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difficult English words for Polish speakers?


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MichalThreads: -
Posts: 2,408
Joined: Feb 27, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 09:08 / #61
Quoting: Krzysztof
"to produce" and "a produce"

To produce the stress is one the last syllable, uce, and in a produce, the stress falls on the first o of pro. Stress in Polish is quite easy as it almost always falls on the first syllable unlike in Russian where it moves all over the place.
tornado2007Threads: 19
Posts: 3,484
Joined: Jul 11, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 09:47 / #62
Two more on the funny side here, i had some polish classmates who when they first started to learn english couldn't distinguish between these words, firstly there was 'sheet' which sounded always when they said it like 's**t'

The second one which sounded great when giving a powerpoint presentation was instead of 'theorist' they would say 'terrorist' which unfortunately for them made the whole room erupt into laughter. iI tried for a long time to teach them the difference in the two words and the way they are pronounced but for some reason it was very difficult for them.

I later found it was even worse for me to pronounce polish words than it ever was them speaking in English :)
MichalThreads: -
Posts: 2,408
Joined: Feb 27, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 12:33 / #63
Have you been a teacher of English?
HuegThreads: 1
Posts: 429
Joined: Apr 16, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 12:35 / #64
Quoting: tornado2007
terrorist


I'm still not sure why George Bush declared war on tourists.
MichalThreads: -
Posts: 2,408
Joined: Feb 27, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 12:36 / #65
Quoting: Hueg
'm still not sure why George Bush declared war on tourists.

Probably because they decided to go to Germany or France and not spend their hard earned money in New York.
osiolThreads: 59
Posts: 4,721
Joined: Jul 25, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 12:39 / #66
Quoting: Hueg
I'm still not sure why George Bush declared war on tourists

I thought it was terriers he had a problem with.
HuegThreads: 1
Posts: 429
Joined: Apr 16, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 12:42 / #67
Those Gîtes. And he says that the French don't have a word for Entrepreneur. He's missunderestimating again they'll be doing B+B next. In the countryside and everything. :)
tornado2007Threads: 19
Posts: 3,484
Joined: Jul 11, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 9, 07, 14:30 / #68
Quoting: Michal
Have you been a teacher of English?


I am english but i have never been an official english teacher, i helped some of the people in my class with their english, grammar, spelling and all sorts really.

They used to wonder why i helped them, well thats part of the reason, secretly it was so funny listening to some of their pronunciations :)
locoThreads: -
Posts: 20
Joined: Jul 12, 07
Gender: Male 		  Aug 11, 07, 03:25 / #69
for me the worst words to pronunce are with 'th' and very often I avoid them, for example I say pavement insted of foot path etc... the worst thing is that I always hear difrent pronunciation, like some the english sound like 'fenks' when say 'thanks' and the oders sound more correctly, btw is there any diference in pronunciation 'live in' and 'living' and between 'coming' and 'come in' etc...?
WroclawThreads: 52
Posts: 4,715
Joined: Apr 1, 06
Gender: Male [Moderator] 		  Aug 11, 07, 05:09 / #70
Quoting: loco
btw is there any diference in pronunciation 'live in' and 'living' and between 'coming' and 'come in' etc...?


A lot of problems are related to region. Basically each county in the Uk pronounces words in a slightly different way.

live in vs living. In lazy English some people will drop the 'g'. So, both will sound similar.

The two 'th' sounds are easy, but you need to watch the speakers mouth and understand that the sounds are connected to the way you breath or the way you blow the air out as you speak.
Practice this: thirty three thousand three hundred and thirty three.
frilly_lillyThreads: -
Posts: 2
Joined: May 9, 08
Gender: Female 		  Jul 24, 08, 09:22 / #71
english: "Then they....."

polish: "Zsen zsey....."
polishgirltx   Jul 24, 08, 09:23 / #72
frilly_lilly:
polish: "Zsen zsey....."

