How to Give Your Name

Learn how to give your name

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Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can Do Polish by PolishPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to give your name in Polish.

For example, "I'm Karolina Kovalsky. Nice to meet you."

Jestem Karolina Kowalski. Miło mi.

Two passengers, Karolina Kovalsky and Maciej Mazur , are seated next to each other on a plane to Poland.

Before you hear their conversation, let’s preview some of its key components.

Dzień dobry.

"Hello."

Dzień dobry.

Milo mi.

"Nice to meet you."

Milo mi.

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Karolina's response.

Ready?

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. A Pani?

Jestem Karolina Kowalski. Miło mi.

Once more with the English translation.

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. A Pani?

"My name is Maciej Mazur. And you are?"

Jestem Karolina Kowalski. Miło mi.

"I'm Karolina Kovalsky. Nice to meet you."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Maciej Mazur introduces himself?

"My name is Maciej Mazur. And you are?"

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. A Pani?

First is nazywam się, meaning "I call myself." Nazywam się.

Note, nazywam się is the shortened form of ja nazywam się. In Polish, ja, "I," is usually omitted.

Nazywam się is from the verb nazywać się, meaning "to call oneself." Nazywać się.

Next is the name, Maciej Mazur. "Maciej Mazur." Maciej Mazur. Maciej Mazur.

Together, Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. Literally, "I call myself Maciej Mazur." But it translates as "My name is Maciej Mazur." Nazywam się Maciej Mazur.

Next is A pani? Which translates as, "And you are?," in this context. A pani?

First is a. "And," as in "And you are?" A. A.

Next is pani, translating as "you," in this formal context. Pani. Pani.

Note, pani is a formal way to address a female, and it often translates as Mrs.

Do you remember how Karolina says,

"I'm Karolina Kovalsky."

Jestem Karolina Kowalski.

First is Jestem. "I am." Jestem. Jestem.

Note: jestem is a shortened form of ja jestem, "I am." In Polish, ja, "I," is usually omitted, as it is understood from context.

Next is the name Karolina Kowalski. "Karolina Kovalsky." Karolina Kowalski. Karolina Kowalski.

Together, Jestem Karolina Kowalski. "I'm Karolina Kovalsky." Jestem Karolina Kowalski.

Next is miło mi, literally, "pleases me," but translates as "Nice to meet you." Miło mi. Miło mi.

This expression can be used in many contexts and is appropriate for both formal and informal situations.

Altogether it's Jestem Karolina Kowalski. Miło mi. Literally, "I'm Karolina Kovalsky. Pleases me," but it translates as "My name is Karolina Kovalsky. Nice to meet you."

Jestem Karolina Kowalski. Miło mi.

The key pattern is

Jestem NAME.

"I'm NAME."

Jestem NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the NAME placeholder with your given name or given name and surname.

Note: This pattern requires a proper noun.

Imagine you're Karol Kovalsky. In Polish, Karol Kowalski. Karol Kowalski. Karol Kowalski.

Say

"I'm Karol Kovalsky."

Ready?

Jestem Karol Kowalski.

"I'm Karol Kovalsky."

Jestem Karol Kowalski.

In Polish, there are both informal and formal ways of speaking. What you use depends on whom you’re speaking with.

According to Polish etiquette, in a formal situation the person you are talking to should be addressed in a polite manner.

When addressing a male, use pan, meaning "Mr,"

When addressing a female, use pani, meaning "Ms."

This is also the polite way to approach strangers, people significantly older than you, and others in a formal situation.

In the conversation you learned, A Pani? "And you?," when addressing a female.

If Karolina were addressing a male, she would have said, A Pan? "And you?"

In casual situations or when talking to your peers, you can use the informal ty, meaning "you." A ty? "And you?"

Again, the key pattern is

Jestem NAME.

"I'm NAME."

Jestem NAME.

Let's look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur.

"My name is Maciej Mazur."

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur.

Jestem Karolina Kowalski.

"I'm Karolina Kovalsky."

Jestem Karolina Kowalski.

Jestem Karol. Miło mi.

"I'm Karol. Nice to meet you."

Jestem Karol. Miło mi.

Dzień dobry. Jestem Alicja Nowak.

"Hello. I'm Alicja Nowak."

Dzień dobry. Jestem Alicja Nowak.

Mam na imię Zuzanna.

"My name is Zuzanna."

Mam na imię Zuzanna.

Did you notice how the last speaker uses a different pattern?

Mam na imię Zuzanna.

"My name is Zuzanna."

Mam na imię Zuzanna.

First is mam. Literally "I have," but translates as "my" in this context. Mam. Mam.

Note, mam is the shortened form of ja mam. In Polish, ja, "I," is usually omitted.

Mam is from the verb mieć meaning "to have." Mieć.

Next is na. "At." Na. Na.

Note, there is no corresponding English translation for na.

Next is imię, literally "first name," but translates as "name." Imię. Imię.

Together, Mam na imię, My first name is…" Mam na imię.

Note: This pattern can only be used with first names and requires a proper noun.

Next is the name Zuzanna. "Zuzanna." Zuzanna. Zuzanna.

Altogether, Mam na imię Zuzanna, literally means "I have first name Zuzanna," but translates as "My name is Zuzanna." Mam na imię Zuzanna.

The pattern is

Mam na imię NAME.

"My name is NAME."

To use this pattern, simply replace the NAME placeholder with your first name.

You should be aware of this pattern, but you won’t need it for this lesson.

Let's review the key vocabulary.

Dzień dobry.

"Hello."

Dzień dobry.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say

"Nice to meet you."

Miło mi.

And the Polish pronunciation of Karolina Kovalsky's name?

Karolina Kowalski.

Do you remember how Karolina Kovalsky says,

"I’m Karolina Kovalsky."

Jestem Karolina Kowalski.

Do you remember how Karolina Kovalsky says,

"I'm Karolina Kovalsky. Nice to meet you."

Jestem Karolina Kowalski. Miło mi.

Do you remember how Maciej Mazur says,

"My name is Maciej Mazur."

Literally, "I call myself Maciej Mazur."

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur.

Do you remember the formal word for "you" when addressing a female speaker?

Pani.

Do you remember how Maciej Mazur says,

"My name is Maciej Mazur. And you are?"

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. A Pani?

And do you remember the formal word for "you" when addressing a male speaker?

Pan.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Karol Kovalsky. Karol Kowalski.

Respond by saying, "I’m Karol Kovalsky."

Ready?

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. A pan?

Jestem Karol Kowalski.

Listen again and repeat.

Jestem Karol Kowalski.

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Zuzanna Zajac. Zuzanna Zając.

Include, "Nice to meet you," in your response.

Ready?

Nazywam się Maciej Mazur. A pani?

Jestem Zuzanna Zając. Miło mi.

Listen again and repeat.

Jestem Zuzanna Zając. Miło mi.

Let's try one more.

Imagine you're Alicja Nowak. Alicja Nowak.

Say, "My name is Alicja Nowak."

Literally, "I call myself Alicja Nowak."

Ready?

Jestem Maciej Mazur. A pan?

Nazywam się Alicja Nowak.

Listen again and repeat.

Nazywam się Alicja Nowak.

In casual situations, you can also use this pattern with just your first name. For example, Karol Kovalsky can simply say,

Jestem Karol.

"I'm Karol."

Jestem Karol.

Well Done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to give your name in Polish. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

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