Everyday Polish slang - what Poles actually say
The everyday slang Poles actually use, so you stop sounding like a textbook.
B1spoko
cool / okay
The Swiss-army-knife reaction. Works as 'sure', 'fine', 'no worries'.
Spoko, nic się nie stało.
No worries, nothing happened.
git
all good / okay
Short, upbeat 'it's fine'. Often 'wszystko git'.
Wszystko git, ogarnięte.
All good, it's sorted.
luz
chill / relaxed
Describes an easy vibe or a laid-back person. 'Na luzie' = relaxed.
Bez stresu, pełen luz.
No stress, totally chill.
mega
super / really
Amplifier you can bolt onto almost any adjective.
Ten koncert był mega dobry.
That concert was super good.
wypas
top-notch / awesome
For an object or situation that impresses you. Adjective: 'wypasiony', which is the form you will hear most. Slang, and some speakers now find it a bit dated.
Ten hotel to totalny wypas.
This hotel is totally top-notch.
hajs
dough / money
Younger, playful word for 'kasa'.
Nie mam hajsu na nowy telefon.
I don't have the dough for a new phone.
siano
cash / money
Literally 'hay'. Makes money sound less serious.
Muszę zarobić trochę siana przed wakacjami.
I need to earn some cash before the holidays.
fura
ride / car
Any vehicle, from a banger to a supercar. A woman says: kupiłaś.
Ale kupiłeś sobie furę!
What a ride you bought yourself!
ziomek
buddy / dude
Warm word for a male friend. Diminutive: 'ziomuś'.
Idę na piwo z ziomkami.
I'm going for a beer with my buddies.
typ
guy / dude
Neutral word for some man. Tone decides if it's friendly or not.
Jakiś typ o ciebie pytał.
Some guy was asking about you.
siema
hey / what's up
The go-to casual greeting. Short for 'jak się masz'.
Siema, co tam słychać?
Hey, how's it going?
nara
see ya / bye
The most popular informal goodbye. Short for 'na razie'.
Muszę lecieć, nara!
Gotta run, see ya!
ściema
a lie / bull
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
Aspect pair: kminić / rozkminić
Casual 'to ponder / puzzle over'. Perfective: rozkminić.
Kminię nad tym już godzinę.
I've been puzzling over this for an hour.
obczaić
to check out
Aspect pair: obczajać / obczaić
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
Aspect pair: ogarniać / ogarnąć
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
Aspect pair: czaić / zaczaić
'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
Aspect pair: kombinować / wykombinować
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.
dzban
a doofus / a dimwit
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
Aspect pair: olewać / olać
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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