Knowledge of foreign languages is not a luxury, but a necessity that opens almost any door to a person. Speaking a foreign language, we can get a job in a successful company, find new friends anywhere in the world, go on holiday abroad, without worrying about how to find a common language with the natives. Today, not only English or German, but also Polish is in demand. Therefore, the most frequently asked question on the Web today is how to learn Polish.
Ways to learn
Any foreign language, including Polish, can be learned in several ways.
Enroll in courses. This is the easiest and most effective way. Training takes place in groups, and you have the opportunity to communicate not only with the teacher, but also with other students. The main disadvantages of such training - not all cities have such courses, and if there are, classes are held according to a schedule that may not suit you.
Lesson with a tutor. With such training, all the tasks for you are made by the teacher, he also checks the correctness of their implementation, indicates errors. One minus is that such a pleasure is not cheap.
Learning over the Internet. A fairly popular way in which you can both sign up for special courses and attend webinars, or find a remote teacher. The cost is significantly lower, but again, if you have a slow Internet connection or if the payment is for used traffic, the option is not very attractive.
Self-training . Today, the Internet has a lot of forums and sites dedicated to how to learn Polish at home. The main advantages of the method are low training costs and the ability to independently choose the time for classes and the learning strategy. Minus - lack of motivation and laziness can significantly interfere with learning.
Motivation
The main thing in learning a language, no matter what method of learning, is the presence of motivation. It’s not enough to say: “I want to learn Polish.” You must find at least one reason why you need it. Otherwise, as soon as the first impulse passes and the interest in classes has subsided, you will immediately abandon your studies and after a couple of years you will not even remember elementary phrases.
The incentives may be the desire to go abroad for study or permanent residence. By the way, in this case, the Poles are rather willing to meet people who know Polish culture and traditions. Even without relatives among the Poles, you can get a Pole card if you know the culture and customs of the country, take an active part in activities aimed at popularizing Polish culture. The Pole card gives a lot of advantages - the possibility of obtaining a visa, the right to legal employment and training, other trifles.
Another good motive may be employment in international companies. Knowledge of not only English, but also Polish will be a huge plus in this situation.
A tourist trip to Poland can also be a great reason. Agree, it’s much more interesting to travel around the country on your own, choosing your favorite museums and exhibitions. But not all Poles speak foreign languages and may simply not understand your question about how to get to the museum or hotel if it is asked in English.
Perhaps you are interested in how to learn Polish yourself, in order to read an interesting book that has not been translated into Russian, or to watch a series. Even such a motive can be a great incentive for learning.
Before starting your studies, be sure to write down your goal and, as soon as your desire to learn goes into decline, open your notebook and remember what you started it for. Better yet, write your goal on the Whatman paper in capital letters and hang over the desktop. Success guaranteed.
Well, if you really do not know how to control your laziness, argue with one of your friends that you learn the language, say, in 6 months. If you are a gambler, then surely do not give up your classes and succeed.
Where to begin?
If you decide to do self-training, you must:
- Decide how many times a week you will be engaged. It’s best if you sit down at least three times a week.
- To select educational literature - textbooks, dictionaries, reading literature.
- Find additional training tools - audio, video.
- Install language learning apps on your mobile or tablet.
- Find native speakers on social networks.
How to choose textbooks?
In order to learn Polish on your own from scratch, you must first choose the right educational materials. There are many courses and textbooks on the Web, each of which has its own pluses and minuses. But e-books are not what you need. If funds allow you, purchase a textbook in the store, in a paper version. This is a guarantee that during the lesson you will not be distracted by checking your mail, calls to Skype or Viber.
When choosing a textbook, pay attention to several points:
- The year of publishing. The newer the book, the better. Language, especially vocabulary, is a dynamic thing. New expressions and words are constantly appearing. You yourself understand that learning a foreign language from Soviet textbooks is ridiculous.
- Publisher. Those who want to know how to learn Polish at home should understand: it is desirable that the textbook was issued directly in Poland, best of all - if some language center at the university. Let the fact that the tasks are written in Polish or English do not scare you. But in the book there will be a minimum of mistakes, and he will allow to fully master the language.
- The availability of answers. If you study the language yourself, then you need to constantly check the correctness of the completed tasks. It is good if the textbook contains the keys to each or at least half of the exercises.
- Vocabulary. The criterion is optional, but desirable. Well, if there is a mini-dictionary at the end of the textbook, if not, then there’s nothing to worry about. In any case, you need to purchase a dictionary.
- The presence of audio. So you can not only read how to pronounce this or that sound correctly, but also hear it.
Buy a dictionary
To learn Polish on your own, you must additionally purchase a dictionary. At least words for 35,000-40,000. For a start, this will be enough. Ideally, a dictionary should contain between 150,000 words.
When choosing, it is also important to pay attention to the year of manufacture.
A prerequisite is that the dictionary is bilateral, that is, Polish-Russian and Russian-Polish. You understand that you will need to translate not only from Polish into Russian, but also in the opposite direction.
additional literature
Speaking about how to learn Polish at home, it is worth remembering that you will not have enough textbooks and a dictionary. Additionally, it is desirable to purchase:
- A separate booklet with rules, tables and diagrams in the Polish language. With their help, you can quickly refresh the previously learned rules in your memory, quickly learn new ones.
- Fiction It can be one or two books of your favorite genre. It is advisable that you do not read these works before. Be sure to note whether the literature is adapted or not, in the second case it will be much more difficult to read it.
