As anyone who reads this blog will know, I have been learning Polish this year and my progress has been slow. Polish is a complicated language with a complicated grammar, that you need to get to grips with to talk without sounding like

a total numpty or complete muppet.

For the non-native English speakers among you the words ‘numpty’ and ‘muppet’ can be used to describe someone who is doing something rather badly.

It is fine to talk like a numpty, and that is how we all start, but you don’t want to do it for ever.

Grammar is considered by many to be pointless, boring, unhelpful and not to be emphasised. It is not fashionable to talk about it. Grammar is like an embarrassing relative (and I have a few). They are there, but no-one really wants to talk about them too much. And if they do, it is in hushed whispers, on dark nights, around dying embers etc.

For a language such as Polish (and I imagine all the slavic languages), grammar is

very important!

Without learning grammar, you can not construct accurate sentences.

Spanish or Italian (for example) are more forgiving, and I think it is possible to absorb the grammar for these languages without forcing it.

So this brings up a dilemma.

Grammar books tend to overcomplicate, with exceptions that can only be learnt by practice and exposure to the language, and but yet contain too much information. And yet, it is important to learn enough grammar so that you can understand how to make (largely) correct sentences, and to provide a solid foundation to speed up learning.

What I have decided to do, partly to help with my own understanding of Polish, is to write a series of Blog posts on this topic called Polish Made Easy.

These will illustrate the most essential chunks of Polish grammar, along with ways to remember them.

As I understand them!

Everyone’s an expert. And that includes me.

Right?

Peace,

MF