Learning Polish, like any language, can be rather tough. It is not impossible to become fluent though! With enough effort and patience, you will reach your goals in no time. Of course, there are some tips and tricks available, such as finding a Polish tutor, that can make learning this language a tad bit easier.
This article serves to do just that; to give you a nudge in the right direction on how to learn Polish and describe some tips and tricks that can help you on your learning journey! If you are learning the Polish language, the following content is definitely a must-have in your learning arsenal!
Table of Contents
Why should I learn Polish?
Polish or Polski is a western Slavic language and is the official language of Poland and the European Union. It is also spoken in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, and Lithuania. This makes Polish the 43rd most spoken language in the world with around 40.6 million speakers, that’s a lot of people! Learning this language will thus open a lot more doors for you, like new job opportunities, more education opportunities and you would be able to make a lot of friends! It is especially a big advantage if you are planning on moving to Poland.
Still not convinced? Perhaps this informative video will help motivate you:
Now that you are 100% convinced that learning the Polish language is a fantastic idea, let’s move on. We will now explain how you should go about learning this language!
How to learn Polish
1. Learn the alphabet
Polish uses Latin script, meaning the alphabet is more or less the same with some exceptions. The picture above shows the Polish alphabet and as you can see there are nine additional diacritical signs (which indicate how you should pronounce the word). These characters are ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź and ż. The language also contains diagraphs and trigraphs (two or three letters, respectively, that make one sound). Learning how to pronounce these diacritical signs and diagraphs/trigraphs early on is very important!
It is important to use Polish diacritics when writing in Polish, if not, you stand a chance of miscommunication. Take the word źdźbło for example, you must write it as źdźbło and not as zdzblo!
2. Learn words in context
Keep interacting with the language! Connecting a word or words to an everyday situation or object will help you remember it better. Also, this will enable you to carry on real conversations in everyday life. You do this by immersing yourself in the language by listening to it being spoken or reading something in Polish. Eventually, your brain will be able to recall and form sentences with ease, and your pronunciation of words will improve a bit faster as well!
3. Learn the tenses
A pleasant surprise when it comes to Polish is that, when compared to English or some other languages, understanding the tenses is relatively simple. There are three tenses (which is a low amount compared to English, which has 16 total!), past, present, and future, and two verb aspects, perfective and imperfection. It is best to first stick to basic tense rules at first, as conjugating verbs has its own set of rules.
4. Practice with apps
Using language learning apps to learn Polish is a fun and interactive way to introduce you to the language. Duolingo is one of the very well-known language learning apps where you can self-learn some Polish concepts, the nice thing is that the app reminds you to study a bit of the language you want to learn every day. Dedicating some time of your day to learning on an app is a good way to build a learning habit— after all, consistency is key to learning a new language! It is to be noted that you should not rely solely on language learning apps to become fluent in a language, broaden your study methods as you progress in fluency.
5. Find an online tutor
Getting a tutor is proven to be one of the best ways to quickly learn a language. You will adequately learn how to pronounce words and form sentences from the get-go, one of the many perks of being taught by a professional or native speaker!
You can find a wide range of professional tutors at Amazingtalker! Amazingtalker also offers a broad range of Polish lessons that will certainly help you with any Polish concept that you are struggling with or want to learn correctly from the start! The cool thing is you can even customize these lessons to suit your learning needs. Trust me, you can’t go wrong here!
6. Speak on a daily baisis
Remember the phrase “consistency is key”? Speaking Polish every day is a sure-fire way to improve your fluency in no time. If you know someone that is learning the language as well, you can practice speaking Polish with each other. Also, texting each other in Polish every day can massively help to improve your spelling!
Tips for learning Polish faster
Now that you have a basic idea of how to start learning the language, consider these tips and tricks that can help you learn Polish faster:
1. Immerse yourself in the Polish language
How you immerse yourself in Polish depends on what interests and entertains you. If you enjoy reading, try to pick up a book that is written in Polish. If you are more into multimedia, perhaps listening to some Polish tunes, watching a movie, or binge-watching a series that is in Polish is more your speed. Even playing some Polish video games is a good way to immersive yourself! This is a great way to improve, not only your pronunciation of words but also your spelling.
Finding something you enjoy while learning is also a fantastic way to stay motivated!
2. Use Flashcards
Creating and using Flashcards in your daily learning routine is a proven method to help you remember words and phrases. It is also useful for when you just want to quickly remind yourself of a few words or phrases when you are at a more experienced level of fluency. Going back to the basics now and again is a good way to correctly learn a new language.
3. Utilize spaced repetition method
This method enables you to commit words and phrases to memory. For example, you created flashcards that contain Polish vocabulary, on the first day of studying using this method, you would go through all the words. On the second day, you would only go through new words or words that you struggled with on the previous day. On day three you would then go over those words you found easy on day one alongside learning new ones or revising those you struggled with. You repeat this until you have it memorized. Basically, you skip the words you find easy for a day or two and only focus on new words or those that you struggle with. In doing this you save time and build a long-term memory of the words that you leave out for a few days! Skipping intervals should be increased as time goes on and you should slowly introduce harder and harder words as you progress.
4. Chat with native speakers online (language exchange)
When people are learning a new language, they tend to forget the actual.. speaking part. Chatting with a native Polish speaker will enable you to quickly sharpen your Polish-speaking skills. Doing this will help you prepare for when you actually need to speak Polish in real-life conversation. Your pronunciation of Polish words will develop correctly as you hear them speak as well! The first few times might feel a bit awkward as you are new to all that, but keep going! Keep that consistency! Just imagine having a smooth conversation with your new Polish buddy!
5. Try writing in Polish
Besides the actual speaking part, spelling and writing coherent sentences is a must. Try to write something every day— it doesn’t have to be perfect at first, just try writing whatever comes to mind. A good idea is to keep a diary and document your day-to-day activities in the Polish language. Maybe write your new Polish buddy a letter! Try your best to avoid overthinking it, you won’t get far if that’s the case. So in conclusion: Just. Write!
Powodzenia! (Good luck!)
With all these tips and tricks in your arsenal, you’ll be chatting away with your Polish buds in no time! Remember, the most important thing, in the end, is to have fun!
When trying to figure out where to start learning a completely new language, or the best way to learn this language on your own can be a bit daunting and take a lot of time. Consider hiring a tutor at AmazingTalker! With a wide variety of professional tutors, you will reach your language fluency goals in no time and with ease! All of this and more, at AmazingTalker!