Additional training tools
You can learn Polish on your own not only with the help of books and textbooks, but also with the help of songs and films, series, games. These methods of study are not basic, with their help you can increase the level of language proficiency during the holidays.
Search online for songs in Polish. You can periodically listen to them and try to translate words, individual phrases and sentences. This method is especially valuable if you go to and from work.
Watching movies and TV shows. Of course, you can watch movies and TV shows exclusively in the language you are learning, but it is better if they are accompanied by subtitles in Russian. Thus, you can memorize many phrases and expressions from the household sphere.
Games and applications. Those who do not know how to learn Polish while relaxing may be interested in learning through games and applications. Today, many applications have been developed to learn the language using tablets and smartphones. By installing any of the ones you like on your mobile device, you can spend time with benefit while playing exciting educational games.
Communication
Most are interested in how to learn Polish spoken language on their own. The answer is simple - communicate as much as possible. Spoken language is spoken and that functions in oral speech. The best solution for independent study will be communication with native speakers - residents of Poland.
Find on a social network friends of interests living abroad. They will not only explain to you the rules for the use of certain words and expressions, the specifics of the syntax, but they will also tell you a lot of interesting things about your country and culture.
Learning phonetics
After all the textbooks are purchased, you need to start learning. Those who are interested in how to learn Polish at home and where to start should remember: always starting with the alphabet. You must learn the alphabet - the name of each letter and pronunciation of sounds. It is important to use special discs on which the sound of each sound is recorded. The issue of phonetics, the correct arrangement of stresses should be given special attention. An incorrectly delivered pronunciation is one of the grossest errors that are difficult to correct in the future.
Vocabulary
The opinion of foreign language teachers often diverges in what should be paid attention in the first place - grammar or vocabulary. Some people think that a large vocabulary more than compensates for the lack of knowledge of grammar, others that an unfamiliar word can always be found in the dictionary, but grammar should be dealt with first.
Be that as it may, the vocabulary is important, especially when learning Polish. Those who are wondering how to learn Polish at home have probably heard that some words in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian have a similar sound, but their meaning can radically differ.
To replenish the lexical stock you can:
- Read previously acquired fiction.
- Listen to songs and watch movies.
- Chat with friends online.
Additionally, experts recommend:
- Read and translate news articles from various sites. Reading the media, you not only learn new words, but also remember the correct construction of phrases and sentences.
- Use a dictionary. A rather interesting way to study vocabulary is to read the dictionary and make cards. For example, you leaf through a dictionary and find 5-10 words unfamiliar to you. Cut small cards from thick paper. On one side you write the word in Polish, on the other - in Russian. Then you sort through the cards, trying to translate the word on the card, and see the translation for a self-test.
By the way, such a method - word - translation - is often used in mobile applications.
Grammar
The grammar of the Polish language deserves special attention. Those who want to quickly learn Polish at home should prepare for the fact that they will have to pay a lot of attention to the study of the case system of the language, to study the endings in words depending on time and form.
In addition, people studying Polish often complain about the special logic of constructing sentences and the style of the language.
When studying grammar you will need a textbook and tables with diagrams. It is advisable to have your own notebook in which you will write down the basic rules and moments.
Speaking
Those who want to know how to learn Polish from scratch at home should pay special attention to speaking. The main goal of any training is not only to be able to understand the interlocutor, but also to learn how to convey his thoughts to him. When learning a foreign language, a special role is given to this very moment. Remember how in English lessons you were taught to talk about yourself, your family and hobbies, to write letters.
When learning Polish, the same approach is used. You must learn to talk about yourself, your habits, hobbies, write letters - personal and business, perhaps a resume.
It is important to be able not only to write, but also to tell, without peeping into the notebook and dictionary.
In addition to the development of monologic speech, it is important to pay attention to dialogue.
To develop speaking, you need to communicate as much as possible with native speakers, preferably with the help of video calls. So you can not only learn the basic constructions, expressions, put the pronunciation, but also, importantly, sort out your fear. It is the fear of saying something wrong or wrong - the main problem in learning a language.
Listening
Another important point that you should pay special attention to is the perception of speech by ear. It is no secret that most language exams consist of tests aimed at checking grammar and vocabulary, writing, or speaking and listening.
Songs and films, communication with friends will help you improve your perception skills.
In addition, almost every textbook to which the disc is attached has listening exercises. It is advisable to carry them out, then checking the answers and doing an analysis of the mistakes made.
Time
So, how much can you learn Polish? The answer to the question is entirely up to you. If you persistently and systematically study, in a couple of months you will be able to understand Polish speech, speak a new language for you. Although it’s not ideal, it’s more than enough for a trip to the country.
If you are lazy and constantly postpone classes until later, you will not have enough for several years to get at least minimal communication skills.
Some useful tips
- Learn the language systematically. Do not skip classes unless you have a good reason. And if there is, do the exercises scheduled for the day, as soon as you have a free minute.
- Do not study hard; do not be a fanatic. Doing five to six hours a day daily is a good idea, but useless. One lesson should not last more than one and a half hours.
- On days of relaxation, watch movies and listen to music in Polish.
- Learn the culture and traditions of Poland. So you can immerse yourself in the language you are learning as much as possible, understand the meaning of some words and idioms that are not translated literally into Russian.
- Learn not only individual words, but also proverbs, sayings, aphorisms. This will make your speech richer and brighter.
We hope that we have given an exhaustive answer to the question of how to learn Polish from scratch. Follow our advice, systematically engage, and after a few weeks you will notice that you understand individual words and phrases, and after a few months you can even speak fluent Polish without putting any special effort into it. Good luck to you!