Product Description
An up-to-date language instruction guide for students with little or no background in Polish language. This book also teaches about the country's history and culture, including social customs, restaurant practices and other daily tasks. Also provided are basic language skills, vocabulary, grammar and phrases to move about freely in Poland. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Trying to learn Polish
Bought this boopk to try to relearn, and teach my Granddaughters, a bit of Polish.I was hoping for a basic text book but this book is geared for the traveler.I am sure that anyone planning a trip to Poland will find it useful but for teaching its use is limited.

A good supplement
The other review has some valid observations, but this set does come with audio tapes to assist with pronounciation, which is important in learning a consonant-dense language such as Polish. A book alone can't help you speak, there is just nothing to replace the human ear. If you can get the tapes, do it. If not, get the tapes for another course as the "Colloquial" or "Teach Yourself" series offer. Otherwise this is a solid if unspectacular book. You get a solid footing with most important vocabulary, and key points of grammer and construction. As with any language there are subtleties to colloquial use and slang that take time to master. The other reviewer takes issue with the translation of "tak" as an english "yes" - but context is important. Someone in english could say "yes" and it contextually mean "correct" - or if that person were excited could mean "alright!" - again all this is contextual, but the basic meaning is the same. This book is structured much like a traveller's phrase book, but with more depth. It's a good supplement to a live course or self-study. Honestly, to study a foreign language you should surround yourself with several texts and dictionaries and not rely on just one to get you to your destination, this is just my opinion however. I'd get this book, the Pimsleur tapes and the Teach Yourself series. When you're ready to move on, buy the Schenker book and also give the Colloquial series a look. If you can find audio-forum, do it, as there are 8 tapes and a thorough text. The only hindrance is the thick, uptight accent of the British speakers. The Polish is fine, however. In sum, get this book with audio and you'll have a fine starting point. Otherwise, start with Pimsleur and Teach Yourself and later just get this book as a grammar reference.

Not necessarily for beginners.
The first part of the book did offer valuable information for someone planning on traveling to Poland, however the instructional section of the book was, in my opinion, limited for use by the beginner.I have not hadthe opportunity to view any other Polish instructional texts, but basedupon my experience with French and German in school and Greek on my own, Ibelieve that anyone who picks up this book will be somewhat disappointed. The basic pronounciations for the Polish alphabet and letter combinationswere given but phonetic spellings for vocabulary words would have been amajor benefit.I think it would also have been beneficial if cognates hadbeen used as much as possible.Much of the grammatical explainations thatwere given were of a more technical nature and probably more likely to beof value to a language major than to the average person.Many of thetranslations that are presented are inconsistent with each other.Anexample would be the word "tak" which is translated as meaning"yes" in one sentence and "yes we do" in another.Averbatim translation would seem more useful in teaching a foreign languagethan multiple translations out of context.The phrases "John is myname" and "My name is John" convey the same meaning but itonly serves to confuse the student to translate one way as being the other. In summary, I believe that this text would be better titled"Beginner's Intermediate Polish" because a firm knowledge ofPolish pronounciations and at least some Polish vocabulary would almost bea prerequisite for this particular book. ... Read more

Product Description
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Polish structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Polish can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

The 10 lessons in the Basic Polish are the same as the first 10 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Polish Level 1.

The 10 lessons in Basic Polish are also the first 10 lessons in the 16-lesson Conversational Polish edition.

Pimsleur learners progress from either the Basic or the Conversational to the Comprehensive Level 1, and not from Basic to Conversational edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

dialects!
It's too dialect specific and can make it hard for you to be understood to actual polish people (I believe 'quoloquial' is the term I'm thinking of)

Great method for learning a language.
I am planning a trip to Poland, and bought this set of CD's to try to learn a few words and phrases.Trying to read the Polish words in books was very difficult... their letters don't always sound the way ours do!This method doesn't use visuals, only audio, and your own memory.It is surprisingly easy to learn to roll off sentences in Polish, and know just what you're saying.I highly recommend this product.

Basic Polish--Pimsleur Language Program
This item was a gift for my 17 year old nephew, who is of Polish extraction. He hopes to visit to Poland next summer. Apparently he is really excited by it and is enjoying the learning process.

Great!
Although very repetitive, these CDs make you memorize difficult polish phrases and words.Polish is definitely a very difficult language to learn, and this CD is very helpful.

Not good
I can't understand if anybody can learn polish by this course. Without any written material, I think it is impossible. Stay Away! ... Read more

Product Description
Q&S Polish includes the first 8 lessons from the Pimsleur Comprehensive Level I. 4 hours, audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Pimsleur Conversational polish
Excellent and easy to learn and understand
I used my lessons so much when I traveled to Poland and the Polish natives thought that I was from Poland and not the USA
Thanks Pimsleur
I highly recommend this to all wishing to learn this most difficult language.

