Greetings! If you ever find yourself in Poland, or you simply want to expand your language skills, it’s crucial to know how to say the date in Polish. In this guide, we’ll cover the formal and informal ways to express dates in Polish, providing plenty of tips and examples along the way. So, let’s dive in and discover the fascinating world of Polish date expressions!
Table of Contents
Formal Expressions
When it comes to formal situations or official documents, it’s important to use the appropriate language to convey the date. In Polish, formal expressions of the date typically follow a consistent structure. Here’s how you do it:
Tip: When expressing the date in Polish, you will often use the ordinal numbers corresponding to the day.
1. Day
To state the day, you have two options: the cardinal number or the ordinal number. The ordinal numbers are more common in formal contexts, so let’s focus on those:
- First – pierwszy
- Second – drugi
- Third – trzeci
- Fourth – czwarty
For example:
Today is the second of July. – Dzisiaj jest drugi lipca.
2. Month
To express the month in a formal manner, you need to use the appropriate names. Here are the names of the months in Polish:
- January – styczeń
- February – luty
- March – marzec
- April – kwiecień
- May – maj
- June – czerwiec
- July – lipiec
- August – sierpień
- September – wrzesień
- October – październik
- November – listopad
- December – grudzień
For example:
The conference will take place on the 7th of November. – Konferencja odbędzie się siódmego listopada.
3. Year
To state the year, you can use the cardinal numbers:
- 2019 – dwa tysiące dziewiętnaście
- 2020 – dwa tysiące dwadzieścia
- 2021 – dwa tysiące dwadzieścia jeden
For example:
I was born on the 3rd of March, 1985. – Urodziłem się trzeciego marca 1985 roku.
Informal Expressions
When speaking with friends, family, or acquaintances, you can use a more relaxed form of expressing the date. The formal structure described earlier isn’t necessary in informal situations, and you can simplify the expression. Here’s how to do it:
1. Day, Month, Year
In informal conversations, you can simply mention the day, month, and year by using basic phrases. Here’s an example:
Today is the 10th of June, 2022. – Dzisiaj jest dziesiąty czerwca 2022 roku.
2. Day, Month
In more casual settings, you can omit the mention of the year. This works well if the year is clear from the context or if it’s not relevant to the conversation. For example:
Let’s meet on the 15th of October. – Spotkajmy się piętnastego października.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve now learned how to say the date in Polish, both in formal and informal situations. Remember to adjust your language according to the context and the level of formality required. Keep practicing and exploring the beautiful Polish language, and you’ll soon become a master of expressing dates like a native! Powodzenia!
