Basic Polish: A Grammar and Workbook

268 Pages·2014·0.28 MB·English

by  Dana Bielec

BASIC POLISH
Basic Polish presents concise explanations of grammar with related
exercises, to build confidence in using the modern language.
Assuming no previous knowledge of Polish, the book’s step-by-step
approach guarantees a thorough grounding in the basics of grammar.
Each of the forty units introduces particular grammar points. Clear and
concise explanations are supported by a wide range of examples and
exercises to allow students to practise and consolidate their learning.
Later units also reinforce material taught in earlier ones.
Key features include:
• clear, accessible format
• many useful language examples
• jargon-free explanations of grammar
• abundant exercises with a full answer key
• notes on the Polish alphabet, pronunciation and stress
• Polish–English vocabulary
• subject index.
This second edition has been revised to include updated examples and
explanations. It also offers five new appendices containing a comprehensive
summary of grammar functions, guidance on studying an inflected
language, and helpful information on question words, the important
verbs byD and mieD and perfective and imperfective verb aspects.
Written by an experienced language teacher and author, Basic Polish is
the ideal introduction to the structures and expressions most widely used in
spoken and written Polish. It is suitable for both independent use and
classroom study.
Dana Bielec is the author of the popular Polish: An Essential Grammar
and Intermediate Polish: A Grammar and Workbook, both published by
Routledge.
Other titles available in the Grammar Workbooks series are:
Basic Arabic
Basic Cantonese
Intermediate Cantonese
Basic Chinese
Intermediate Chinese
Basic German
Intermediate German
Basic Irish
Intermediate Irish
Basic Italian
Basic Japanese
Intermediate Japanese
Basic Korean
Intermediate Korean
Basic Persian
Intermediate Persian
Basic Polish
Intermediate Polish
Basic Russian
Intermediate Russian
Basic Spanish
Intermediate Spanish
Basic Welsh
Intermediate Welsh
Basic Yiddish
Titles of related interest published by Routledge
Polish: An Essential Grammar by Dana Bielec
Polish: A Comprehensive Grammar by Iwona Sadowska
BASIC POLISH:
A GRAMMAR AND
WORKBOOK
2nd edition
Dana Bielec
First published 2002 by Routledge
This second edition published 2015
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2002, 2015 Dana Bielec
The right of Dana Bielec to be identified as author of this work has been asserted
by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bielec, Dana, 1948–
Basic Polish : a grammar and workbook / Dana Bielec. – Second edition.
pages cm. – (Grammar workbooks Series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Polish language–Textbooks for foreign speakers–English. 2. Polish
language–Grammar. I. Title.
PG6112.B26 2014
491.8′582421–dc23
2014011036
ISBN: 978-0-415-72602-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-72601-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-75452-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times Ten
by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong
To John Moule, my wonderful best friend and
constant encourager, who patted the rabbits and
dreamed up the treats.
This page intentionally left blank
CONTENTS
Introduction ix
List of abbreviations xi
Alphabet; pronunciation; stress 1
1 Noun genders; adjective agreement; personal pronouns;
byq; address forms 6
2 Nouns and adjectives in the plural 12
3 Plural of ‘men’ nouns and adjectives 18
4 Direct object (feminine and neuter) 23
5 Verbs with present tense -am, -a, -ajn 26
6 Direct object of masculine nouns (accusative case) 28
7 Prepositions followed by accusative case 31
8 Direct object (singular) of masculine ‘alive’ nouns 34
9 Direct object (plural) of masculine ‘men’ nouns 37
10 Direct object pronouns; prepositional pronouns (accusative) 39
11 Possession (singular nouns) 43
12 Possession (plural nouns); whose 50
13 Genitive case of adjectives 55
14 Prepositions followed by genitive case 59
15 Verbs with genitive case object; prepositional
pronouns (genitive) 63
16 Verbs with present tense -em, -e, -ejn/-edzn 67
17 Cardinal numbers 1 to 4 70
18 Numbers 5 to 20; indefinite numbers; quantities 74
19 Ordinal numbers 1 to 20; name; age 80
20 Questions 84
21 Verbs ending in -owaq, -iwaq, -awaq, -ywaq; verb aspects 87
vii
22 Negation; simple conjunctions; there is/are; something 92
Contents 23 Indirect object (singular); verbs with present tense -o, -y, -n 99
24 Indirect object (plural); dative case prepositions 106
25 More verbs with present tense -o, -y, -n 109
26 Dative case of pronouns 112
27 Pronoun sio; verbs with present tense -io/-o, -i, -in/-n 116
28 Instrumental case (nouns, adjectives) 121
29 Other uses of instrumental case 126
30 Prepositions followed by instrumental case 129
31 Verbs with two imperfective forms 133
32 Locative case (nouns, prepositions) 137
33 Locative case (adjectives, pronouns) 145
34 This, that, such, what like, which 149
35 My, your, etc., own 153
36 Each, every, all 158
37 Clock time 161
38 Byq (past, future); days 166
39 Months; seasons; time expressions 170
40 Dual-case prepositions 176
Appendix 1: How grammar works 180
Appendix 2: Studying an inflected language 195
Appendix 3: Question words 204
Appendix 4: Verbs byq and mieq – all tenses 206
Appendix 5: Perfective and imperfective verb aspects 210
Key to exercises 216
Polish–English vocabulary 242
Index 253
viii
INTRODUCTION
This grammar workbook is designed for English speakers. It assumes no
previous knowledge of Polish and so covers, in its vocabulary and gram-
mar, the most important areas of Polish social and cultural experience.
You will easily learn the language structures and expressions most widely
used in spoken and written Polish. On completion, armed only with a good
basic dictionary, you will communicate effectively in the present tense with
Polish speakers.
Polish is difficult for those not familiar with inflected languages. The
exercises accompanying each grammar unit progress from simple to more
complex. They are designed so that they can be completed successfully
with a good grasp of the inherent grammar points. Each unit presents new
material but also strongly reinforces that taught in previous units. Therefore,
you are advised to complete Units 1 to 4, then revise Units 1 and 2; com-
plete Units 5 and 6, revise Units 3 and 4, and so forth. By doing so, you
will gain most from the cumulative and structured teaching methods applied
in this book. You will build a solid foundation of basic Polish, which can
later be extended. Above all, by allowing time for revision, you will grow
in confidence and, unhampered by incomplete learning, actually absorb
new information more easily and more rapidly.
This book has no accompanying tape recordings. There are, however,
enough examples of current usage in each unit for you to record them
for use at your leisure. Perfect pronunciation is not critical. You will
benefit immensely from hearing yourself in your own voice repeating the
examples. To master the pronunciation of a language you must listen
and repeat. Your pronunciation will, thereby, become sufficiently good for
you to enjoy speaking the language; enjoyment itself will lead to further
improvement.
A word of caution. Regional variations in vowel sounds exist in all
languages, so you may not immediately understand every inhabitant of
a small village or a person from the mountains. However, they will under-
stand you and usually adapt their regional sounds to reflect standard
pronunciation.
ix