There is no better language program out there
I have tried many different language programs over the years and Pimsleur is hands-down the very best. I bought Pimsleur's Italian 2 years ago to prep for a trip to Italy and, within a month, I learned enough to get around with ease and was able to carry on a decent conversation with the locals. The Polish language is a little more difficult to master, but YOU CAN'T NOT LEARN it with Pimsleur. Seriously folks, don't even bother looking at other programs.

4 Conversational Polish
Clearly the place to start for conversational Polish.Each 25-30 minute lesson fits nicely into the daily commute.If you are serious about learning Polish, bite the bullet and purchase Comprehensive.If not sure, start with the Conversational for a test drive.Pimsleur is excellent for developing the sounding and flow of the language, and my new-found Polish colleagues were impressed.Repetition incorporates the language into your usable memory.The program does not come with a reference book and you will occasionally find it difficult to decide what letter you're trying to sound out in the words.Purchase a good dictionary and you'll be OK.At the end of Comprehensive you'll be able to perform simple tasks, but your vocabulary will be extremely limited.The audio courses available from other manufacturers do not fit into the American educational style.They can be used following Comprehensive to increase vocabulary.An excellent supplement for written (and audio Polish) is the First Year Polish course, available online at the Univ Pittsburgh.

A Must-Have for Learning Polish
This audio CD is AWESOME! I purchased it before my first trip to Poland. I had absolutely no background in Polish. 'Couldn't find any classes to take. I purchased this series at the suggestion of a friend. Wow! I couldn't believe how easy it made the language.

The phrases are those that would be used in casual conversation... which is exactly what I needed. The people I met were convinced that I really knew the language! When they started rattling off things I didn't understand, I was able to express my limitations w/ the language.

I enjoyed Pimsleur for Spanish but Pimsleur for Polish is excellent!

Do Not buy this product
I have not compared this product to its comptetors, so I cannot judge how good it is realative to them.

However, in itself, it is not a useful introduction to Polish. Both I and another visitor to Poland had used it before our trips and found it inappropriate.
Pimsleur spends a great deal of time on very complex sentences ("Where, madam, would you like to get something to eat?" - which in Polish is a much longer and very tonue-twisting sentence), but does NOT teach such fundamental basics as:

- My name is ...
- How much is?
- US consolate.
- How far is?
- How do I .... ?
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm from...
- Where are you from?
- What do you do for a living?
- Do you like .....?
- Is ... safe/good/reliable/trustworthy/usual cost, etc?
- This is my wife (daughter, son, etc)
- I am going to ....(Warsaw, etc)
- What do I need to declare?
- I am a (doctor, teacher, etc)
- Taxi, train station, bus station, subway,
- North, south, east, west


In fact, our joke was that the program might better be named the PIMPsler program, because so many of the lessons were given to such dialogues as:

"Madam, would you like to get a drink?..... At my hotel?"
"No."
"Then would you like to get a drink at a restaurant?"
"No."
"Then, Madam, may I buy you something?"

If you were a travelling letch interested in dealing with an escort service, these might be appropriate. For a family trying to find their way around, the content was unhelpful and counterproductive. ... Read more

Product Description
This simple and effective introduction to Polish teaches everything one needs to speak, understand, read, and write in Polish. This program assumes no background in the language, and it explains each new concept clearly with plenty of examples, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who wants a thorough review. Living Language Polish includes:

·A course book and six audio CDs
·Two unique sets of recordings, one for use with the book, and a second for use anywhere to review and reinforce
·Natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary building, and key expressions
·Plenty of practice, both written and recorded
·Notes on culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more
·Real life “discovery” activities and internet resources
·An extensive two-way glossary ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great course
I have to confess that I'm not that far in the course, but I am very familiar with the Living Language approach, as I have the Japanese, Russian, Irish, Korean, and Chinese courses as well. That being said, this is a great course on standard Polish. the audio portion of the course is a great asset. This is because each lesson has an audio only part that reviews the lesson and gives you some audio only exercises. The grammar points are short, but clear and concise. Overall this is a good beginning book for learning Polish, and is a good stepping stone to move on from.

UPDATE: After having tried to use this textbook for a while to learn Polish, I found myself some what disappointed in the grammar explanations. Polish is a very difficult language to learn, with a high level of variance in the inflection system. This book does not try to bog you down with the explanations of these problems. Which is a good thing for new learners. It gives two appendices which give the FULL forms of all verbs and nouns used in the text.

However, as I am a very curious person, I wanted more. Thus I turned to First Year Polish, which is great for grammar explanations.

Now back to the text in question. I don't think that the lack of full grammar explanations constitute a great hinderance to this text. It has lost a point since my first review of it, but it is still a great introduction to the Polish language. It just requires a LOT of memorizing, which is understandable. Plus the audio for the course is still one of the best out there in my opinion. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

childhood
This is a great opportunity to review my Polish and teach my new grandson about other languages, his heritage and to have fun with it.

