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A0–A1 · First steps · Lesson 02
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.
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)
What this lesson covered
Polish separates formal and informal speech from your very first word, and this lesson gave you both sides. Use cześć with friends and people your own age for both “hi” and “bye,” but switch to dzień dobry with strangers, older people, and anyone in a shop or office; in the evening that becomes dobry wieczór, and dobranoc is saved for going to bed. Around those greetings sit the small courtesies that make you sound polite instantly — proszę, dziękuję and przepraszam — plus the first-meeting essentials jak masz na imię?, mam na imię… and miło mi. The habit to build is matching each greeting to its situation until the formal-versus-informal choice becomes automatic, because getting it right is the fastest way to make a good impression in Polish.