Order anything by pointing in Polish
I would like, this one, how much, the bill: survive any counter or menu. Play the ten Polish words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Polish phrases in this lesson
- Poproszę...poh-PROH-sheh
- I would like...
- Tenten
- This one
- Ile kosztuje?EE-leh kosh-TOO-yeh
- How much is it?
- Rachunek poproszęrah-KHOO-nek poh-PROH-sheh
- The bill, please
- KartąKAR-towm
- By card
- Gotówkągoh-TOOV-kowm
- In cash
- WodaVOH-dah
- Water
- KawaKAH-vah
- Coffee
- Herbataher-BA-ta
- Tea
- PiwoPEE-voh
- Beer
- Bez...bes
- Without...
Literally "I'll ask for": "poproszę kawę", a coffee, please.
"Ten" is for masculine nouns, "ta" for feminine, and "to" for neuter. When pointing, "to" (toh) is a safe universal choice meaning roughly "this" or "that one."
The standard way to ask the price. Polish currency is the złoty (ZWOH-tih), abbreviated zł. Prices are often written as "15 zł" and spoken as "piętnaście złotych."
Ask for the bill using this phrase. Tipping around 10 percent is customary in restaurants. You can also say "Zapłacę" (zah-PWAH-tseh) meaning "I will pay."
Card payments are widely accepted in Poland, including contactless. If you are unsure, ask "Czy można kartą?" (can I pay by card?) before ordering.
Cash is still useful in smaller towns, markets, and some traditional restaurants. ATMs are called "bankomat" (ban-KOH-maht) and are easy to find in Polish cities.
Still water is "woda niegazowana" (non-carbonated) and sparkling is "woda gazowana." Sparkling water is very popular in Poland and often the default at restaurants.
Poles love coffee. Espresso-style drinks are common in cafes. For a flat white say "flat white," as it is widely understood. "Kawa z mlekiem" means coffee with milk.
A large draft is "duże piwo".
"Bez cukru", without sugar.