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If it comes to roads, etc -its obvious you haven’t been in Norfolk 😅 I’m glad I don’t live there anymore 🙄 And, talking about „insulting mates and not causing them to get upset obviously you have NOT met THE PROPER POLE 😛 -in other words: it all depends… 😉 I’ve met also few Brits who are actually living in Poland -its normal -people are moving „here or there” to get better money and better live -I, personally, prefer UK. I am a Pole, btw… 😎 You have lovely rest of your trip 👍
When an Englishman comes to Poland, he says: "Your roads are bad". And when a Ukrainian comes, he says: "Your roads are wonderful." It's hard to understand. 😂😂
Poles are usually pretty sarcastic, but only while they speak Polish. For most of the people it's already hard to hold a conversation in English, trying to catch someone else being sarcastic would make the conversation impossible.
Enjoyed your video. We are a retired British couple and moved to Poland in 2014. My husbands Father was Polish but we did not speak Polish ! It is a fantastic country and as you say people have a weird idea about it but visitors are amazed when we show them round.
I used to live in UK for 8 years and I want to say: Please do correct us when we struggle or repeat the phrase correctly back to us. It really helps in a long run.
@@RobReacts1 Not at all. Before I came to UK I thought I knew english because it was in taught in school and I pocked some from movies/games, but its so different from common conversation. When I moved and I tried to get job in IT but I couldn't because I was not able to communicate effectively, so I worked in warehouses and other factories. When I try to get opinion on my english, I always heard that it is alright, we can understand you. But that was not helpful at all, i felt like people just don't want to help me speak better. I finally found someone who was willing to teach me basics, it helped me get first IT job and climb the ladder. I'm still working closely with Brits and Americans back in Poland. I genuinely think this one dude changed my life. So yeah :) BTW thank you for your great work!
@@RobReacts1 of course not! I would be grateful if someone can correct me but unfortunately, nobody does it cos they think like you do. Please correct us so we can learn correctly.
@@Qbaa666 Sama szukam lepszej pracy i potrzebowaabym kogo takiego. Gdzie szuka takiej osoby, zgosic sie do nauczyciela ang. czy poprostu spytac Anglikow?? Pozdrawiam z deszczowej Anglii.
@@betelgezaa Jezeli twoje poczucie wlasnej wartosci opiera sie wylacznie na tym,ze lepiej znasz jezyk ode mnie to szczerze wspolczuje. Ja sie ucze czego nie ukrywam w zwiazku z tym bede popelniac bledy zwazywszy,ze dopiero czwarty rok. Ja sie moj drogi w szkole rosyjskiego uczylam a ty nie myl pojec bo moge biernie rozumiec duzo wiecej niz aktywnie wyslowic. To jest twoj blad logiczny.
I think most of us don't mind being corrected at all, just the opposite - I do value the attention someone puts to my language and that this person cares, takes her or his time to correct me... besides, how are we going to get better if we keep doing the same mistakes over and over again? so please do correct us (as we would do if you would try to speak polish. just to make your skills better) 👋
"... keep MAKING the same mistakes" (not *doing), "Polish" (not *polish), a capital letter after a question mark or a full stop, so "? So..." (not *? so..."); ". Just..." (not *. just...), etc. Only here happy to help 🙂.
Hardly what I would call “mistake correction” - rather nitpicking… Correction consists in appropriate coaching which makes learner self-aware (not self-conscious 😢) and offers clever guidance until the problem is “hacked” for the rest of his/her life.
I have to say that Rob's accent is easier for me to understand what he is saying or maybe it is just because in my opinion Rob has a very pleasant lector voice. I'm glad to see you back in Poland (you are probably not in Poland any more).
And what are you supposed to say, poor thing, you left, now you have to explain your existence somehow. I assure you that nowadays Poles are less complex :)
"Delicje" on the table... Starting with "kobiety"... I'm hooked already, running to get my tea and watch the entire video. 15 minutes later: I'm sure a lot of British (and not only!) people are going to appreciate just how practical the presented information is, and your manner of presentation is so natural and laidback. Personally, as a teacher, I enjoyed all the references to language most. 🙂
Few things that came on my mind watching this vid: 1) For first 3-4 mins I was sure that Kane isn't from UK. 2) Driving skills: 2a) I had vistior from USA and he asked me how the hell Polish people drive so well on such narrow roads. 2b) I worked with bunch of guys from Belarus and they summed up that Polish people drive like crazy (couldn't agree less) 3) About correcting pronunciation : 3a) Many of us learn "English" from different source like USA news tv or Aussie or UK and maybe that's the problem. 3b) You guys make a lot of pronunciation mistakes in Polish language as well, but since we understand what you ment we don't even bother ;) Gegorz Brzęczeszczykiewicz, come on Rob we know you can do it ;) Cheers!