Not that great of a book
I bought this book simply because it's one of the few books in both English and Polish. It's a pretty disappointing book. All the pictures are black, white, and gray--not exactly exciting to look at for a child. The writing is generally short (1-2 sentences per page), which is good for very young children (I bought it for my 7-month-old niece who will listen to books with about 3 sentences on each page--more sentences make her antsy to flip the page). Though my niece can't understand the storyline yet, I don't find it all that interesting; I find that the pages are not connected at all (the dog visits the frog, then the goose, then does this, then that, and it goes on for a very long time). The dog also pees and farts (different pages for each bodily function), which I wasn't enthusiastic about because I gave the book as a gift. The other confusing thing is that the dog, Minutka, is refered to as "she", but on the page that the dog pees, it pees like a male dog (though I know that now I'm really being picky, but still, if you're going to write and illustrate a dog peeing in the first place, then get it right). ... Read more

Product Description

Sharpen your Polish verb and grammar skills with this all-in-one resource

In addition to providing essential concepts regardingverbs and grammar, Polish Verbs & Essentials of Grammaralso includes an index of the 500 most popular verbs. This book contains a multitude of examples employing contemporary language to give you a taste of the language in real-life situations. Each unit focuses on a single verbal or grammatical concept, providing concise yet comprehensive explanations.

Customer Reviews (2)

Too confusing
Okay this is a good book but it is WAY too confusing. He starts his nouns chapter by telling you all the cases of nouns without explaining them. He uses terms such as "finite verbs" and "existential be" and it doesn't have explanations.

One of the best Polish language-learning materials out there
Swan's book is a godsend to people trying to study and/or review the Polish language.It is lucidly presented, well done typographically.Don't let its small size fool you, this book is full of quality information, most of which has yet to be presented so ably in an English-language publication. ... Read more

Product Description
A standard text for the teaching of Polish, this revised edition introduces two new features: a grammatical sketch of Polish and an index.Volume Two contains drills for the lessons in Volume One designed specifically for classroom instruction, a survey of Polish grammar, and an index to both volumes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Ugly cover, decent book
Decent book.Never really followed through with using the book, but was most likely because I was living in Poland and had enough opportunities for learning all around me.

Good book, but only if you are VERY DEDICATED and FOCUSED on learning Polish
Not the best book for beginners.But once you get the basics down online or elsewhere, this book can give you an all-out fully comprehensive overview of the general language designed for intermediate level students.You'll need to be very dedicated to the book if you really want to learn.

not the best for beginning self study
I needed to cram some Polish fast and since the reviews here have been raving about this I bought this book for self study. However, I found that I was stuck in the first lesson because it is about pronounciation and it's impossible from the text to figure out the pronounciation from the text alone.

Not wanting to give up, I contacted the Yale Center for Language Study which, according to the book, has a set of tapes you can obtain. After a long and drawn out request that took a month (and maybe would have even taken longer if it hadn't been for a friend in Yale who physically went up to the center to get the tapes and post it for me) I listened to the tapes and found they were actually drills to Volume II (the classroon drill book). Which meant they were useful but not as useful as I had hoped.

I think this book, if you stuck with it, maybe could be a brillant course. I'm going to try it some more. The fact that it has no pictures and is not 'fun' makes it less appealing for me than other self study courses. After surveying a bunch, I think the Pimsleur tapes - expensive as they are - were the best in getting me started.

The best out there!
This is without a doubt the most useful and versatile Polish language instruction book I have found.It's not the colorful, cartoon-filledtextbook you might remember from high-school or college French class;rather, it's organized in a way that makes it wonderful for independentstudy for anybody beginning Polish.

Each chapter begins with a largenumber of mini-dialogues one sentence in length.For example, "Co tojest? To jest pioro."Translations are included with eachexample, of course.The earlier chapters then proceed with sectionsdescribing spelling and phonological rules of the Polish language. Following that is my personal favorite section, grammar!Grammar isexplained in a way that may perhaps be a little unclear in the beginning,but as your familiarity with the language improves, it WILL become clearquickly.

Nearly every topic you could want to learn about is covered byMr. Schenker in this book, including noun and pronoun usage, verbinflection, verbal particles, prepositions, dependent clauses, conditionalphrases, and so on.I don't think I would be exaggerating to say that youcould pick up this book with no knowledge of Polish whatsoever, and with areasonable effort become quite capable of conversing, reading, and writingin Polish.

Whether you're looking for a starting point or have studiedsome and want to improve, this is an invaluable resource.

