Language/Polish/Vocabulary/Family-Members

Polish Vocabulary → Introduction to Polish Vocabulary → Family Members

As a Polish language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I know how important it is to learn how to talk about family in a new language. In this lesson, we will focus on learning the names of family members in Polish and how to talk about your family.

Vocabulary

Here is a table with the most common family members in Polish:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
mama	'mama'	mother
tata	'tata'	father
siostra	'shyoh-strah'	sister
brat	'brot'	brother
babcia	'bahb-chyah'	grandmother
dziadek	'jah-dek'	grandfather
ciocia	'cho-tcha'	aunt
wujek	'woo-yek'	uncle
kuzyn	'koo-zin'	cousin
syn	'sin'	son
córka	'coor-kah'	daughter

Here are some phrases and questions that will help you talk about your family in Polish:

• To ask someone if they have siblings: "Czy masz rodzeństwo?" (che mahsh rod-zhens-tvo) - Do you have any siblings?
• To talk about your parents: "Mój ojciec/moja matka" (Moy ohtsyets/moya maht-kah) - My father/my mother
• To talk about your brother or sister: "Mój brat/moja siostra" (Moy brot/moya shyoh-strah) - My brother/my sister
• To introduce your family members: "To jest moja rodzina. To jest moja mama/tata/siostra/brat" (To yest mo-ya rod-zee-nah. To yest mo-ya ma-ma/tata/shyoh-strah/brot) - This is my family. This is my mother/father/sister/brother.

Grammar

In Polish, the word for "my" changes depending on the gender of the noun that follows it. For example:

• "Mój ojciec" (masculine) means "My father"
• "Moja siostra" (feminine) means "My sister"
• "Moje rodzeństwo" (neuter) means "My siblings"

It's also worth noting that Polish has a complex system of noun genders, which we will cover in a later lesson.

Cultural Insight

Family is very important in Polish culture, and there are many traditional Polish names for family members that are still commonly used today. For example, "Babcia" and "Dziadek" are common Polish names for grandparents. In addition, Polish families often gather together for holidays and special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter.

Practice

Here are some exercises to help you practice talking about family in Polish:

1. Describe your family using the vocabulary and phrases we covered in this lesson. 2. Ask a friend if they have siblings and how many brothers and sisters they have. 3. Practice introducing your family members in Polish and asking someone about their family.

Sources

• Polish Language
• Polish Culture

Table of Contents - Polish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Polish Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Questions and Negations

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Noun Gender
• Definite and Indefinite Articles

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Status

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Polish Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Polish Cuisine

Related Lessons

• Resources
• Zoo
• Countries
• Idiomatic Expressions
• Colors and Shapes
• Transportation
• Directions
• Health
• Count to 10
• Games