Związki Frazeologiczne i Przysłowia

What is the most fascinating and thrilling thing in a language? - Those parts of it, which are not translatable. They give a lot of trouble on the beginning of learning a foreign language but once we "get" them, they make us incredibly happy, somehow rich, like we would get something much more than just learning a new world - we would get a power of understanding something almost understandable. The language is, in fact, more about FEELING it rather than understanding words, which understand unfortunately or maybe very fortunately only those who know what is that feeling.

In Polish those "idiomatic expressions" are called "związki frazeologiczne" - yes, to make it harder, exactly. "Sayings" are "przysłowia".

My favorite ones that I just love to teach my students are:

"pic na wodę" - a delicate way of saying that something is just a lie, a crap or one very popular English word refering to something belonging to a bull:) Basically, when we don't believe a word what someone is saying OR when something is a very bad imitation of something that it pretends to be.

"koń by się uśmiał" - lit. "a horse would laugh", actually: "enough to make a cat laugh"; used, when something is just rediculous, not possible etc.

"nie dać sobie dmuchać w kaszę" - lit. not to let someone to blow into your groats; really means: not to let anybody to push you around

"marzenie ściętej głowy" - "a pipe dream", not possible to happen

"nie dla psa kiełbasa" - lit. "the sousage is not for a dog", related to the one above, about something too good to be true or too good for someone in particular

"porywać się z motyką na słońce" - lit. to go to the sun with a hoe; really in English: to eat more than one can chew; another one from the series about impossible things to achieve that are very common in the "Polish school";)

More will come:)

Mapa Polski

Dla bardziej wnikliwych bardzo ciekawa mapa Polski... prawdziwa!!!!

For more sharp observers - a very interesting, REAL map of Poland:) Polish last names and towns usually mean something. There are many small towns named in the most funny way, many people are even ashamed to say it out loud! Different stories or rather legends for all of them - all that makes Poland and Polish culture even more interesting...

Do dzieła:)

How should I start? From the middle perhaps? From a song? Or from a saying? Let's try with the last one:

"ni z gruszki ni z pietruszki" - literal translation: "neither form a pear nor from a parsley", the actual meaning: like from nowhere.

Use in a very colloquial language, maybe even in a local slang only.

Phrases like that are the most fascinating part of the language for me. And I assume every language is full of them. I will be listing more.

A teraz piosenka:



and a fill in the blanks for practicing your listening skills:)




_________ z serca płyną _________

Uderzają z _________ mocą

Krążą _________ wśród _____ ot tak

Dając chętnym szczere _________



I ___________ __________ ___________ z _________

I ___________ __________ ___________ z _________



Każdy ________ to, co __________

_________ sobie ________ __________

_________ w końcu mi się uda

Wypowiedzieć proste __________



I ___________ __________ ___________ z _________
I ___________ __________ ___________ z _________