Wonderful book
i have purchased several other books from amazon in order to learn polish in addition to the few that i have picked up on ebay.most of them have been helpful to an extent but NOTHING has come close to helping as much asthis book.after reading the other person's review, i purchased this andeverything that was mentioned was completely correct.you will learn atremendous amount in a very short amount of time when studying this book. there are exercises that will test your knowledge and will benefit yougreatly.1000 people could purchase this book and have a money back refundand none would send it back.this book is invaluable.don't spend yourmoney on 12 dollar books because you think it's a better value.just dropthe 30 dollars and this is the only book you'll need. ... Read more

Product Description
The most commonly used Polish verbs are listed alphabetically, one verb per page, and fully conjugated with English translation in a table format. Other helpful features for both language students and travelers include English-Polish and Polish-English verb indexes listing nearly 2300 verbs, and common Polish idioms using verbs. The book also features puzzles, Polish proverbs, self-tests, and other aids designed to improve students' familiarity with and usage of Polish verbs. Here is a fine supplement to language class textbooks, and a useful aid for travelers in Poland. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

What !!!!
Are you asking me about that book?(301 Polish verbs) VERY NICE!!! I did not get it.More then 32 days !!!! F#kservice like that. That is my reveiw!

The best on the subject
Hands down *The Best* book for conjugation of Polish verbs.Excellent layout & easy to understand, which is a real help because the language itself is tough enough!I highly recommend this book if you are trying to learn Polish.I use it as much as I use my translation dictionary.

great help for Polish class!
This book has been a great help in allowing me to keep up with the more advanced students in my class.It arrived earlier than anticipated and in great condition!

PROBABLY THE BEST TO START TO CONJUGATE

In my opinion,this is probably the best verb learning book to start to learn polish. There are other good polish verbs books, but usually they only conjugate the "key" verbs, or the most used verbs (but not so much as 301, and not always they have indexes of other verbs.
Here you can see fully conjugated in all tenses 301 polish verb. Remember that when somebody starts to learn a new lenguage, probably has problems to understand the conjugation looking only to a "key" verb. So, this book helps a lot to start. It lists together perfective and imperfective verbs, great! And English-Polish and Polish-English verb indexes list nearly 2300 verbs - also good for intermediate and superior students. It also has illustrative sentences and some self-tests, polish proverbs, puzzles... What else could we ask to a good polish verbs book?
Remember that it is a polish verbs book, of course that only with this you can not learn, still that it is so good!

It's like a verb-stuffed pierogi...
Another reviewer describes this book as, "thorough". That is an understatement!

If you want to know the intricate details of Polish verbs and the conjugations of the most common, look no further. In fact, it is so thorough at times, it can be intimidating, especially if you are learning the language outside a classroom setting.

For example, the frequentive aspect is treated for appropriate verbs despite the admissionthat, "The frequentive aspect is hardly ever used now." Jumping from Germanic to Slavic languages was tough enough for me, without having to ignore seldom used aspects of the language which appear alongside the parts I want/need to focus on.
... Read more

Product Description
Berlitz's best-selling phrase book and dictionary series isundergoing a complete revision and redesign. The perfectcompanions for a trip abroad, these user-friendly, color-codedguides offer assistance in conversing in a variety of travel-relatedsituations. They feature up-to-date language with an emphasison conversational usage. New fonts and a clean layout,contemporary four-color photos, and a dictionary full of essentialterms make this series ideal for any traveler. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Bogus Pronounciation Guide
I read other reviews praising this book.I have Polish acquaintances in the city who are pleased when someone makes an effor to learn Polish to speak with them.The U.S. and English language are not the center of the universe. I was greatly disappointed with the pronounciation key and guide used in this book. I could spend hours on a few pages trying to figure out the guide to learn the pronounciation.It was a waste of time, too confusing, to difficult to figure out.Get a book with a CD and native speakers helping with the pronounciation; this book is a waste of time and money.

Great Little Book
Great little book that has helped a lot. Easy to read and perfect to take along.

Berlitz Polish
Very helpful and easy to use.The phonetic pronunciations are right on the money.

just ok
not good, not bad, any little word book will do if that's all you are looking for

Polish Phrases book
The book is nicely organized! I speak polish and I bought the book as a gift; I was nicely surprised to see that for those who do not speak the language, this book is well written.Most of the words have great pronunciation, which is important since this could be difficult part of learning the language for someone who is not accustom to hearing it. I certainly recommend it for those who want to use this aid book to communicate in Poland! ... Read more

Product Description
Intermediate Polish is designed for learners who have achieved basic proficiency and wish to progress to more complex language. Each unit combines clear, concise grammar explanations with examples and exercises to help build confidence and fluency.

Features include:
* focus on areas of particular confusion such as verbs that are difficult to translate and nouns made from numbers
* comprehensive glossary of grammatical terms
* reference list of over 250 Polish verbs
* full key to all exercises.

Suitable for independent learners and students on taught courses, Intermediate Polish, together with its sister volume, Basic Polish, forms a structured course in the essentials of Polish.