We also insult each other when friendly, especially men, but it requires some level of knowing one another, so typically among people that are friends otherwise it can be seen as rude.
Let me clarify something Rob. Poles do tease each other calling their friends various "names" and whatnot but it is done purely when there is a very good relationship. Otherwise one might get completely misunderstood and as a nation we are blunt. We are straight to the point and if we don't like something we will let the other side know about it. Also most of Poles I know are quite reserved people so there is a lot of barriers to cross before you can call somebody a friend and tease them. When it comes to driver culture there is a lot of things to improve but overall it's been getting better. And lastly yes, roads are "not the best" to put it lightly.
I learned about living in SE England that no one was trying to correct me when I mispronounced words, with one exception - an American who works with me, often changing my errors into jokes. I was surprised how I could improve my pronunciation when my son started reception and started learning how to read using phonics. After many years of studying English at school in Poland, non of the teacher mentioned that learning phonics could improve your linguistic skills.
Great video! Would be nice to see more of interviews like this one! Would be nice to see interviews with other nationalities living in Poland. Most know English too.
Wrocław and near areas... Yeah :D this is not a cut of the country where roads are fine and something to be proud of. About driving. I agree. I have made couple of thousands KM around UK. They are quick, dynamic. They have to ;) it is so tight etc.
Pozdrawiam z Wrocławia. W Polsce tak samo jest między dobrymi znajomymi czy przyjaciółmi (raczej dotyczy to mężczyzn) że każdy mówi obraźliwe rzeczy a drugi się na to nie obraża.
To nie dotyczy "raczej mężczyzn" tylko konkretnych środowisk. Znam dziewczyny które się przyjaźnią i na powitanie mówią sobie "hej suko" itp albo widuję też dziewczyny mówiące sobie "ale jesteś po*bana" i się tulą. To jest kwestia środowiska i proporcji wrażliwości i dystansu jakie się ma.
I'm Polish living in UK - so driving in Poland - naaah... prefer England. And it's not about roads: culture of driving, way how ppl driving in England compared to ppl driving in Poland. England defo wins in that matter :)
If will have an opportunity for visiting Poland again - go to Góry Stołowe (Szczeliniec and Błędne Skały) not far from Wrocław but it is worth to see! On the Czech side there is Adršpach (Stone Town) and SkyWalk and SkyBridge.
It's the place of my childhood! I can definitely recommend it! There are beautiful views, mountains, tourists spots, great towns and many interesting attractions. And it's not so crowded as other more popular places (e.g. Zakopane).
My friend, who already had her Master's degree in English, told a guy she doesn't speak English because she was so terrified she'd mess up xD Luckily I was nearby and told the poor guy which way to the Main Square xD
Oh yeah, Im Polish in the UK, after few years here I realised how bad our drivers are back in Poland, I always complain about aggressive drivers when visiting Poland. Like they take you over only to be in front of you even there is a junction just in front, like it is a competition. Same driving on the road in forest, there is mostly no fence to protect animals from cars and they still drive maximum speed 🤷🏼♀️There is also no politeness on the road, sometimes there is bad traffic and no one gives you way when you are on your give way while here in the UK I find drivers to be more polite😊
@Hohland I heard on you tube a few opinions from Ukrainians comparing Poland To Ukraine they said that you can see the differences in Poland, it's calmer and more cultured and now it's a mystery since so many Ukrainians came en masse and drive on Polish roads
I found it true in my case. When people learn that I have 30 years of experience with the English languege, they feel intimidated to speak english with me. For me it is not a problem, since my spoken Polish is fluent too. I had a work colleague admit this to me.
Everything you said guys it’s true we have rubbish roads terribly design it while I was in UK I love them the way someone prepared design and finish them. There’s a lot for us to learn.
Go to Lublin. Old City is in baroque style. This City is near to Ukrainian border. Beautifl; and underrated city. A lot to see over there! Sorry for my english.
I was in one supermarket at a south border town with Czechia and I heard english speaking couple in an alcohol aisle and I said to my sister and said "You heard that"? mind you her English is good and she retorted with "Yeah English" and i said sarcastically "Americans".
