Home › Vocabulary › Greetings
Polish Greetings and Polite Phrases
These are the 22 words for greetings and polite phrases that the Jasny Polski course teaches first — the ones that turn up in your first real conversations. Each comes with a sentence, so you can see how the word behaves rather than only what it means.
How to use these words
Polish chooses a greeting by who you are talking to. Dzień dobry is the all-purpose hello for anyone you don't know, from morning until evening, when it becomes dobry wieczór. Cześć is for friends, and it means both hi and bye. Dobranoc is only said when parting at night — it is never a greeting.
To a stranger you don't say ty. You say pan to a man and pani to a woman, and the verb goes into the third person: Mówi pani po angielsku? — do you speak English? The answer to dziękuję is proszę or nie ma za co, and the answer to przepraszam is nic nie szkodzi.
Greetings: 22 words
| Polish | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cześć phrase | hi; bye | Cześć! Jak się masz? |
| hej phrase | hey (informal hi) | Hej! Co słychać? |
| dzień dobry phrase | good morning, hello | Dzień dobry! Jak się pani ma? |
| dobry wieczór phrase | good evening | Dobry wieczór! Jak się pan ma? |
| dobranoc phrase | good night (said at parting) | Dobranoc! Do jutra. |
| do widzenia phrase | goodbye (polite) | Dziękuję! Do widzenia! |
| jak się masz? phrase | how are you? (to a friend) | Cześć, Marek! Jak się masz? |
| co słychać? phrase | how's it going? | Hej! Co słychać? |
| pan noun m | sir, Mr (to a man you don't know) | Dzień dobry! Jak się pan ma? |
| pani noun f | madam, Mrs (to a woman you don't know) | Dobry wieczór! Jak się pani ma? |
| dziękuję phrase | thank you | Dziękuję bardzo! |
| proszę phrase | please; here you are; you're welcome | Kawa? Proszę. |
| proszę bardzo phrase | you're welcome; here you are | — Dziękuję! — Proszę bardzo. |
| nie ma za co phrase | don't mention it | — Dziękuję bardzo! — Nie ma za co. |
| przepraszam phrase | sorry; excuse me | Przepraszam! Gdzie jest sklep? |
| nic nie szkodzi phrase | no harm done (answer to sorry) | — Przepraszam! — Nic nie szkodzi. |
| miło mi phrase | nice to meet you | — Anna. — Miło mi! |
| na razie phrase | see you, bye for now (informal) | Na razie! Do zobaczenia. |
| do zobaczenia phrase | see you | Dziękuję i do zobaczenia! |
| smacznego phrase | enjoy your meal | Ciasto? Smacznego! |
| na zdrowie phrase | cheers!; bless you! | Na zdrowie! |
| poproszę phrase | I'd like…, could I have… (at a counter) | Poproszę kawę i wodę. |
Check yourself
How do you say “goodbye (polite)” in Polish?
How do you say “how's it going?” in Polish?
How do you say “please” in Polish?
How do you say “nice to meet you” in Polish?
How do you say “cheers!” in Polish?
Grammar you need for these words
Where the course teaches these words
- 2. Greetings in Polish 10 words from this page
- 3. Thank you and sorry in Polish 11 words from this page
- 4. Introducing yourself in Polish 9 words from this page
- 11. Shopping in Polish: at the shop 8 words from this page
Related topics
Turn this into something you can actually say.
Practise this in Jasny Polski →Free to start. No card needed.