witaj i zapraszamy
The Polish phrase for "hello and welcome" is witaj i zapraszamy.
This phrase is used as a friendly greeting to receive guests or visitors to a place.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of witaj (welcome/greet), i (and) and zapraszamy (we invite/welcome you).
Which one should you use?
The word witaj alone is a more direct, slightly more poetic or old-fashioned greeting compared to the standard witamy.
How does it change in a sentence?
If a single person is welcoming guests, the verb zapraszamy (we invite) changes to the singular zapraszam (I invite) to get witaj i zapraszam. If addressing a group of people directly, use the plural form witajcie instead of the singular witaj, resulting in witajcie i zapraszamy.
Did you know?
- If you use witaj in a modern casual setting, people might think you are joking or pretending to be a knight from a medieval legend.
- In Poland, the gesture of welcoming someone into a home often involves a physical step back or a hand gesture towards the interior to accompany the phrase zapraszam.
- The word witaj functions as an imperative command, literally telling the visitor to 'greet' or 'be greeted'.
Examples in context
- Witaj i zapraszamy do naszego domu.Hello and welcome to our home.
- Witaj i zapraszamy do środka!Hello and welcome inside!
Example conversation
Małgorzata greets Tomasz at the door of her apartment.
- MałgorzataCześć Tomasz! Witaj i zapraszamy do środka.Hi Tomasz! Hello and welcome inside.
- TomaszDziękuję bardzo za zaproszenie.Thank you very much for the invitation.
- MałgorzataProszę, przejdź do salonu.Please, come into the living room.
- TomaszMasz bardzo ładne mieszkanie.You have a very beautiful apartment.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries witaj, CC BY-SA 4.0.