2:15 You are being very polite saying "Polish roads could be better"..., lol. And, by the way, your English, guys, is immaculate. So nice to listen to it (I'm a Polish ESOL teacher).
Okay, I've seen quite a few comments saying that I'm not English or that I 'butcher' English (perhaps I do - I mean, I'm no Stephen Fry or Russell Brand), but I am definitely an Englishman who speaks properly. Yes, you read it correctly, a northerner who pronounces words clearly! Shocking! As for looking like a Polish guy ... Well, I did say they usually dress well, so I'll take it as a compliment. 😁
About drivers in Wroclaw - as a person who moved to Wroclaw, I can recognize the difference in driving style by the number plates on the car. Wrocław residents have plates starting with DW and they usually let you in if you haven't changed lanes on time and they see that you have plates from another province. I can say that only Warsaw drivers are not as often treated this way, because Warsaw drivers have a worse reputation due to the tendency to force the right of way and change lanes without prior signalling. Of course, this is a very generalized opinion based on my own experience, so it is known that there will always be a better or worse driver in relation to my opinion. PS: there are also 2 towns neighboring Wrocław, whose drivers can make unexpected, violent maneuvers without proper signaling or ignore someone else's right of way. My friends say it's because they learn to drive in small towns with much simplier roads and the traffic is less, so they don't know how to behave properly on the roads of Wrocław.
Kane seems to be speaking English a little bit like an "English-aware" Polish person would. I find his accent so much more accessable than Rob's (sorry Rob! 🙂). Cheers!
There was a time many Brits used to come to Wroclaw in droves for stag parties and such. They behaved very Brit, so finally the police stopped being very hospitable to our allies, and the last 6-7 years (true, pandemic may have had to do with it) there has been less British rowdiness in the streets.
Yes, but I can understand why foreigners would feel nervous if English people are going to just constantly correct the sounds. However, I only do it to have a bit of fun.
I actually know alot of Brits living in Wrocław. Some for education opportunities, some are here just like your guest because of love, some are even here for work. I don't think its anything extraordinary. I know also some Americans here in Wrocław, Koreans, Spainiards and Ukrainians. Everyone is welcome here ;)
I only met 2 english people(One being Kane) during my 4 days here. But in Krakow in January I saw loads. I think its just more common for Poles to move to England than the other way round
I disagree with you, since we have lots of emigrants from Africa and ashia it is very bad crime lots of sexual abuse of kids and woman. Police and media don't tell that openly. Yes people are welcome but mix of very different cultures in one land it is a bad idea we can see that in France Germany, UK and now here. It is not safe anymore and country become dirty coz lots of people have different habits from us and they spread rubbish everywhere.
Oh yeah 5:20 I remember when years ago I moved to UK and I didn't hear Polish language for a long time (surprisingly..), until finally when I heard it somewhere on the street, I was like: 'what the heck? Where did you get from? That sounds so strange!'😅Well now it doesn't shock me anymore, 'cause over the years I finally realized that I'm not the only Pole in here haha🤣😜
I had the same when I spent whole summer working in Croatia and only in my work place people spoke Polish but nobody else in the town. I returned to Poland and my cousin had to tell me to stop acting weird - I didn't realise I was turning around every time we passed by somebody speaking xD
I'm impressed that I have understood 2 Englishmen, when I was in England they needed to slow down for me and still there were many problems. Maybe its depended on region - i was in the middle, between London and Birmingham
5:00 my warm greetings for Sam and for you, Kane. Had no idea you're in one band, the world is so small. :) If you see this comm, then maybe until some next concert or voice workshops, see ya around beautiful Wrocław :)
Hey, we (The Sam Alty Trio) have a festival gig on Friday 14th July in Stara Morawa (a few hours away from Wrocław). Tickets are free. It'd be great to see you there. :)
10:09 Us Polish people we are really straight forward also. Insulting best friends is a typical thing to do. Daily. It just depends who you meet and with whom you are hanging out. People being offended by jokes exist in England too I suppose.
@@jakubwyczokowski3857 I guess some people have so much advanced senses that they can SEE the difference in sound like in your case in accent 😉. Relax i'm just joking.
I've spent last 5 days in Wrocław lately. I heard English, German, Czech, Russian, Ukrainian more often than Polish in the Old Town. Except waiters and waitresses. Which of course speak English and German as well. I've noticed, even beggars know some phrases in foreign languages. A lady wanted us to give her money and we pretended we don't know Polish. She switched to English. How educated beggars we have in Poland.
