"Stop Proposing Relationships! I’m at Work!" — 10 Polish False Friends That Could Get You in Trouble

In the early stages of our courses at Together school, we divide our groups into Slavic-speaking and English-speaking students. The logic is simple: Polish is much easier for Slavic speakers to pick up than, for example, for Italians or Hungarians. However, there are some nuances. Have you heard of 'false friends'? These are words that sound exactly like your native language but mean something completely different — or sometimes even the exact opposite. In this article, we’ve gathered our top 10 tricky words that you’ve most likely been translating incorrectly.

Komplement — Let’s start with compliments, which is exactly how the Polish word Komplement translates. However, many students confuse it with the English word "complement" (meaning to complete or perfect something).

Impreza — It’s a party or an event, not the English word "impress." So, if you want to impress someone, you probably shouldn't invite them to an impreza right away!

Aktualnie — For many English speakers, "actually" is a filler word—they often drop it at the beginning of every paragraph. However, the Polish word Aktualnie is not something to throw around lightly; it strictly means "currently" or "at this moment."

Pensja — Don't worry, asking about pensja is not a hint that you look like you are at a pre-retirement age. Pensja simply means "salary," while the money received after reaching a certain age is called emerytura by Poles.

Relacja — If your boss asks you to prepare a relacja, don't worry (or get your hopes up)—it’s not about romantic relationships in the workplace. In Polish, relacja means a report, or, in a journalistic context, an article.

Sympatyczny — Not everyone who is sympatyczny is "sympathetic," you know? In Polish, sympatyczny describes a pleasant, nice, or likable person, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they understand you or share your feelings.

Egzamin — This is used strictly for school or university exams. If you are visiting a doctor, you aren’t having an "examine"—you are having a badanie (a check-up or medical examination).

Poczekać — Let’s keep going with the topic of checks, although this one is a miss, too. Poczekać means "to wait," while the Polish word for "to check" is sprawdzić.

Magazyn — This is not Cosmopolitan or Forbes—it’s not a glossy magazine at all. In Polish, magazyn actually refers to a warehouse or storage facility. If you are looking for a magazine to read, the Polish word you need is czasopismo.

Dziwny — Oh, don't rush to react to a compliment! Dziwny is definitely not the English word "divine." In Polish, dziwny means "strange" or even "crazy." If you want to say something is "divine" (gorgeous or heavenly) in Polish, you should use the word boski. That’s the beauty of the Polish language!