Siema
/ˈɕɛ.ma/
The English phrase "sup" can be translated into Polish as Siema.
Siema is an informal way of saying "hey" or "what's up" in Polish. Other informal greetings include Cześć for "hi", Hej for "hi" or "hey" and Co tam for "what's up" or "how are you doing".
Which one should you use?
While Siema is used for casual "sup" style greetings, Dzień dobry is the appropriate formal way to say hello to strangers or elders.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Siema is an informal greeting used among friends and peers. A slightly more stylized or slangy variation is Siemano, which also means "hey" or "what's up".
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with Siema, it is very common to simply respond with Siema back.
Did you know?
- The word Siema is actually a clever linguistic shortcut, formed by taking the middle and end of the phrase Jak się masz, which means 'how are you'.
- While siema is used for arrivals, it is occasionally used ironically as a way to say goodbye in some youth circles.
- In Poland, using siema with a teacher or a boss could be seen as a serious lack of respect, whereas cześć is slightly more flexible.
Examples in context
- Cześć, co tam? Chcesz na kawę?Hi, what's up? Do you want to grab a coffee?
- Siemka, jak leci?Hey, how's it going?
- Siema, co słychać?Sup, what's up?
- Siema, jak leci?Sup, how's it going?
- Cześć, siema wszystkim!Hi, sup everyone!
Example conversation
Tomasz and Agnieszka bump into each other on the street.
- TomaszSiema, Agnieszka!Sup, Agnieszka!
- AgnieszkaHej, Tomasz, co tam?Hey, Tomasz, what's up?
- TomaszWszystko w porządku, dzięki.Everything is fine, thanks.
- AgnieszkaTo dobrze.That's good.
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry siema.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries siema, CC BY-SA 4.0.