?
SvenskiThreads: 3
Posts: 213
Joined: Mar 20, 08
Gender: Male 		  Jul 24, 08, 09:33 / #73
I almost fell out of my chair when this hot Polish lady I know first said the word "focus" ;-)
eagleThreads: -
Posts: 65
Joined: Jul 10, 08
Gender: Male 		  Jul 24, 08, 19:41 / #74
hyypia:
my polish friends always misuse the word "teach" and "learn"


As well as ''lend'' and ''borrow''
MartynCThreads: -
Posts: 1
Joined: Jun 14, 08
Gender: Male 		  Jul 28, 08, 05:11 / #75
I teach english to some fresh Polish People and they have a problem with "refrigerator"

Krysia, teach the word fridge then, most people say that instead of refrigerator...lol
GosiaaThreads: 5
Posts: 89
Joined: Aug 18, 07
Gender: Female 		  Nov 11, 08, 08:15 / #76
I find help with a program "read please" http://www.readplease.com/
its text to speach , it is great !
stilwtrjenThreads: 2
Posts: 12
Joined: Nov 9, 08
Gender: Female 		  Nov 11, 08, 10:07 / #77
Haha... my husband worked for a produce company that dealt with all kinds of produce... so I (an American) use it quite often!
gtdThreads: 3
Posts: 877
Joined: Sep 8, 08
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 10:14 / #78
'piece' or 'peace'

vs

'piss'

funny at times
dcchrisThreads: 11
Posts: 676
Joined: Oct 29, 07
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 10:33 / #79
One of my students assistant came to me the other day and sat down. She said,"I am really boring". I tried not to laugh and explained to her she should say I am really bored. It was cute. Poles have trouble with th words.
gtdThreads: 3
Posts: 877
Joined: Sep 8, 08
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 10:34 / #80
'the' Poland

'the' Russia

Makes me giggle.
SeanusThreads: 19
Posts: 22,892
Joined: Dec 25, 07
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 10:38 / #81
Well, there is only one Poland and only one Russia, so why not 'the'?
BzibziohThreads: 4
Posts: 1,742
Joined: Oct 15, 08
Gender: Female GOLD MEMBER 		Edited by: Bzibzioh   Nov 11, 08, 10:54 / #82
For a while I struggled with 'organization'. I would start polish way 'organ-' when it should be 'orgen-'
Also 'insulation'. I would start 'iso-' Brrr

And for life in me I can’t pronounce 'iron' British way
Easy_TerranThreads: 4
Posts: 477
Joined: Mar 31, 08
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 12:30 / #83
"Literally"

I can pronounce it with sorta English accent, with soft T, but it beats me to say it with an American accent, when the T is something between T and D.
:)
BzibziohThreads: 4
Posts: 1,742
Joined: Oct 15, 08
Gender: Female GOLD MEMBER 		  Nov 11, 08, 13:44 / #84
Easy_Terran:
it beats me to say it with an American accent, when the T is something between T and D.


That's a good one. I go with soft short 'cz'
BondiThreads: 4
Posts: 141
Joined: Sep 11, 07
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 16:53 / #85
In American, it's li-RRRR-ly. :D
karolinakanadaThreads: -
Posts: 9
Joined: Nov 10, 08
Gender: Female 		  Nov 11, 08, 17:06 / #86
ship
sheep
sh*t
sheet
IronsE11Threads: 2
Posts: 799
Joined: Mar 3, 08
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 17:22 / #87
karolinakanada:

ship
sheep
sh*t
sheet


So true.
polishgirltx   Nov 11, 08, 17:23 / #88
keys and kiss... i never know which one i'm saying and people look at me weird when i ask for the keys....
;)
gtdThreads: 3
Posts: 877
Joined: Sep 8, 08
Gender: Male 		  Nov 11, 08, 17:25 / #89
polishgirltx:

keys and kiss... i never know which one i'm saying and people look at me weird when i ask for the keys....
;)


Hah....that could cause an embarrassing situation.
Shawn_H Edited by: Shawn_H   Nov 11, 08, 17:26 / #90
gtd:

that could cause an embarrassing situation.

Yeah, PGTX could walk away with a new car, or a new boyfriend, so which one PG?
:-)
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