Should You Learn Polish?

With fewer than 40 million speakers, why would anyone want to learn Polish? A language that few people you know have studied and isn’t taught in most places?

There is definitely some truth to that.

Learning any language is fascinating, but before starting it, many people ask whether it’s worth it.

Doubts such as: Why should I study it? Is there any course to help you reach fluency? What are the career perspectives? Would it be easy to learn Polish? And the list is never-ending!

When selecting a language, most favor the well-known French, Spanish, and German. And some fancy, challenging ones like Mandarin, Korean, or Japanese.

We often limit ourselves to a few choices because of popularity metrics. But there’s an entire world that offers excellent value for personal and professional reasons.

Studying a language like Polish has many clear advantages. Those benefits outweigh any fears you may have.

About the Polish language

Like Slovak and Czech, Polish belongs to the West Slavic branch of the Slavic language family. It is also part of the subgroup of the Lechitic group, which is in the Latin script.

Originally derived from Old Polish, Polish is the primary language and the mother tongue of the Poles. Around 98% of its citizens speak it as their first language.

It is also a recognized minority tongue in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine. In addition, it is the official language of the European Union and 23 other countries.

The Council for the Polish Language is an organization that oversees and manages the standard Polish language. In short, it is the guardian and authority of the Polish language in all its forms.

Dialects of Polish

Like many other languages, Polish has several dialects associated with specific geographic regions. It is usually further subdivided into various sub-dialectal groups.

There are four major Polish dialects spoken in Poland:

• Greater Polish — west
• Lesser Polish — south and southeast
• Masovian — the central and eastern parts of Poland
• Silesian — southwest

Despite differences in accents, vocabulary, and slang, most Polish dialects are mutually intelligible. Speakers of a particular variety can understand other dialects with little to no trouble.

10 Outstanding Reasons to Learn Polish

I bet you have all those questions in mind, and hence, you stumbled upon this article. You’re in the right place; here you’ll find all the answers you need.

Below are ten reasons to learn Polish.

1. Communicate with 41 million people

In Poland alone, approximately 38 million people, excluding foreigners, speak Polish as their native language. Thus, 98% of Poland’s population speaks Polish as their primary language.

This is the second most widely spoken language after Russian in Slovenia, and it is also a Slavic language. Thus, the demand is pretty high, especially in Eastern Europe.

It might shock you to know that millions of people outside Poland speak Polish daily. These include countries like Germany, the USA, the UK, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and France.

Most of the Polish diaspora moved long ago, even centuries ago. As a result, everyone speaks the country’s native tongue. Yet they talk to the Polish and are aware of their culture, which is beneficial.

There are over 40 million Polish speakers globally. Learning Polish can help you connect with 41 million people worldwide.

2. A gateway to other Slavic languages

Do you know that roughly 400 million people speak one of the dozen Slavic languages in Europe and Northern Asia?

There is a benefit to linguistics relating to the same group. Once you master one language, you don’t have to endure the same struggles because of the many similarities that come with learning a second language.

Polish is a Slavic language, similar to other languages of the same group. Thus, the sounds, sentence structure, grammatical rules for cognates, and much more are alike.

Once you acquire Polish, learning Russian, Czech, Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, and Ukrainian will be easier.

Just imagine opening the doors to these many new languages. 

Polish is an ideal language for those interested in Eastern European languages.

That’s because Polish uses the Latin script, like many other European languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. So, one doesn’t have to tackle the Cyrillic alphabet.

3. Study in Poland

Each year, thousands of students from around the world choose Poland as a study-abroad destination.

Poland has seen a surge in international students. The stats for the last five years show a 78% increase.

The reasons are simple.

Poland is recognized for its high-quality educational institutions and low tuition fees.

Even getting a visa is comparatively easy. Poland also offers a variety of scholarships, and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) provides the most funding.

People are friendly, and you always get help from the local population and senior students.

Living expenses are also lower in Poland than in France, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries.

You can work in Poland during or after completing the program.

Still, if you don’t know Polish, finding a decent job in Poland may be challenging. Also, even if you find employment, salaries will be lower if you don’t speak the local language.

4. Better career opportunities

As we all know, being bilingual could be a prime factor in anybody’s career. This is why many say learning any language opens doors to many opportunities.

Once you learn Polish, you can access new business and job opportunities in Central Europe and new opportunities in your own country. 

Your Polish fluency can put your resume at the top of the job market.

For example, you can work as a translator, interpreter, or tour guide. You can also find positions requiring this language at companies that work with Polish speakers.

Indian investments in Poland are valued at over US$3 billion. They include many big businesses, such as ArcelorMittal, Escorts, Reliance Industries, TCS, Ranbaxy, KPIT Cummins, Zensar, HCL Tech, Infosys, Wipro, UFLEX, Jindal Stainless, Berger Paints, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, CRISIL, and many more.

Several Polish companies, such as TZMO, Solaris, Ekolog, Geofizyka Torun, Famur Group, and CANPACK, operate in India.

Your Polish language skills can help you secure a job at these companies in India or Poland.

5. Long stay or settle in Poland

Besides English-speaking countries, it’s always recommended that you live in any country that requires you to learn its language. This occurs if you plan to stay there for an extended period.

If something emergency happens while living in such countries, and you don’t know how to tell the officials, you will be in trouble.

