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A course built for real life

Polish for real life in Poland — ZUS, PESEL, renting an apartment.

Not a tourist phrasebook, but the language for living in Poland: the urząd, work, a rental contract — plus AI speaking practice.

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Polish vocabulary —
the most useful words in context

Learn the most important Polish words with real-life context, examples, and simple explanations. Ideal for work, travel, and daily communication.

Start learning PolishBrowse all Polish words
✓ 1285 frequent words✓ Free, no registration✓ Similar to Ukrainian

Your path through the levels

A1

Basics

Greetings, numbers, everyday words.

A2

Everyday communication

Simple dialogues, work, shopping.

B1

Confident use

Fuller conversations, opinions, plans.

How it works

A proven method to fluency in three simple steps.

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1. Top 1000 Words

We focus exclusively on the high-frequency vocabulary that makes up 80% of daily conversations.

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2. Spaced Repetition

Our smart algorithm calculates the perfect time for you to review each word, moving it to long-term memory.

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3. Practice with AI

Apply your vocabulary in real-world scenarios through interactive, voice-based conversations with our AI.

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Polish is easier than you think

Polish is a key language for business, travel, and cultural discovery in Central Europe. Speaking Polish opens up new career opportunities and helps you connect with locals.

The good news: Polish and Ukrainian are closely related Slavic languages. Between 30% and 60% of the vocabulary is identical or highly similar. The sentence structures, cases, and genders are already familiar.

By focusing on the 1285 most common words, you can achieve basic communication in just a few weeks of daily practice.

Words you already know — identical or similar

There are hundreds of such words in Polish. You already know them!

mama
(мама)
mother
dom
(дім)
house
woda
(вода)
water
chleb
(хліб)
bread
mleko
(молоко)
milk
serce
(серце)
heart
słowo
(слово)
word
student
(студент)
student
80%

of learners struggle with speaking Polish at work

Without systematic study, many remain stuck at "I understand 50% but can't speak". TheLernen helps you bridge the gap.

Real-life situations: where you need Polish

At Work

At Work

  • ✓ Understand instructions
  • ✓ Read tasks
  • ✓ Talk to colleagues
  • ✓ Fill in forms
Healthcare

Healthcare

  • ✓ Explain symptoms
  • ✓ Understand recipes
  • ✓ Book appointments
  • ✓ ZUS social security
Daily & Housing

Daily & Housing

  • ✓ Rent apartments
  • ✓ Shop in stores
  • ✓ Ask for assistance
  • ✓ Daily greetings

10 essential Polish words

Crucial for daily life and work

1
praca— work
Szukam pracy.
2
pracować— to work
Pracuję od 8 do 16.
3
umowa— contract / agreement
Podpisałem umowę.
4
wynagrodzenie— salary
Jakie jest wynagrodzenie?
5
urlop— vacation
Biorę urlop w sierpniu.
6
szef— boss
Szef mówi po angielsku.
7
sklep— shop
Pracuję w sklepie.
8
szpital— hospital
Pracuję w szpitalu.
9
mieszkanie— apartment
Wynajmuję mieszkanie.
10
ZUS— social security
Mam opłacony ZUS.
Learn all 1285 words

Life in Poland — free guides

Step-by-step help with bureaucracy, documents and the vocabulary you actually need.

→Karta pobytu→PESEL number→NFZ health insurance→Meldunek (registration)→IT vocabulary
All guides →
📖 Free guide

The 1000 most common Polish words

Read the full list →

Frequently Asked Questions

We focus on the 1000 most frequently used words in the language, which make up about 80% of everyday conversations. By mastering these first, you can start communicating much faster.
Spaced Repetition System (SRS) calculates the perfect time for you to review a word just before you forget it. This moves vocabulary from short-term to long-term memory efficiently.
You can learn for free: 30 words a day and 5 AI explanations a day. PRO removes these limits, adds unlimited AI voice practice and removes ads.
Yes, you can try it as a guest. Your progress will be saved locally on your device. However, creating an account lets you save your progress in the cloud and use it across devices.
While fluency depends on many factors, mastering the core 1000 words usually takes 1-3 months of consistent daily practice (15-20 mins/day), giving you a solid conversational foundation.
Instead of random sentences and gamified translation, we focus strictly on high-frequency vocabulary, spaced repetition, and real-time AI conversation practice.
Yes, an internet connection is required to sync your progress and use the AI pronunciation and conversation features.
Absolutely! TheLernen is a Progressive Web App (PWA). You can install it on your home screen and use it just like a native app.
PRO unlocks unlimited AI conversational scenarios, smart grammar explanations, and removes daily limits on speaking exercises. It's great if you want to practice speaking intensely.
When you struggle with a word or grammar concept, our AI tutor provides context-aware, tailored explanations, just like a human teacher would.

Start speaking Polish today

1285 words. Simple explanations. Free.

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