Learn how to ask others to take a photo for you
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Hello and welcome to Polish Survival Phrases brought to you by PolishPod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Poland. You will be surprised at how far a little Polish will go. |
| Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by PolishPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus |
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| In today's lesson, we will introduce a phrase that will surely come in handy for capturing your memories on film or memory card. Poland is full of beautiful scenery. Obviously, you will take many pictures of landscapes and monuments. However, I have no doubt that in some moments you'll want to be in the picture or have everyone in your party in the picture. |
| Therefore, there are times when the question, "Can you take my/our picture?" will be invaluable. |
| In Polish, "Can you take our picture, sir?" is Czy może nam pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| We've already seen the word czy, which indicates that a "yes" or "no" question is being asked. |
| Czy is followed by może meaning, "can you," the third-person singular of the verb móc ("can" or "to be able to") used in the formal way of speech. |
| Then we have the personal pronoun nam ("us"). |
| The next component is pan ("sir" or "Mr."). |
| Finally, we have zrobić zdjęcie, which means, "to take a picture." Literally, this means, "Can you take us a picture, sir?" |
| If you are on your own, and you want to ask, "Can you take my picture?" in Polish, you just need to replace nam with mi; so you would have Czy może mi pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| If you want to ask a woman to take your picture, you just need to replace pan with pani. "Can you take my picture, ma'am?" will be in Polish, Czy może mi pani zrobić zdjęcie? |
| What if you bump into a young person and you don't need to use the formal level of speech? It's very easy because the only element that changes is the form of the verb. |
| There's also no pan or pani. |
| So może changes into możesz ("can you"), the second-person singular of the verb móc ("can" or "to be able to"). |
| So all together, we will have Czy możesz mi zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Cultural Insights |
| We all know very well that if someone says "cheese," this means that a picture is being taken. In Poland, you might hear "cheese." It is very popular. But Poles also came up with their own word, which is dżem ("jam"). Try it out. |
| When you are in Poland, you would likely want to keep all of the beautiful scenery on film, whether you use a video camera or digital camera. |
| So make sure your battery is charged since there will be a lot to see. You don't want to miss it. |
Outro |
| Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. |
| You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so powodzenia, which means “good luck” in Polish. |
| "Can you take our picture, sir? (formal)" - Czy może nam pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy może nam pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy może nam pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| "Can you take our picture, ma'am? (formal)" - Czy może nam pani zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy może nam pani zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy może nam pani zrobić zdjęcie? |
| "Can you take my picture, sir?(formal)" - Czy może mi pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy może mi pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy może mi pan zrobić zdjęcie? |
| "Can you take my picture? (informal)" - Czy możesz mi zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy możesz mi zrobić zdjęcie? |
| Czy możesz mi zrobić zdjęcie? |
| All right, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by PolishPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
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