Question:
still about Polish.. is it the same thing to say: " Pan jest w Polsce?" and "Jest pan w Polsce?"?
anonymous
2011-08-08 07:20:32 UTC
I'm doing a test (well I'm testing myself before the real test) and I translated "Are you in Poland?" with "Jest pan w Polsce?" but checking on my book it says "Pan jest w Polsce?"
Is it one of those things that can be said in both ways and are still correct or do I have to mark that as a mistake?
(I'm still at unit 1 that's why I'm still struggling with where are you from and what's your name!!!)
Three answers:
?
2011-08-09 08:52:42 UTC
I would translate "Are you in Poland?" as "Jest Pan w Polsce?" - sounds more natural, however, saying it "Pan jest w Polsce" is OK, but sounds a bit as "You're in Poland, aren't you?" (like checking info rather than asking).

In most situations, however, we don't change the word order to make a question, we just use a rising intonation.

But just remember that you use this form ONLY if you're talking to ONE adult male with whom you are NOT on first name terms! So you can have alternative translations:

"Jest Pani w Polsce?" - talking to a female (polite)

"Są Państwo w Polsce?" - talking to a group (polite)

and of course "Jesteś w Polsce?" talking to any peson (one) with whom you are on first name terms (or a child).

In case of Yes/No questions you can always add "Czy" at the beginning, e.g. "Czy jesteś w Polsce?", but it is most often dropped in conversations. You must use it, however, in indirect questions (like English if/whether - e.g. "I don't know if you're in Poland." - "Nie wiem, czy jesteś w Polsce."

As for "Where are you from" we say it "Skąd jesteś" (informal) or "Skąd Pan/Pani jest" (formal).

(it's "skąd" NOT "zkąd", though some Poles write it this way, LOL)

And "What's your name?" is "Jak się nazywasz" which in direct translation is like "What do you call yourself". More polite (formal) versions are "Jak się Pan/Pani nazywa?"

Hey, Polish is not so difficult, just YOU is a problem, because in English everything is YOU, and in Polish it's "ty" (singular) or "wy" (plural) and the polite forms where you use Pan/Pani and the third person singular (like in Spanish but unlike in other Slavic languages).

Good luck in your studying (Powodzenia w nauce)!
Gum
2011-08-08 15:28:07 UTC
Being Polish and wanting to ask such question I'd choose "Jest pan w Polsce?". But you can use "Pan jest w Polsce?" as well. You just need to make it sound like a question, otherwise "Pan jest w Polsce?" could be understood as a statement.
?
2011-08-08 14:37:30 UTC
Jest pan w Polsce ?It is fine and it sounds better than Pan jest w Polsce ?



To make it even clearer you colud as Czy Jest pan w polsce ?



Where are you from is Zkad pan jest ?

What's your name ? is Jak sie pan nazywa ? ( formal ) Jak sie nazywaz ? ( informal )



Hope this helps


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