Dana Bielec is the author of the popular Polish: An Essential Grammar, as well as Basic Polish: A Grammar and Workbook, both published by Routledge. ... Read more

Product Description
Containing concise explanations of grammar with related exercises Basic Polish builds confidence in using the modern language. Assuming no previous knowledge of Polish, its step-by-step approach guarantees the reader a thorough grounding in the basics of its grammar. Each of the forty units introduces a particular grammar point and provides a variety of exercises to enable the student to practice what they have learnt. Features include notes on the Polish alphabet, pronunciation and stress, full answer key to all exercises and a Polish-English glossary. Look no farther than this text for an understanding of modern Polish grammar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Basic Polish:A Grammar Workbook
This has been a valuable resource for me even though I am a beginner in the study of the Polish language.Some of the work is still too difficult for me; however, there are many, many things I have picked up from the book.I know that as I learn more Polish, the information will make more sense to me, but I am very glad I purchased this book.I am currently learning Polish with Rosetta Stone but felt I needed something visual to supplement it.

Exactly what I wanted but not for everyone ...
I agree very much with the previous poster's complaints about vocabulary and clearity.You have to memorize a good 300 words to get through all of the books exercises comfortably even though vocabulary is not its goal.Also, the choice of vocabulary tends to side with the obscure.The author is attempting to explain *all* the rules including the regular but not very high frequency exceptions.She includes a handful of examples for each pattern, easily out numbering the common case.This also takes a lot away from clearity, making the language seem much more complicated than it actually is.A better introduction would have focused on drilling all the high frequency rules and simply introducing the exceptions.

All of that said, this book was exactly what I wanted.I have been studying Russian for a number of years with only a little experience with Polish, and this book was better for me than any beginner's language textbook.I just wanted to quickly memorize the rules, and start experimenting with the language.As a person who is familiar with highly inflected languages (and Russian in particular which has very similar grammar), I really actually wanted all of the rules and not just the common case.

Its a great book, but if you are starting from nothing, it cannot be your only text.This is a much better book for the slightly more advanced Polish learner.

poorly designed and not for beginners
Although this book claims to "assume no previous knowledge of Polish," this is quite incorrect.The book begins logically with noun genders and adjectives, but it assumes you already have learned a decent level of Polish vocab, or else you'll be searching (as I was) for nearly every word in the dictionary, instead of concentrating on the grammar rule at hand.To illustrate my point,exercise 3 of unit 2 asks for the following phrases to be translated into Polish: "1. big hats, 2. Polish palaces, 3. colourful umbrellas, 4. comfortable hotels, 5. pretty countries, etc."Up to this point however, very few of these words are translated into Polish, and those few that were, only in passing.This might be permissable in a vocab-builder (provided it asks for translations of words it's already defined for you earlier), but in what is supposed to be a grammar book, it distracts and detracts greatly from my learning the grammar lesson, as I waste so much time finding the words.Had the book provided the translations (or even just the gender!), but un-declinated, etc., next to each entry, it would've helped greatly--the student would see the Polish words next to their English equivalents, while allowing him to stay focused on the grammar lesson at hand.

This book would be much better if it allowed the student to focus more on the grammar.Right from the beginning, it foists large numbers of Polish words on the student without defining them, which detracts from the learning of the grammar rules.A good grammar workbook should actually have very little vocabulary (or should provide a translation and gender for every new word right on the same page the first time it's mentioned), allowing the student to focus on the grammar rules and not definitions.

I would also like to correct the earlier reviewer.After looking at the entry on the page, I believe it's not really an error per se, just a poorly written sentence.In discussing the adjective endings modifying plural "men" nouns, the author writes that the default adjective ending in this case is "i" (trudny -> trudni), but becomes "'y' after k and g."This implies that you would see "gy" or "ky" at the end of these adjectives, right? But he says earlier that "y" never comes after a "k" or "g" in Polish.Is it a misprint?Well, what I think he means is that when you have an adjective whose last consonant is a "k" or "g," you change its final syllable, which ends in a "y."ie. drogi -> drogie -> drodzy. Here we have an adjective whose last consonant is a "g" and when modifying a plural "men" noun, it ends in "y," so what the author means to say is correct, but he states it very poorly--to the point of appearing contradictory to something he wrote just five pages earlier.

All in all, I don't believe this book is worth the expense.This is my first Polish grammar workbook (although I did see many grammar workbooks when I learned German, so I know what's effective, regardless of language), and I haven't seen what else is on the market, but the faults it has (pointless distractions from the grammar lesson at hand; poorly written or confusing explanations) mar its effectiveness greatly.I did learn the grammar lesson for each unit, but not without undo frustration caused by poor writing and superfluous vocabulary.However, with what appears to be a dearth of anything comparable on the market, you might just have to get this book and suffer through its frustrations in order to learn the grammar.

The author would've done well to have sat back, decided exactly what grammar point he wanted to get across to the student in each unit, and given exercises that kept driving at that point (or built upon the points from the earlier units), without forcing the student to learn huge amounts of new vocab at the same time.