Hi Rob. Between Katowice and Chorzów is Silesian Park (Park Śląski) biggest city park in Europe with lot of attractions. And Fest Festival is coming 09-13.08.2023, so maybe it's good occasion to visit this park. You can find some films of this park and this festival on youtube.
Poles can be very sarcastic, too (for instance when they are joking or commentating on things that have gone bad or which they disapprove...). Sarcasm was one way of enduring the absurdities in the imposed Soviet command economy. Another coping strategy was improvisation, that's what you could observe as Polish driving style... PS: Check some films by Stanisław Bareja, the Polish king of black humour, if you are able to watch them in English or with English subtitles. Many of them achieved cult status, the most famous one is probably "Miś" (Teddy Bear)!
I knew that in Germany they have a linguistic division into south (correct German) and north (incorrect German). Now I have learned that the British have a similar situation regarding the English language. Only 40 years ago in Poland there were four beautiful seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). Now there are only two that are difficult to name. I greet two Englishmen in Wrocław.
Guys but seriously it doesn't really matter how many zlotys you get for a pound. What matters is how many zlotys you earn and also how much you can buy with it. Look on Japanese Yen being worth 0,005 pound. It says nothing about economy. I agree than in short period if it goes up or down 20% it may make a difference for a turist. Long term look more on GDP growth or sth. Have fun! 🙂
The 4.1zl to £1 in 2016 was more because of Brexit and GBP itself crashing - it's not a reflection of the Polish economy. More the english geopolitics at the time
You are close, but not exactly. For PLN value major factor is the NBP interreference across the years. If left itself, PLN would have already very high value but this would have negative impact on export and service. Another huge factor in PLN fluctuating value are holidays periods - when a lot of Poles coming back to the country and spending money (buying Zloty).
@peternyks4709 oh okay, thank you. That's actually quite interesting. I guess the currency comparison isn't a good reflection of a country's economic state?
Wrocław is a city built over a swamp and there's bridges everywhere. That contributes heavily towards how badly traffic is handled here. Wrocław is one of the worst cities in Poland when it comes to traffic.
@@RobReacts1 In turn, according to the Irish cabaret "Foil Arms and Hog", the Cornwall people sound like pirates :-D ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i3gyQLgr8m8.html
Jak ma Pan na imię?= What is your name Sir?/ Jak ma Pani na imię?= What is your name Lady/ Madame?, So yes, we do adress people formally "Sir"- "Pan" or "Pani"= "Lady/ Madame". We do not use informal "you" form so much in first , random social contacts.
Hope you'll have a lovely weekend in Wrocław. It is the coolest city in Poland. I've recently moved back home after 14 years in UK, in Luton of all places. You 2 give me lil giggle. Please try Kluski Śląskie, you'll love them.^^
I remember when I tried to pronounce "theoretically" to some guy from Australia (he came to poland to train our team - huge company), I think I twist my tongue too much I brake it :D I had to 'kombinować' how to say it in other way cause he couldn't understand what I said :D That's why I don't like to speak English. There is always something I fuck up. I don't know, I can listen, read but If I need to say something it's like: mhmm... :D
haha Kane got me to try them and I said they taste the same as Jaffa Cakes but he disputed that. I bought some for Charlie and she said Delicje are much better
@@RobReacts1 that’s what I’m saying. I didn’t even mention specifically to Poland but in general. I could expect this kind of opinion maybe from an American but for Europeans it’s rather common to migrate between parts of Europe and to speak different languages. I guess the native English speakers’ perspective is kinda similar across the world, though
There is a junction in Poland where you can hit the same tram 3 times, so, yeah, most Poles will agree with you about the roads (also, with signs we go for quantity, not quality). About driving... well... every Pole think he's the best driver in the world, others can't drive and that is the major problem here - the Kubica syndrome 😂
And I left England 😭where I lived for almost 6 years for a Polish guy who's now my ex. How ironic. Btw, also living in Wrocław and only met 1 English man here. And it's so true what you're saying about roads and the way people drive here. It's so rude and arrogant here, I only dared to drive in the UK as people there are considerate and polite, here I get the feeling they want to run over you and laugh.
