proszę
/ˈprɔ.ʂɛ/
The Polish word proszę means please.
The word proszę is used as a polite term when you are giving something to someone or when you are asking them to perform an action. In formal contexts, it is the standard way to say 'please.'
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable. The IPA is /ˈprɔ.ʂɛ/.
When do people say it?
If you did not hear what someone said, saying proszę is a polite way to ask them to repeat themselves, similar to saying 'Pardon?' or 'What was that?' in English.
Did you know?
- The word proszę can also be used to mean 'You're welcome' when responding to 'thank you', effectively serving multiple conversational roles.
- The word proszę is the first-person singular present form of the verb prosić, literally meaning 'I am asking' or 'I beg'.
- While proszę is the standard polite form, using it too frequently in a single sentence can sound overly formal or even sarcastic to native speakers.
Examples in context
- Proszę o pomoc.Please, help me.
- Proszę, weź sobie ciastko.Here, take a cookie.
- Proszę, oto menu.Here you go, the menu.
- Proszę, ile to kosztuje?Excuse me, how much does this cost?
- Proszę, to kosztuje 20 złotych.Here you go, it costs 20 złotys.
- Tak, proszę wejść.Yes, please come in.
- Proszę, to jest dla ciebie.Here you go, this is for you.
- Proszę, podaj mi tę książkę.Please, pass me that book.
- Proszę, usiądź tutaj.Please, sit here.
Example conversation
Tomasz is handing a book to Agnieszka.
- TomaszAgnieszko, proszę, weź tę książkę.Agnieszka, please, take this book.
- AgnieszkaDziękuję bardzo, Tomaszu.Thank you very much, Tomasz.
- TomaszNie ma za co.You're welcome.
- AgnieszkaTo bardzo miła książka.This is a very nice book.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry proszę, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries proszę, CC BY-SA 4.0.
