Polish Lesson 1 - Numbers

Given I am encouraging ( making) the kids blog their language lessons ( I have 12 set language lessons for all the languages we have been using while we are in Europe - Spanish, German, French, Italian) I will follow suit and use that format, but also add in any other things I am learning along the way.

I have to say, this is an arduous task and I really need to change my attitude towards my ability to learn it. I'm blogging my lessons as a reminder to myself as much as a check up.

Lesson 1 looks at numbers.

I'm all for using technology - especially apps on the phone and youtube to gather as much information and assistance with things like language skills.  The accent and pronunciation is really getting me.

I found a great resource here which plays an audio on the numbers when you press it. 

1. JEDEN [ yeden]
2. DWA [dva]
3. TRZY [ tshi]
4. CZTERY [chiteri]
5. PIĘĆ [piench]
6. SZEŚĆ [sheshch]
7. SIEDEM [shedem]
8. OSIEM [oshem]
9. DZIEWIĘĆ [dchieviench]
10. DZIESIĘĆ [dshieshiench]

The sounds are a challenge for me.. practice practice I guess

Bare foot walk park at Wambacher Mühle in Schlangenbad

Bare Feet Parks.. We really need to get some of these in Australia. I can think of a dozen groups of people who would immedialty benefit from an hour of wandering and exploring these sensory spaces.

This one is a small one compared to the ones in have heard about in Germany.  In anycase - Morgan and Lilly enjoyed the time to take their shoes off and balance, jump, climb and explore the space. 

There was a millpond which hosts a number of hand hydraulic water pumps - obviously set up for children to experiment and explore the different systems. Of course we did an impromptu science lesson in this and will research further when we get home for homeschooling..

After a few days of being cooped up in the apartment just doing homeschooling, ti was a welcome retreat to get some fresh air and grass underfoot.

Polish language lessons

I have committed to support Michael on his goal to learn Polish - his families language - but one that when his dad came to Australia, never spoke again ( at least in front of the kids).

We plan to come back to Europe in 3 - 4 years to both travel and live for a short time and believe that a working knowledge of some of the European languages won't go astray. I have such a poor grasp on a handful of them and can only order coffee, smile and wave.. With a little time, I can decipher some French and some German; and understand a little more Spanish than anything else - but only if they speak slowly..and then I usually get lost... I used to be able to count in Arabic and say a few (rude) phrases, defiantly only rude things in Italian and my Japanese is limited to shouting directions in a marital arts class...so hmmm a focused effort would be a good thing.

I've downloaded a few programs and begun some initial online lessons and to be honest and pretty scared by the whole thing. Whereas there is an air of familiarity within German, Spanish, Italian and French; I am completely at sea with Polish. Its roots are more in the Slavic/ Russian areas, with the tone and sounds so foreign, I cannot imagine being able to repeat them. This is not sounding very positive; but I will be pigheaded enough to continue and try to learn at least some pleasantries.

To top off the Yay list.. its apparently one of hte most diffcult languages to master because -
Nouns can have three genders (some linguists count five)
Each noun and adjective can appear in one of seven cases
Verbs conjugate for gender, person, mood and time (depending on how you count, this makes over 25 forms of every verb)
Verbs come in two aspects (English doesn’t have grammatical aspect)

and here I thought German was a hard language to grasp.. oh boy...

on the up side though.. there is no word order! well - it appears that the order you jumble the words together with doesn't seem to alter the meaning.

A cool fact is that it is deeply entrenched with Latin - a language that I have actually wanted to have a better understanding with

well wish me luck or życz mi szczęścia ( which yes is as hard to read as it is to say.. lots of schhzzzzhh sounds.)