Koleś ma rację co do polskich dróg! O ile państwo stworzyło wiele świetnych autostrad i dróg szybkiego ruchu, o tyle wiele lokalnych dróg jest wciąż w opłakanym stanie. Ale Polska pracuje, rozwija się i miejmy nadzieję - w niedługiej przyszłości i te drogi zostaną naprawione/położone na nowo! Bout the English in my case: well, i've never ever studied English at all (I'm 50 yo!)! Didn't even had an english lessons book in my hands, but I think, well, I do can communicate in English thx to the games, movies, etc. BUT I "grew up" among the US ppl on-line. A Canadian ppl on-line, a Latino US ppl on-line (who tried to teach me some latin-US idiomes) plus I've spent 3 times by 6 months in Canada, so my English accent is - funny. But you know what? I've never been ashamed of using English in front of my non-Polish friends. I've always been curious and brave enough to speak and to polsih my English. OFC I'm far from being perfect of speaking or typing/writing the proper English, but I'm trying. That's important in mho! So I have the recommendation, or suggestion to my English-speaking friends in Poland: Don't be shy, don't be shamed by using your broken polish saying a word or two in Poland! Polish ppl will be nicely surprised and appreciate your effort! :) See (in the "edit" section)? I had some problems with a word: "effort", but since now I'll know how to type it! :D P.S.: I remember such situation: The 90's. I (along with my Polish friend) used to play the Ultima Online - one of the first MMOs out there! We've met our beloved, US family from Maryland - USA (yes, we played on US servers). They were so patient! I could barely speak/type in English back then!, but they tried to correct me all the time, thy tried to get me to know some new words and phrases in English! They were wonderful! And they absolutely influenced my future life! In every aspect! I bow to them then and after!
Drogi w Polsce sa dobre. Jako osoba mieszkajaca w Anglii, w sredniej wielkosci miescie powiem, ze tu akurat sa zle. Nie zapominaj ze amplituda temperatur w ciagu roku jest duza. A ta wiadomo ze sprzyja korozji drog. Pozdrawiam
Drogi w Polsce sa dobre. Jako osoba mieszkajaca w Anglii, w sredniej wielkosci miescie powiem, ze tu akurat sa zle. Nie zapominaj ze amplituda temperatur w ciagu roku jest duza. A ta wiadomo ze sprzyja korozji drog. Pozdrawiam
Hi Rob I found your channel and it’s been good to hear you visit Wroclaw am from Newcastle upon Tyne and been living here with my polish girlfriend for a year I took 6 hours of driving lessons and really found it was a good heads up just to refresh my driving and learn a few differences to English driving I love it over here Wroclaw is such a calm safe city compared to Newcastle Your friend you made from the north didn’t sound so northern as me but us geordies do have a significant way of speaking 😂😂
my experience when I learn english was that I didn't have much trouble to have a conversation with people who's english was a second language but to say something to an english person was quite a different expierence
About this part with correcting someone - in my case I'd be offended. During my university times, when I was living at dorm with a native speaker I asked her to correct me if I make a mistake, to speak better English. She said she would that but I'm pretty sure she naver have done that. I guess my English was terrible (and probably still is)
Poles do enjoy exchanging banter with friends, no worries. Never a dull moment. And they are big on Monty Python's type of humour - "If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me? I... I am no longer infected." Cheers!
Yes, I had a problem at the beginning when a friend said F off to me, I was confused and couldn’t understand why they are so rude, now I know that’s how they talk to each other when they are close to the other person 😂😂😂😅
While everyone commenting on the roads or language - let me focus on 'calling names in good faith' I would say that this is exactly the same here, the only difference is you shouldn't try it with someone you just met. Among good friends (guys especially) it is pretty common, I am throwing names left and right with my mates, and they do the same, no one geta offended, you are actually expected to come back with good insult :) So I would say - unless someone has a stick stuck far up his or hers arse, it is pretty much the same here.
No,i'm totally agree,conditions of roads should be better in Wrocław,i know who is to blame,ofc Gov of Wrocław,but yes all over Poland u find same problem still. Driver skills? its not so bad,fines for reckless driving maybe still too low.
3:55 The whole discussion about time zones (1 h ahead blal, bla) Europe and confusion on yr faces, funny hands waving looks like between people who've rarely been abroad and ARE flabbergasted by the surprises of the world outside their homeland 😀 ROB , FYI, it is geography studying which a bit might come handy when crossing the Channel😝 You, in the UK are in the same time zone with Portugal and Canary Islands of Spain. The rest of Europe is one hour ahead. ALWAYS. Regardless DST on or off. (further east beyond Poland the time changes again but that will definitely confuse even further so let's not go into details). Hope it helped🤣
@@RobReacts1actually all European union (this also includes the former member countries 😜) switch to DST at the same time. There were discussions to remove DST in EU but the decision was postponed few times so we still observe it.
