First words & greetings

The phrases you will use on day one.

Polish splits formal and informal from the very first word. Use cześć with friends and people your own age, but dzień dobry with strangers, shopkeepers, and anyone older or in a work setting. Getting this right instantly makes you sound polite.

•Cześć — hi and bye (informal).
•Dzień dobry — formal hello; Dobry wieczór — good evening.
•Proszę / Dziękuję / Przepraszam — please / thanks / sorry.
•Tak / Nie — yes / no.

Cześć!

Hi!

Do widzenia

Goodbye (formal)

Nie rozumiem.

I don't understand.

Jak się masz?

How are you?

Dobrze, dziękuję.

Fine, thank you.

🧠 Tactic — Pair each greeting with a gesture in your head — a wave for cześć, a handshake for dzień dobry — so the formal/informal choice becomes automatic.

⚠️ Watch out — Cześć means both 'hi' and 'bye', but only informally — never use it with someone you would address formally.

Quick check

How do you say 'thank you'?

Dziękuję = thank you.

'Dzień dobry' is used:

It is the daytime greeting; in the evening use dobry wieczór.

Practice

Now produce the answers yourself — type them, choose the form, or build the sentence.

Say: Hello (daytime)

Daytime / formal greeting.

Say: Thank you

You meet a friend. You say…

Cześć = informal hi.

___ wieczór (good evening)

Build the sentence — tap the words in order:

How are you? (informal)

Say: Goodbye (formal)

‹ PreviousAlphabet & pronunciation Next ›Introducing yourself (być)