Being Polite in Polish vs English Language

It is an intriguing and quite complicated question. As it is widely known, Polish is a very formal language - every single person, no matter his social position, above the age of approximately sixteen (after puberty) - even a cleaner in the street, is a "Pan" (a mister or a Sir) or "Pani" (a madam or a lady).

An obvious exception to the rules is how the Poles address under-aged youth. "You" is fine as long as one has not reached puberty - just like in English, but from then on the Poles are the experts on the "savoir-vivre."

Even if you are familiar with a person you write a letter to, a "you" that you use to address this person has to be spelled with a capital letter to show proper respect - forget that and you'll get an enemy for life (just joking)!

A special polite form has also to be used when addressing people in formal relations.

I am afraid, "Dear John, how are you doing?", won't get you very far when translating a business letter. In fact, the choice of the right form of address to the right person is an essential part of any letter writing in Polish. Most common form is "Szanowny Panie/Szanowna Pani" literally meaning "Respected Sir/Madam," which is both respectful and neutral and would be translated as "Dear Sir/Madam." On the other hand "Drogi Panie/Pani" meaning also "Dear Sir/Madam" has a touch of distance to it unless the first name of the person addressed is added with or without "respected." Thus "Drogi Panie Romanie" or even shorter "Panie Romanie" translated simply as "Dear Roman" is the form of choice to be used when addressing someone we are well familiar with.

The funny thing is that the word "Pan/Pani" that originally meant a "master/lady" nowadays has lost its original meaning and is used to address anyone in any position. Try to address a street-sweeper by calling him "you" (with or without a capital letter) and you will - and rightly so - hear an angry reply. Addressing the cleaning lady is no different in this respect. Forget the "lady" and watch out! In Polish: once a lady, always a lady.

Two guys quarrelling in Polish in the street will still address each other as "Pan," although the other invectives are far from as gentle. It is not uncommon to hear "Pan jest idiotą" meaning literally "Sir, you are an idiot." Omitting the "Sir" in this context denotes utter disrespect for the person that is being abused on all levels. Not only is his mental capacity questioned, besides he is totally worthless as a human being. Beware of the dire consequences! "You" when rightly pronounce in Polish is an abusive word!

Lately, due to the influence of English, the use of the "Pan/Pani" has become less strict in the everyday speech, especially between young people and in communication over the Internet. Thus, in this context, it is not uncommon to address even unknown and unrelated persons as "you" -- and also skip the initial capital. On the other hand, when looking for work in Poland you'd better keep the "Respected Sir/Madam" in the proper place or you'll lose out

There has also been a tendency to stop using the now old-fashioned "Panna", designating an unmarried woman and corresponding to "Miss." The modern society obviously is nowadays not interested in one's marital status which is reflected in both languages. Presently, "panna" when infrequently used to address someone can have a bit of outdated feeling about it and, thus, as an address form it is not recommended.

As a plural form when addressing an unknown group of people or a married couple, a word "Państwo" is always used preceded by "respected." It is a common form of addressing formally a group of people. The closest translation here would be "Ladies and gentlemen" when it comes to addressing a group of people, but "Mr. and Mrs." when addressing a married couple. Using the Polish "wy" - with or without the capital letter -- which is an equivalent of the plural "you" in English- in this case, would mean upsetting a large group of people with possibly very dire consequences. And, of course, we wouldn't want that, would we?

(By the way "wy" is the standard address form of choice in the military for addressing the enlisted privates. In the military respect is no longer a necessity! And let me tell you: "Wy" can sound really nasty when pronounced in the military fashion.)

I have just scratched the surface when it comes to the crucial matter of translating polite or impolite forms of address in Polish. There is much more to be uncovered still waiting for the right person for the job. A bit of advice, though: when in doubt, treat every Pole as a master, even the bellboy or a waiter, call everyone "Pan", "Pani" or "Państwo" -- and you can't possibly go wrong.

