Any foreign language learner soon notices that the language taught in the classroom is slightly different from that spoken in the street. Everyday, colloquial language is faster, more expressive, and full of colorful twists. In the case of Polish you are actually quite lucky, because the differences between the formal language and its everyday version aren’t as extreme as in some other languages. One thing is certain, if you want to master the language, you need to be aware of its various registers and, even if you are planning to use your Polish only in formal settings, it is worth to at least recognize some of the most common colloquial expressions.
Let’s take the simple act of talking. In formal Polish, we use the verbs rozmawiać or mówić. But in casual conversation, people say gadać. Gadałem z nim wczoraj doesn’t just mean “I talked to him yesterday”, it suggests a relaxed, informal chat. Co ty gadasz!? - “What are you saying!?” would be an appropriate way to react when you don’t believe what the other person just said.
Similarly, patrzeć becomes gapić się when someone’s staring a bit too long. Przestań się gapić! is a common way to say “Don’t stare!”. You can very often hear parents scolding their children Przestań się gapić w ten telefon i weź się za lekcje! - “Stop staring at your phone and do your homework!”. When parents scold their children, the emotions run high and płakać (to cry) turns into ryczeć, a word that evokes loud, messy crying. Similarly, krzyczeć (to shout) becomes drzeć się, which feels more raw and intense.
Money, of course, has its own slang. Rather than pieniądze, people talk about kasa or hajs. Nie mam kasy is a common way to say “I’m broke.” And when referring to people, the formal terms shift too: a dziewczyna becomes laska, and chłopak might be a koleś or typ, mężczyzna is simply facet. These aren’t rude, they’re just informal, used among friends or in casual settings.
In colloquial Polish daily routines get their own twist too. Instead of chodzić, people say łazić, especially when wandering aimlessly. Cały dzień łaziłem po mieście means “I wandered around the city all day.” Thinking hard? When you finally understand something, instead of rozumieć, you can say kumać. Nie kumam tego means “I don’t get it”. A similar verb that’s extremely popular in recent years is ogarniać, which could be used as rozumieć - you are very likely to hear students whispering to each other during lectures Ogarniasz to? - “Do you understand it?” but it has also other meanings. It’s one of those flexible words that can mean managing, handling, or sorting something out. Ogarniesz to? is a casual way to ask, “Can you take care of it?”. Note the aspect difference - one tiny vowel changes the meaning here - ogarniesz vs. ogarniasz. If you don’t know what I mean by aspect you should check out my blog post about perfective and imperfective verbs HERE.
Learning these expressions won’t just expand your vocabulary, they’ll help you connect. You’ll sound more natural, understand more conversations, and feel closer to the pulse of Polish life. So next time you’re tempted to rozmawiać, maybe just pogadaj. That’s how locals do it!