Knowledge centre – free materials for learning Polish

What you will find in the knowledge centre

The knowledge centre has five sections – each answers a different question of a person learning Polish. All pages have the same structure: a short answer at the start, tables, Polish examples highlighted in bold, typical mistakes and questions at the end.

We have prepared separate guides for people whose native language is an East Slavic language: Polish for Russian speakers and Polish for Ukrainian speakers. They describe false friends – words that sound similar but mean something different – and the mistakes typical of these two groups.

Where to start – according to your goal

You will make the fastest progress if you start with materials for your goal, not with the first page of a textbook. This list will help you choose the order.

• I am starting from zero – first the alphabet and pronunciation, then the 12-week plan and the basics of grammar: noun genders, the present tense, the accusative.
• I live in Poland and want to handle matters in Polish – the pages in the "Everyday Polish" section: the office, the doctor, renting, the bank. Each has a glossary in a table and sample dialogues.
• I am preparing for the B1 exam – start your revision with cases, aspect and the past tense, because every correct sentence rests on them; for the written part the page on the formal letter and email will be useful.
• I am looking for a job – a job interview in Polish: the recruiter's questions, sample answers and the "pan/pani" form.
• I do not know my level – take the level test. The result will show your approximate level and suggest which pages to read first.

How we prepare the materials

Each page is written with a person learning Polish as a foreign language in mind – we write in simple Polish and explain why a form is the way it is. The examples come from situations that students bring to lessons: a conversation with an office clerk, a visit to the doctor, a phone call to a flat owner.

• Situations from life, not from a textbook. The topics of the "Everyday Polish" section – renting a flat, a visit to the doctor, the pharmacy, the bank, work – are also in the thematic catalogue of level B1 for adults in the regulation on examinations in Polish as a foreign language. So you learn for life and for the exam at the same time.
• Language, not procedures. On the pages about the office or renting we teach words and phrases. We do not describe official procedures and we do not give legal advice.
• Estimates with a caveat. Where we talk about learning time, we give approximate ranges and say what they depend on.

How to study with the materials so that you remember for longer

Just reading a page is not enough – you will remember more if you do something active with each material. 20–30 minutes a day is enough.

1. Read the Polish examples from the table aloud – pronunciation fixes the form.
2. Write three sentences of your own with a new word or ending, preferably about yourself.
3. After two or three days, go back to the same page and cover the answers in the table.
4. Use the phrase in a real situation – in a shop, at work, in a message to a neighbour.

You will find the full list of knowledge centre pages below, in the section "In this section".