A vital resource
This book is the first I have encountered to delineate Polish grammar in any systematic fashion. It covers all parts of speech and their various nuances in exhaustive depth. However, do not expect to learn the language solely from this book. It is intended to grammatical supplement to a more comprehensive course, such as Berlitz or Pimsleur.

The only complaint I have against this work is its errors. They aren't plentiful enough for me to recommend a substitute (nor is there one!), but be on the lookout for inconsistencies. One example may be found at the top of page 21, where we are told that the default plural ending is -i, or -y following the letters g and k. In fact, it is the opposite, with -i proceeding those two exceptions. There are a handful of others, so read with skepticism. ... Read more

Product Description
Polish: An Essential Grammar is the sole up-to-date Polish grammar available to English-speakers. A reference guide to the most important aspects of the language, it presents a fresh and accessible description, focusing on genuine patterns of use in the modern language. The ideal reference work for the independent learner the business traveler or the researcher, this grammar is written without jargon and with a special focus on areas traditionally problematic for English-speakers. The preliminary section on the Polish alphabet, the range of contemporary usage and grammatical examples, and the comprehensive index contribute to the accessibility of the book. Sections also focus on aspects frequently left out of less-detailed works (such as the diminutive noun, vowel and consonant changes, irregular verb declension and declension of words into different parts of speech) making this book an essential companion to the student of Polish even as study continues to advance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

For Serious Linguists
This is not a Rosetta Stone, self help guide to learning Polish.It delves deeply and precisely into the grammatical and syntactical nuances of this complex language.I would only recommend it to people who have mastered a second language already and understand the finer points of language construction.

Grammar Book
As a native Polish speaker, and also a teacher, I can tell there is many inconsistencies in the material provided in this book, I know it is hard to combine Polish Grammar into one cohesive piece, so maybe it is the best one to have!

Nie ma drzew w tym lesie.
I bought this book after having looked far and wide to discover that there is not a single good Polish grammar book in the English language. This one is at least comprehensive and well organised.

On the other hand, it has instances of language so obsolete that no Poles use it at all and many Poles do not even know about it (e.g. 'miê'). It's clear the author has relied too much on written sources and lacks an intimate knowledge of the language, which is a pity, considering the reputation of the university she works for.

Worst of all is the contextualisation of the grammar. 'There are no trees in this forest'. So where's the forest then? It was proven decades ago in the English language teaching industry that poorly contextualised examples hinder the acquisition of language. When will Polish book writers learn this?

So why not only one star? Because it's the best on the market. If you hope to learn Polish grammar with the help of a book, I strongly reccommend this one and only this one. It helped me immensely.

Matko boska!
What a great resource. Bielec's book provides the most succinct and clear grammar of Polish I've ever read. As an upper-intermediate/lower-advanced speaker, I've found this book invaluable in helping explain the ever overwelming nightmare of Polish declination.

The organization is in legal style, which means each chapter is a point, and within that is a sub-point, and a sub-sub-point, etc. (6.5.6.6.2) I like that; others might not.

Summarizing, this book would be useful for beginners, yet is an absolute must for intermediate and above.

Great for Beginners and Intermediate
I love this book, it has helped me to learn the language.He breaks it down into small enough chunks so anyone can learn. I also recomend his smaller book, "Basic Polish A grammar and workbook."I have used them together to learn the language. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Polish structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Polish can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational Polish includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic Polish plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational Polish are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Polish Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Outstanding
If you want to save a lot of money, buy this product instead of Rosetta Stone. You won't be disappointed. I learned Spanish with Berlitz and Pimsleur comes close to having an individual tutor like Berlitz. Very inexpensive and effective. One caveat, I grew up listening to the Polish language and knew a few words and phrases, plus familiarity with the sounds. That might prejudice the review, but for the money this product costs compared to the competition, take a chance.

Excellent Tool for Beginners
Conversational Polish:Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Instant Conversation) gives an immediately useful and practical method for learning a difficult language.Through listening and repeating, and repeating and listening, I think I may have enough practical language to feel confident speaking and understanding the basics on my upcoming trip to Poland.I've found this the most helpful of the Polish language tools I've tried.

Too many gaps
I did learn some from these lessons, but I found that there were too many gaps to make it really useful. We do learn to establish if the person with whom we are speaking speaks English and/or Polish, but we do not learn how to become acquainted. It would be useful to know how to make acquaintances through questions like "What is your name?" We only learn formal forms of address. Another gripe that I have is that the pronunciation is not consistent. There is too much of an emphasis on translation from English into Polish and not enough on trying to think in the language. Yes when we are learning our native language as children we learn to speak before we learn the grammar, but we are immersed in the language. Yes, this course is easy, but we do not really learn to communicate.

No regrets with this purchase
The method is quite amazing.I'm on disc 11 of 16 and I haven't forgotten even ONE thing I've learned!This is the first language I've taken since high school and to my surprise, it's easy and fun.

