5 Great Tips to Help You Learn the Polish Language

Polish is a Slavic language with more than 40 million people who speak it worldwide. Although it does have its challenges, it can be a fun and rewarding experience.

Here are 5 great tips to help you learn the Polish language.

Everything is Pronounced the Same as it Being Written

Unlike English, Polish words are always spelled and pronounced the same way. Once you know how the letters in the alphabet are pronounced, you will know how to pronounce a new word when you see it. 

Polish is infamous for consonants and you may look a little intimidated at the beginning when you come across these words, but breaking them down can be very helpful until you get comfortable. For example, “zmartwychwstanie” (resurrection in English) cut the word up like “sma-rtvih-vsta-nie”. 

Do this for all those long and complicated words it does make it easier! Write these words down and practice them daily. 

Practice your DŹ, Ć, Ś And Ź!

When practicing your pronunciations in Polish, you should pay extra attention to the letters with the accents. For a lot of English native speakers, these can be difficult to learn and pronounce.

Here are some ways that you can practice these accents.

• Dź - dźwięk 
• Dzi - dziadkiem
• Ć - ćma 
• Ci - ciepło
• Ź - źdźbło
• Zi - ziarno
• Ś - śledź
• Si - siedem

Try finding words that begin or contain these accents in Polish words, and practice speaking them out loud. 

Learn the Most Common Polish Phrases

Polish people tend to only use 20% of their vocabulary for about 80% of their day-to-day conversations. This is called the Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule, this can be a great way to learn Polish faster and more effectively.

Instead of trying to learn all the grammar and the rules and then ending up overwhelming yourself, focus a little bit more on the common phrases and new words.

It may sound crazy but it isn’t by focusing on the vocabulary and sentences, you will gain momentum and you will be able to understand and communicate more than you would if you spent all your time focusing on the grammar.

Once you feel motivated and prepared, it will be a lot easier to dive into Polish grammar. 

Immerse Yourself in All Things Polish!

One of the key factors to learning a language is creating an environment where you can immerse yourself in it and be able to use it. The more you use it, the better you will become. 

Find ways to plunge yourself into the Polish language and culture, there are many ways you can do this, like finding a local Polish community or subscribing to Polish Youtube channels.

Other things you could do to submerge yourself in the Polish language are: 

• Watch Polish films and TV shows
• Listening to Polish podcasts or audiobooks
• Read (or listen) to Polish Books, or news

Even if you don’t understand much or any Polish it will pay off in the long run and you can improve your pronunciation and your intonation at the same time.

Practice Polish Every Day!

The best way to learn any language is to practice a bit every day. You don't have to spend hours learning it, but spending at least 20 minutes is more than enough.

Combine learning polish with your everyday activities, like, listening to Polish podcasts while you are at the gym, or watching Polish videos before you go to bed.

All of these can help you learn the language a little bit every day.

Conclusion

Learning another language has many benefits, and the accomplishments you get out of it can be very rewarding. Why not start learning the Polish language today?