Polish Greetings & First Phrases
Ten phrases carry a whole first conversation. Polish, like most Slavic languages, splits them into two registers: informal (ty — friends, family, people your age) and formal (pan/pani — strangers, shops, anyone older). Choose the right column and you already sound polite.
If any spelling below looks alarming, take ten minutes with the Polish alphabet lesson first — every phrase here follows those reading rules exactly.
Saying Hello
Dzień dobry is your default. It works at the bakery, at the office, with your landlord, and with your friend's grandmother. When in doubt, dzień dobry.
Dzień dobry! Jak miło pana widzieć!
Good morning! How nice to see you!
Note: pan = formal 'you' for a man; pani for a woman. More on this below.
Please, Thank You, Sorry
Proszę (PRO-she) is the hardest-working word in Polish. Hand someone a coffee: proszę. They thank you: proszę. Ask for something politely: proszę. You cannot overuse it.
Poproszę kawę z mlekiem. — Proszę. — Dziękuję!
A coffee with milk, please. — Here you are. — Thank you!
Note: A complete café transaction in six words. Poproszę + the thing you want works everywhere.
Introducing Yourself
The formal "you" in Polish is special: instead of a pronoun, you use pan (sir / Mr) for a man and pani (madam / Ms) for a woman, with the verb in the third person — literally "How does the lady call herself?" It feels old-world because it is; it's also completely normal, everyday Polish. The full picture is in być & personal pronouns.
💬 Meeting someone new
How Are You?
Saying Goodbye
Do widzenia! Miłego dnia!
Goodbye! Have a nice day!
Note: Stacking a goodbye and a good wish is natural — shopkeepers do it all day.
You now have everything for a first conversation. Next step: say who you are properly with być & personal pronouns — or hear these phrases in a story in the graded reader Kawa z Michałem.