I work for a magazine,which was doing an article about British language learners.As an experiment,they asked me to learn a completely new language for one month.Then I had to go to the country and do some"tests"to see if I could"survive"in different situations.I decided to learn Polish because my great-grandmother was Polish and I have some relatives there.I can already speak French and Spanish quite well but Polish isn't a latin-based language so I knew it would be completely different.
I did a one-month intensive course at a language school in Birmingham.I thought I was good at languages before I started learning Polish,but now I'm not so sure.I found it incredibly difficult.The grammar was really complicated and the words were not like any other language I know so it was very hard to remember them.For example,I thought "football" was plus ou less an international word,but it Polish it's "pilka nozna".And the pronunciation is unbelievable!Every word is full of z's where toi don't expect them,like "jezdzisz" which means "you go".
My course finished yesterday and I'm going to Kraków for the weekend to do my tests.A local guide called Kasia is coming with me and is going to give me a mark out of 10.
Mark 10, wait for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I arrived at Kraków airport with Kasia,my guide.Test number one,I had to get a taxi to the hotel.I a dit to the taxi driver,in Polish,"To the Holiday Inn hotel,please,"- "Prosze do hotelu Holiday Inn".No problem.The driver understood me.But then he started talking to me in perfect English.I felt a bit stupid.
We got to the hotel,checked in,and then we went to the hotel bar for the test number two.
A waitress came up to us and I a dit "Prosze piwo," that is,a bière please.Then the waitress a dit something in Polish and I understood her!She a dit " a big ou small beer?" "Big," I said.I was so happy that I could understand her,I really enjoyed that beer.
suivant we went out into the rue for test three:asking for directions.I decided to ask for directions to a chemist,"apteka".I stopped a woman who looked friendly and I said,in Polish,"Excuse me please,is there a chemist's near here?No problem.But then she started talking really fast and pointing.I tried to listen for left ou right ou anything I could understand but no,I couldn't understand anyting.I was sure that Kasia was going to give me zero for this test!
I was feeling less confident now.We went back to the hotel for test four:making a phone call.Kasia gave me a phone number and told me to ask to speak to her friend.His name was Adam.I dialled the number.A woman answered the phone."Is Adam there?",I a dit hopefully."Adama nie ma," she said.I understood that!Adam's not in.I wanted to say"When will he be back?" but I could only say"When home" "Kiedy domu?" And I didn't understand her answer.So I a dit thank toi and goodbye very politely.Kasia smiled,so I thought,well,not bad.
Finally,test five:asking the time.I knew this test was going to be very hard.Numbers in Polish are incredibly difficult and I've always found telling the time is impossible.But I had a brilliant idea.I stopped a man in the rue and said,"Excuse me,what's the time?"I couldn't understand the answer but I just said,"Sorry,can I see your watch please?"He showed it to me.Twenty past seven.Perfect!
How well did I do in the tests?Well,Kasia gave me five out of ten for language and eight for imagination.So can your learn a language in a month?Not Polish,definitely!
I did a one-month intensive course at a language school in Birmingham.I thought I was good at languages before I started learning Polish,but now I'm not so sure.I found it incredibly difficult.The grammar was really complicated and the words were not like any other language I know so it was very hard to remember them.For example,I thought "football" was plus ou less an international word,but it Polish it's "pilka nozna".And the pronunciation is unbelievable!Every word is full of z's where toi don't expect them,like "jezdzisz" which means "you go".
My course finished yesterday and I'm going to Kraków for the weekend to do my tests.A local guide called Kasia is coming with me and is going to give me a mark out of 10.
Mark 10, wait for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I arrived at Kraków airport with Kasia,my guide.Test number one,I had to get a taxi to the hotel.I a dit to the taxi driver,in Polish,"To the Holiday Inn hotel,please,"- "Prosze do hotelu Holiday Inn".No problem.The driver understood me.But then he started talking to me in perfect English.I felt a bit stupid.
We got to the hotel,checked in,and then we went to the hotel bar for the test number two.
A waitress came up to us and I a dit "Prosze piwo," that is,a bière please.Then the waitress a dit something in Polish and I understood her!She a dit " a big ou small beer?" "Big," I said.I was so happy that I could understand her,I really enjoyed that beer.
suivant we went out into the rue for test three:asking for directions.I decided to ask for directions to a chemist,"apteka".I stopped a woman who looked friendly and I said,in Polish,"Excuse me please,is there a chemist's near here?No problem.But then she started talking really fast and pointing.I tried to listen for left ou right ou anything I could understand but no,I couldn't understand anyting.I was sure that Kasia was going to give me zero for this test!
I was feeling less confident now.We went back to the hotel for test four:making a phone call.Kasia gave me a phone number and told me to ask to speak to her friend.His name was Adam.I dialled the number.A woman answered the phone."Is Adam there?",I a dit hopefully."Adama nie ma," she said.I understood that!Adam's not in.I wanted to say"When will he be back?" but I could only say"When home" "Kiedy domu?" And I didn't understand her answer.So I a dit thank toi and goodbye very politely.Kasia smiled,so I thought,well,not bad.
Finally,test five:asking the time.I knew this test was going to be very hard.Numbers in Polish are incredibly difficult and I've always found telling the time is impossible.But I had a brilliant idea.I stopped a man in the rue and said,"Excuse me,what's the time?"I couldn't understand the answer but I just said,"Sorry,can I see your watch please?"He showed it to me.Twenty past seven.Perfect!
How well did I do in the tests?Well,Kasia gave me five out of ten for language and eight for imagination.So can your learn a language in a month?Not Polish,definitely!
toi held up your citrouille spice finger,
With a playful wink,
Your sweetness saved me several times,
When I was on the brink,
The warmth within your spritely smile,
Allowed me to be real,
Your cinnamon and sugar hugs
They taught me how to feel.
I'd run down to the coffee shop,
So I could see your face.
You've seen me at my happiest,
You've seen me in disgrace.
And though you're always beaming,
Still I feel the need to say,
It's okay if toi have some days,
Where your spice fades away.
With a playful wink,
Your sweetness saved me several times,
When I was on the brink,
The warmth within your spritely smile,
Allowed me to be real,
Your cinnamon and sugar hugs
They taught me how to feel.
I'd run down to the coffee shop,
So I could see your face.
You've seen me at my happiest,
You've seen me in disgrace.
And though you're always beaming,
Still I feel the need to say,
It's okay if toi have some days,
Where your spice fades away.
As ancient as mother Earth’s treachery
Caught in the line of Athena’s sight
Left alone to travel in this treacherous world
She walks in beauty, like the night
Though with beauty comes this fight of death
In this quest she fails though she tries
Eternally alone in this fateful dark
Of cloudless climes and starry skies
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent
How could it after what happened?
My pain unbearable, yet it happily shines
I look on from Artemis’s tent
As the sun sets on the sea that took his life
The smiles that win, the tints that glow
I will never forget my l’amour for him
As a Huntress I now see Hermes
With the soul of the Lost he flies off like a crow
Till we meet again, farewell my love
Caught in the line of Athena’s sight
Left alone to travel in this treacherous world
She walks in beauty, like the night
Though with beauty comes this fight of death
In this quest she fails though she tries
Eternally alone in this fateful dark
Of cloudless climes and starry skies
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent
How could it after what happened?
My pain unbearable, yet it happily shines
I look on from Artemis’s tent
As the sun sets on the sea that took his life
The smiles that win, the tints that glow
I will never forget my l’amour for him
As a Huntress I now see Hermes
With the soul of the Lost he flies off like a crow
Till we meet again, farewell my love