The beginning of each disc is a little intimidating because you listen to a short polish conversation with new words that you might think you'll never learn how to pronounce, let alone, remember.But by the end of the disc, confidence is back up.It may take two reviews of each lesson to move on to the next, but that is certainly no discouragement.It also does a good job in explaining WHY you say certain things, for instance, why you use a long e sound instead of a short a sound for the word "and," and it provides enough examples for it to make sense.

The conversation is limited to very basic conversation, but this is exactly the intention of this cd.It's a great launch pad to the next level...

The ONLY negative comment I have about this cd is that the majority of the conversation is focused towards a male listener, which I am not.BUT again, this is not that big of a deal, because it does a great job of demonstrating how a polish woman would speak as well. I guess I was just a little offended that Pimsleur would make the assumption/choice to focus towards a male.

Also, one last comment, which I'm sure is pretty obvious considering the media... you may be able to speak what you've learned confidently, but don't expect to be anywhere near ready to read polish. I'd recommend you save that for another time...

Like I said... absolutely NO regrets with the purchase. I have already recommended it to several friends.The method is very effective!

Enjoy and (phonetically) doe-vied-zen-ya (goodbye)!

Great for Auditory Learners!
Travelers wanting to learn basic Polish for traveling will like this program.It presents words and phrases, then continues to incorporate them throughout the remainder of the program.It presents words uniquely (from my experience), as it presents the pronounciation from the end of the word forward.It's a great program for auditory learners.

The only drawback is the lack of visual materials to follow along with or refer to. ... Read more

Product Description
The Hippocrene Beginner’s Series offers basic language instruction, presenting grammar, vocabulary, and common phrases in clear, concise lessons. Review questions and exercises accompany each section, while historical and cultural material gives insight into customs and everyday situations. Books in the series are an ideal companion for students, travelers, and businesspeople.

Hippocrene Books’ popular introductory guide to Polish now comes with 2 audio CDs! The book teaches the basics of Polish grammar and vocabulary in 11 easy-to-follow lessons. The audio CD feature complements the dialogue and grammar sections of the lesson, aiding the reader in understanding the language as spoken. The lessons are developed around topics with such titles as Going through Customs, Checking into a Hotel, and Extending and Accepting an Invitation. The book also includes an introduction to Polish culture and history, and is rounded out with an extensive bilingual glossary for both vocabulary and expressions. This introduction to the Polish language is designed for both classroom use and self-study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

No English Translation on the CDs -
I just got this today, and I am disappointed because I was hoping to listen to these CDs on my long commute to work, but unfortunately, the speakers on the CD only give the initial lesson title in English (ex: DAYS OF THE WEEK), and then they just go off in Polish.

I was hoping for cds that would say a word/phrase/sentence in English, and then go over it in Polish.This just does the Polish, so you HAVE to follow along in the book.Bummer.
Just because I would prefer to multi-task doesn't mean it's not a great book/cd set.I just started today and I do find it easier than just reading a book, but I did have to take 2 stars off due to what I think is a flagrant mistake on the part of the publisher.

Not easy, but one of the best...
Beginners might be scared off when they hear the first track, since one is immediately tossed into the deep end of full dialogues (rather than mechanical banter).But the book is structured very well, each unit includes practical dialogues with supplemental vocabulary and pronunciation sections, and the CDs use great native speakers, so you can really hone your pronunciation and accent.There are few Polish resources, and even fewer good ones.While the Penton Overseas and Teach Yourself series have a solid pedigree, I think the aural aspects of this instructional make it the best.You'll initially struggle to make much headway, but it'll pay off with quality spoken understanding of the language. ... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford First Words series give your child a head start in learning another language. Each title takes the reader on a picture-book journey through a day, cleverly interweaving lots of familiar settings and cute little dinosaurs. There is a birds eye view of first thing in the morning at home, the journey to school and inside the classroom, a birthday party and even a trip to the seaside. Over 400 foreign words and their English translations are given in illustrated color bands on the side of each page. There is also supplementary material at the back - a picture/word matching game, counting the ladybirds up to twenty, shapes both flat and three-dimensional, opposites, the weather, time, plus a comprehensive index. The fun illustrations make this an adorable first bilingual word book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

bi-lingual
This will allow me to brush up on my basic Polish and have a written resource for my Grandson. ... Read more

Product Description
In its fourth edition, featuring over 9,000 entries and complete phonetics, the Hippocrene Polish-English/ English-Polish Concise Dictionary is ideal for travelers and students.

