tiger.

Questions/Comments/Suggestions? Email us! [email protected]
Visit the website! (And take the poll!) www.howyousay.fm
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!

Kto chce psa uderzyć, kija znajdzie.

English Phonemes: “ktoh htseh psah oo-DEH-[ż]ihch, KEE-yah ZNAHY-jeh”

Literal translation: Who wants dog to hit, stick will find.
More elegant translation: One who wants to hit a dog, will find a stick.
Closest English analog saying: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But it's a bit darker than that because it also has the tone of "whoever wants to justify doing something immoral will find a reason to justify it" laced in the saying. It's a popular old saying, you'll get a lot of Polish street cred for knowing this one!

Kto = who, whoever (similar word root to “ktoś” which means “someone”)
Chce = he/she/it wants [3rd person singular, present tense]
Psa = a dog [Object form. Subject form of dog is “pies”, pronounced “pyes”.]
Uderzyć = to hit (once). [infinitive form of the verb]
Kija = a stick [Object form. Subject form of stick is “kij”, pronounced “key”.]
Znajdzie = he/she/it will find [3rd person singular, future tense]

Remember the [ch] letter combo sounds just like "h" to English speakers. It's also a homonym to the letter "h" in the Polish alphabet!
Remember the [rz] phoneme is a homonym to the [ż] letter in the alphabet. Mind the duck face when pronouncing it!
Remember also the [dzi] letter combo sounds just like “j” in English!

Shoutout to listener Tova on Twitter! Those videos are coming!

Email the show! [email protected]
Tweet us! @HowYouSayFM
Leave us a review on iTunes please! 
Visit our website for episodes, show notes, and take the Pole's poll! www.howyousay.fm