	How Do We Manage to Be Polite in Polish and English Respectively? It is an intriguing and quite complicated question. As it is widely known, Polish is a very formal language - every single person, no matter his social position, above the age of approximately sixteen (after puberty) - even a cleaner in the street, is a "Pan" (a mister or a Sir) or "Pani" (a madam or a lady). An obvious exception to the rules is how the Poles address under-aged youth. "You" is fine as long as one has not reached puberty - just like in English, but from then on the Poles are the experts on the "savoir-vivre." Even if you are familiar with a person you write a letter to, a "you" that you use to address this person has to be spelled with a capital letter to show proper respect - forget that and you'll get an enemy for life (just joking)! A special polite form has also to be used when addressing people in formal relations. I am afraid, "Dear John, how are you doing?", won't get you very far when translating a business letter. In fact, the choice of the right form of address to the right person is an essential part of any letter writing in Polish. Most common form is "Szanowny Panie/Szanowna Pani" literally meaning "Respected Sir/Madam," which is both respectful and neutral and would be translated as "Dear Sir/Madam." On the other hand "Drogi Panie/Pani" meaning also "Dear Sir/Madam" has a touch of distance to it unless the first name of the person addressed is added with or without "respected." Thus "Drogi Panie Romanie" or even shorter "Panie Romanie" translated simply as "Dear Roman" is the form of choice to be used when addressing someone we are well familiar with. The funny thing is that the word "Pan/Pani" that originally meant a "master/lady" nowadays has lost its original meaning and is used to address anyone in any position. Try to address a street-sweeper by calling him "you" (with or without a capital letter) and you will - and rightly so - hear an angry reply. Addressing the cleaning lady is no different in this respect. Forget the "lady" and watch out! In Polish: once a lady, always a lady. Two guys quarrelling in Polish in the street will still address each other as "Pan," although the other invectives are far from as gentle. It is not uncommon to hear "Pan jest idiotą" meaning literally "Sir, you are an idiot." Omitting the "Sir" in this context denotes utter disrespect for the person that is being abused on all levels. Not only is his mental capacity questioned, besides he is totally worthless as a human being. Beware of the dire consequences! "You" when rightly pronounce in Polish is an abusive word! Lately, due to the influence of English, the use of the "Pan/Pani" has become less strict in the everyday speech, especially between young people and in communication over the Internet. Thus, in this context, it is not uncommon to address even unknown and unrelated persons as "you" -- and also skip the initial capital. On the other hand, when looking for work in Poland you'd better keep the "Respected Sir/Madam" in the proper place or you'll lose out There has also been a tendency to stop using the now old-fashioned "Panna", designating an unmarried woman and corresponding to "Miss." The modern society obviously is nowadays not interested in one's marital status which is reflected in both languages. Presently, "panna" when infrequently used to address someone can have a bit of outdated feeling about it and, thus, as an address form it is not recommended. As a plural form when addressing an unknown group of people or a married couple, a word "Państwo" is always used preceded by "respected." It is a common form of addressing formally a group of people. The closest translation here would be "Ladies and gentlemen" when it comes to addressing a group of people, but "Mr. and Mrs." when addressing a married couple. Using the Polish "wy" - with or without the capital letter -- which is an equivalent of the plural "you" in English- in this case, would mean upsetting a large group of people with possibly very dire consequences. And, of course, we wouldn't want that, would we? (By the way "wy" is the standard address form of choice in the military for addressing the enlisted privates. In the military respect is no longer a necessity! And let me tell you: "Wy" can sound really nasty when pronounced in the military fashion.) I have just scratched the surface when it comes to the crucial matter of translating polite or impolite forms of address in Polish. There is much more to be uncovered still waiting for the right person for the job. A bit of advice, though: when in doubt, treat every Pole as a master, even the bellboy or a waiter, call everyone "Pan", "Pani" or "Państwo" -- and you can't possibly go wrong.
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How Do We Manage to Be Polite in Polish and English Respectively?

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How Do We Manage to Be Polite in Polish and English Respectively?

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