Everyday Polish slang - what Poles actually say
The everyday slang Poles actually use, so you stop sounding like a textbook.
B1The Swiss-army-knife reaction. Works as 'sure', 'fine', 'no worries'.
Spoko, nic się nie stało.
No worries, nothing happened.
Short, upbeat 'it's fine'. Often 'wszystko git'.
Wszystko git, ogarnięte.
All good, it's sorted.
Describes an easy vibe or a laid-back person. 'Na luzie' = relaxed.
Bez stresu, pełen luz.
No stress, totally chill.
Amplifier you can bolt onto almost any adjective.
Ten koncert był mega dobry.
That concert was super good.
For an object or situation that impresses you. Adjective: 'wypasiony'.
Ten hotel to totalny wypas.
This hotel is totally top-notch.
Younger, playful word for 'kasa'.
Nie mam hajsu na nowy telefon.
I don't have the dough for a new phone.
Literally 'hay'. Makes money sound less serious.
Muszę zarobić trochę siana przed wakacjami.
I need to earn some cash before the holidays.
Any vehicle, from a banger to a supercar. [Feminine Ex.] kupiłaś
Ale kupiłeś sobie furę!
What a ride you bought yourself!
Warm word for a male friend. Diminutive: 'ziomuś'.
Idę na piwo z ziomkami.
I'm going for a beer with my buddies.
Neutral word for some man. Tone decides if it's friendly or not.
Jakiś typ o ciebie pytał.
Some guy was asking about you.
The go-to casual greeting. Short for 'jak się masz'.
Siema, co tam słychać?
Hey, how's it going?
The most popular informal goodbye. Short for 'na razie'.
Muszę lecieć, nara!
Gotta run, see ya!
When someone is making things up or exaggerating.
Nie wierz w to, to jedna wielka ściema.
Don't believe it, it's one big lie.
kminić
to think / figure out
Casual 'to ponder / puzzle over'. Perfective: rozkminić.
Kminię nad tym już godzinę.
I've been puzzling over this for an hour.
To look something over or scope it out. Also 'obczaj to'.
Musisz obczaić ten nowy lokal w centrum.
You have to check out this new place downtown.
ogarnąć
to sort out / handle
To get a grip on something. 'Ogarnij się' = pull yourself together.
Spokojnie, ogarnę to do jutra.
Relax, I'll sort it out by tomorrow.
czaić
to get it / to catch on
'Czaisz?' = 'you follow?'. 'Nie czaję' = 'I don't get it'.
Zupełnie nie czaję, o co mu chodzi.
I totally don't get what he means.
kombinować
to wangle / to find a workaround
A very Polish idea of hustling around the rules to get things done.
Nie kombinuj, tylko zrób to normalnie.
Don't overcomplicate it, just do it the normal way.
A light, popular insult - not really offensive. Literally 'a jug'.
Ale z niego dzban, znowu zapomniał hasła.
What a doofus, he forgot his password again.
olać to
to blow it off / to not bother
To deliberately not care about something. 'Olej to' = 'let it go / forget it'.
Olej to, nie warto się stresować.
Let it go, it's not worth stressing over.
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