A phonetic guide to pronunciation in both languages
Completely modern and up-to-date
Clear, concise format
By bestselling dictionary author Iwo C. Pogonowski
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Polish - English
This dictionary helped some with vocabulary.Polish is very difficult for this American to understand, even though I am comfortable with Spanish and speak and read a little German.I think a rudimentary knowledge of Polish is necessary to get full benefit from this book.

help in a small package
This dictionary was bought for an elderly 83 year old man who's first language was Polish but he had not spoken it for 60+ years. So when he forgot words and phrases he became very frustrated and annoyed. this dictionary is the perfect answer,not only for the information he requires but being pocket sized as well he can carry it around easily for frequent referral.
So it is good for the native speaker, the traveller and the student

Dictionary
I am a literacy volunteer and use this book with one student that is polisn. Very Satisfactory

its a dictionary
not much to say really, its a polish/english dictionary...it works great.

Concise, many entries, good introduction to phonetics
For the small size book - this dictionary contains a good amount of words, with a pronunciation and some extra information about phonetics, kanguage origin, differences etc. Yes, some words are missing, especially from the modern world etc - but almost all the most common or popular words are there; the guide to the phonetics and the menu guides help also. I give this book a strong 4 stars! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Polish Grammar Book
This book is excellent, one of the best that involves Polish grammar. It does cost more than other grammar books, but that's because it is much more detailed and very thorough with the information. Definitely worth the extra few bucks.

The Master at work !
Professor Swan is a top-rank language textbook writer, and by his excellent Polish grammar proves that he can write a useful no-nonsense grammar as well. Many "modern" grammars content themselves with giving the relevant paradigms of noun and verb inflection for a few typical words, and leave it up to the reader to find out which of the core vocabulary items go by which pattern. Swan has understood that the learner of grammar needs to learn not only the paradigms but also acquire a useful working vocabulary of the new language. In fact, he is so generous with examples to the rules that the whole thing reminds me of the excellent turn-of-the-century (I refer of course to ca 1900-1940!) series of language manuals called Konversations-Grammatik by the publisher Julius Groos in Heidelberg (for a prime example, consult the Rumaenische Konversations-Grammatik by Karl Tagliavini from 1938).
Swan's book begins with chapters on sounds, spelling, pronunciation and morphophonemics, pp. 7-42. These are excellent although clearly intended for speakers of American English, as his explanation of Polish /o/ shows: "Polish o is pronounced more or less halfway between the o in English poke on the one hand and pot on the other hand, with the brevity of the latter" (p. 9). Given the tendency of Americans to pronounce an original short o almost like a long "ah"(like when they say "ahn tahp" for "on top", which Britons never seem to do.) Would it not be better to use the well-defined unequivocal IPA symbols instead of unclear, at best approximate references to English sounds? In this case to just write that Polish o is a markedly open vowel, and give the IPA symbol for it (the "c with the opening turned backwards"). But IPA, which the rest of us use has never been en vogue with American textbook writers. To describe Polish consonants, IPA would have been even more useful. After all, this IS a grammar intended for ACADEMIC use.
Nound declension (p. 43-125) and verbs (p. 215-326 make up the bulk of the book. I looked especially at his description of verbal aspect and found it to be very illuminating (p. 269-297) with clearly laid-out guidelines for the choice of aspect, although I think that for the lexical studies of verbal aspect pairs, Asmus Soerensen's Verbalverzeichnis, Berlin, 1900 is still the indispensable tool (or is there an English equivalent out there somewhere ?).
The "use of cases" chapter (p. 327-373) is another delight in this grammar, and the last chapter, "On simple sentences syntax" (p. 374-423) also comes with many titbits, like the extremely useful "List of important little words" (p. 411-415), again fulfilling the Konversations-Grammatik intentions of the author.
At the end he gives useful glossaries of English grammar terms as well as Polish ones and some useful indices.
It should be noted that this is a strictly synchronic description of the language system: if you wonder why, for instance, the genitive of the name Jan Matejko (famous 19th century painter) is not Jana Matejka, as it would be in other Slavic languages, but Jana Matejki, you will have to look elsewhere (e.g. Henri Grappin, Histoire de la flexion du nom en polonais, Wroclaw, 1956).
I saved the best for the end: you can access this grammar for free at [...sorry, folks, I tried several times to enter the address here but each time I do that, Amazon deletes it.... but you can find it by googling for it ! ] and download it on your USB memory. But it would be a bargain even for the 30 USD charged by Amazon for the hardcopy format.
Hats off to Professor Swan for his immense services to all learners of Polish.
... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford Essential Polish Dictionary is a new compact Polish-English and English-Polish dictionary that offers up-to-date coverage of all the essential day-to-day vocabulary, with over 46,00 words, phrases, and 57,000 translations. This dictionary is easy to use and ideal for students, travel, and quick reference.

Designed for both native English and Polish speakers, the supplementary sections offer guidance on English irregular verbs and Polish declensions and verb tables as well as pronunciation help.

The Oxford Essential Polish Dictionary is the ideal companion for anyone needing a reliable and portable Polish-English and English-Polish dictionary for study, work, or travel. ... Read more