You will have to wait for somebody who knows the language to come to your rescue. Hence, learning the respective countries’ languages is essential.

Either people won’t take you seriously, or they will try to understand you. Still, the moment they realize they can’t understand you, you will have no option but to wait for someone who knows the language.

You may not need to learn Polish now for your current job. But you can’t negate that a less popular tongue can add significant value to your C.V. if you intend to stay there for a long time.

6. Difficult, but you can learn

Polish is one of the most difficult languages for native English speakers. It becomes even more complex if you don’t know other Slavic cousin languages before studying.

Still, there are ways to simplify it using the right approach, resources, and method.

No language is impossible to master if you have the five essential P’s — patience, passion, persistence, perseverance, and purpose.

If you have all these qualities and motivation, the journey to Polish fluency is only a matter of time.

Since it is Latin-based, most consider it more manageable than languages written in Cyrillic, such as Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Serbian.

It will be handy if you are European to learn Indo-European languages.

There are seven cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative, and vocative. German grammar has four rather than seven cases, which makes it easier than Polish.

The three moods, gender rules, tongue-twisting pronunciation, and inflections are also complex. But once you cover everything, you will find Polish grammar more straightforward.

Instead of being frustrated by how complex it is, embrace the challenge. Ultimately, it will be worth it.

Polish also contains many words borrowed from Latin, Czech, German, Belarusian, and Ukrainian. It also took many words from French, Italian, and English. Your existing knowledge can help you cover certain parts more easily.

7. Understanding Polish history

One cannot learn any language without educating oneself about its culture. Language and culture are inseparable.

This point is especially true for those who are into books. Polish culture is concerned; it has a rich literary tradition.

The first written records of the Polish language date back to the 10th century. By 1500, it was relatively dominant throughout much of Europe, which is why you can find a wealth of treasure.

Imagine reading their history and literature books in Polish. It’s an authentic way to dive deep into their culture and tradition.

You will gain greater insight into literature from distinguished authors like Henryk Sienkiewicz, Władysław Reymont, Czesław Miłosz, Wisława Szymborska, Olga Tokarczuk, and Dorota Masłowska.

On a side note, no matter how many papers you read in English or your native language about Polish literature and customs. You will still have a block somewhere.

You will gain knowledge, but it is always better to learn more by reading written material in their language.

You might not fully appreciate the books in English-translated editions.

8. Good for the brain

Be it any language, well-known or lesser-known, acquiring any tongue is always seen as bliss for your brain – an exercise, to be precise. Learning them plays with your brain – well, positively.

Several studies have shown that bilinguals are more creative, better at multitasking, have stronger memories, and solve problems more effectively.

It trains your brain to learn faster, think more efficiently, and become a critical thinker.

It also prepares you to let your guard down for a while, especially when you have to speak with a native speaker in your target language.

The Polish language also increases cognitive abilities and makes the brain flexible. It also strengthens the brain’s natural ability to focus.

These are just some of the incentives for you to learn Polish.

9. Have an enjoyable holiday

While one can visit Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow, Wroclaw, and many other places in Poland without speaking Polish, knowing the language makes the trip more fruitful.

Trust me; it is crucial to know at least a few phrases and words of the tongue you will travel to soon.

Imagine you are stuck at the local shop, train station, and sheriff’s office and can’t see a way out. One prime reason is the language barrier.

Poland has many areas of natural beauty, including the Mazury Lake District, the Tatra Mountains, green spaces, nature reserves, natural monuments, and forests. These factors make the country an attractive destination.

These factors combine to make Poland increasingly attractive to a growing number of international students. They prefer the quality of education and the service they receive and decide to study there.

Learning a language is always better than waiting for an interpreter or tour guide to help you quickly leave the situation.

It’s always helpful to understand a restaurant’s menu and place an order. Also, the historical explanations are easy to understand and adapt because the language is clear.

You will also master the pronunciation of places’ names, routes, and information about tourist sites. You will also take part in genuine conversations and earn appreciation for at least trying to speak Polish.

10. Watch Polish movies and TV series

While Polish films, TV series, and music aren’t as famous as those of English, Korean, Japanese, or French, they do have a few good ones.

The list of fantastic Polish flicks is endless, including the old classic Knife in the Water, Pharaoh, The Deluge, The Promised Lands, Nights and Days, Katyń, Cold War, In Darkness, Rose, and Corpus Christi!

You can enjoy TV series such as 1983, Kruk, Nielegalni, Blinded by the Lights, The Pleasure Principle, and many more.

These are available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Hulu, and other online streaming channels.

Conclusion

As the world becomes more globalized, learning a language is one of the most valuable skills in the 21st century. There are many convincing reasons to learn Polish.

But of course, as with everything, there are certain drawbacks.

For example, it is not an easy language to learn. Obstacles include a 7-case declension system and a complex gender system. The knotty pronunciation will also be a headache.

Polish is also not widespread, with insufficient learning centers and resources.

But you can undoubtedly learn Polish if you have the right reasons, interests, and motivation. This isn’t a daunting task. And this is true for many languages.

These factors also offer the benefits of better career opportunities, the opportunity to study in Poland, cultural experiences, the pursuit of hobbies, and travel. The list is endless.

Do you plan to learn Polish?

I’d love to know your reasons. Share your thoughts in the comments below.