Start here: the Polish basics you need in minutes
Begin with survival phrases, the alphabet, and numbers. Focus on hello, please, thank you, yes/no, I want, and where is… These are the building blocks for every beginner and they unlock quick wins in days, not months.
Learn the polish alphabet sounds while you collect simple phrases. Keep a tiny phrase bank on your phone so you can review anytime for free. Aim for 5–10 new words per day and say them out loud.
- Dzień dobry — good day/hello
- Proszę / Dziękuję — please / thank you
- Tak / Nie — yes / no
- Poproszę kawę — coffee, please
- Gdzie jest…? — where is…?
Sound it out: Polish pronunciation made simple
Polish looks tricky, but many sounds repeat. Master the special letters and common digraphs early to avoid fossilizing mistakes. Practice in short bursts: two minutes of listening, two minutes of shadowing, two minutes of recording yourself.
- ą, ę: nasal vowels; don’t over-nasalize at word ends
- ł ≈ English w; thus “Łukasz” sounds like Wukash
- ś/ź/ć/ń: soft versions; smile a little to soften
- cz ≈ ch in church; sz ≈ sh in ship; rz/ż ≈ zh
- Stress almost always on the penultimate syllable
15-minute mini-lessons you can do online for free
Short, focused sessions beat long marathons. Stack micro-tasks so you touch listening, speaking, reading, and recall every day. Most of these can be done online with free tools.
Rotate apps and sources to keep motivation high and cover all skills: an app for spaced repetition, a YouTube clip for listening, and a quick speaking drill.
- 3 minutes: review an Anki or Memrise deck (A1 words)
- 4 minutes: YouTube clip with Polish subtitles, shadow key lines
- 3 minutes: quick grammar check (one tiny rule)
- 3 minutes: speak 5 sentences about your day
- 2 minutes: jot new words and one example
Grammar quick wins for beginners
You don’t need all the rules at once. Nail a few patterns that carry you through A1–A2 conversations: gender, present tense, and the most common case shapes for “I want/like/have.” Learn by chunks first, then label the grammar.
- Genders: masculine, feminine, neuter; nouns often signal endings
- Present tense patterns: -am/-asz (mówić: mówię, mówisz)
- To be: jestem, jesteś, jest; To have: mam, masz, ma
- Accusative after “mam/chcę/lubię”: Mam kawę; Lubię zupę
- Prepositions drive cases: w + locative (w domu), do + genitive (do sklepu)
Practice that sticks: make Polish part of your day
Consistency wins. Tie Polish to existing routines so you show up without thinking. Keep it light, fun, and free. If you miss a day, return with a two-minute micro-session—momentum matters more than perfection for any beginner.
- Label 10 household items with Polish names
- Change phone assistant to Polish for commands you know
- Shadow one short dialogue daily (slow, then natural speed)
- Write a 3-sentence diary: yesterday, today, plan
- Language exchange: 10 minutes English, 10 minutes Polish
- Weekend review: collect all new words into one deck
FAQ
- How long to reach A1–A2 if I study 15 minutes a day?
- With consistent daily practice, many learners reach solid A1 in 8–10 weeks and early A2 in 4–6 months. Add one longer weekly session to speed things up.
- Is Polish hard for English beginners?
- It’s challenging at first (cases, sounds), but patterns repeat. If you focus on high-frequency chunks and daily speaking, it becomes manageable quickly.
- What free online resources should I start with?
- Use Anki or Memrise for spaced repetition, Duolingo or Clozemaster for bite-size practice, Easy Polish on YouTube for listening, and Forvo to hear words.
- Do I need grammar from day one?
- Learn minimal grammar that powers real phrases, then expand. Start with present tense, basic gender, and the most common case examples tied to useful chunks.
- How can I remember cases without memorizing charts?
- Learn set phrases with prepositions and verbs: chcę kawę, idę do sklepu, jestem w domu. Drill them in sentences; patterns will generalize over time.