How would you translate 'cześć' to English?

KsysiaThreads: 39 Posts: 545 Joined: May 6, 09 ♀	Jun 18, 10, 18:58 #1
Dzień dobry is easy, it's good day. Good day even conveys a certain formality, so it fits. But what about 'cześć'? How do you convey 'honor and veneration' in a casual mmanner???

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Jun 18, 10, 19:05 #2
Howdy

dtaylor5632Threads: 49 Posts: 4,459 Joined: May 2, 09 ♂	Jun 18, 10, 19:06 #3
hey...

smurfThreads: 46 Posts: 660 Joined: Sep 8, 09 ♂	Jun 18, 10, 19:07 #4
Just means, Hi But why would you need to convey honor and veneration in a casual manner, sure if it's casual then you don't need to show H&V?

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER ♀	Jun 18, 10, 19:07 #5
wassup...!

BevKThreads: 18 Posts: 281 Joined: Mar 20, 09 ♀	Jun 18, 10, 19:17 #6
Hiya/Seeya

♀

Jun 18, 10, 19:18 #7

smurf

...just a cultural difference that I'm trying to convey, make easy. Like the problem with abbreviated names - I explain to everyone that surely you can call Andrew 'Andy'. So I was wondering how to convey the difference to people who are really interested in how we greet. The English kids that I know marvel over how 'jendobreeeey' is too formal. Just wanted to give some background for it.

smurfThreads: 46 Posts: 660 Joined: Sep 8, 09 ♂	Jun 18, 10, 19:25 #8
Ah ok I get you now Ksysia I hate when people say Dzien Dobre to be, I'm not into formalities I'd rather they'd just be themselves and grumble something like they do back at home

♂

Edited by: Explorer Jun 19, 10, 05:43 #9

smurf:

I hate when people say Dzien Dobre to be, I'm not into formalities I'd rather they'd just be themselves and grumble something like they do back at home

I'm not a formal type person, but in the States I usually greet people with 'good morning/afternoon/evening.' It confuses people that call me for the first time though (and think they've reached a business).

I'll be in Warsaw next week though and will just be hoping somebody understands anything I say and it's pretty lame to go there and try to demand English. (got lucky and ran into a sweet, hot Polish girl two weeks ago here that gave me a crash course in Polish)

♂

Jun 19, 10, 08:41 #10

Ksysia:

Dzień dobry is easy, it's good day. Good day even conveys a certain formality, so it fits.
But what about 'cześć'? How do you convey 'honor and veneration' in a casual manner???

Well in the US (IME) "good day" isn't a greeting, it's a way of dismissing someone of lesser status. "No that won't be possible. Good day." (with the 'leave, now!' part unsaid)

The greetings are 'good morning' and 'good afternoon'.

And I don't think many Polish speakers consciously associate cześć as an informal greeting/farewell with 'honor, veneration'.

smurf:

I hate when people say Dzien Dobre to be, I'm not into formalities I'd rather they'd just be themselves

Maybe they _are_ being themselves by using formalities like dzień dobry?
Why do you associate 'being themselves' with 'being like me'?

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Jun 19, 10, 09:02 #11
Ksysia: How would you translate 'cześć' to English? seriously? it's "hi" or "hello" or a number of other things already posted.. nothing to it..

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,345 Joined: Sep 14, 06 ♂	Jun 19, 10, 12:09 #12
Awrite? Awrite!

♂

Edited by: SzwedwPolsce Jun 19, 10, 13:01 #13

smurf:

I hate when people say Dzien Dobre to be, I'm not into formalities I'd rather they'd just be themselves and grumble something like they do back at home

I hope you understand that many people in Poland will feel offended if you greet them with Cześć (if you don't know them).

The same if you you don't use the Pan/Pani form.

This is the reality we live in. We who live in Poland, should use Polish customs.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 19, 10, 13:48 #14
Hey is good. It literally means 'reverence'

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Jun 20, 10, 03:52 #15
Explorer: (got lucky and ran into a sweet, hot Polish girl two weeks ago here that gave me a crash course in Polish) what was her name?

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂	Jun 22, 10, 22:00 #16
Ksysia: How do you convey 'honor and veneration' in a casual mmanner??? Respect (in ghetto voice).

SzwedwPolsceThreads: 13 Posts: 1,915 Joined: Feb 21, 09 ♂	Jun 23, 10, 02:32 #17
Ksysia: But what about 'cześć'? How do you convey 'honor and veneration' in a casual mmanner??? mafketis: Respect (in ghetto voice). Good visualisation.

KsysiaThreads: 39 Posts: 545 Joined: May 6, 09 ♀	Jun 26, 10, 17:27 #18
Seanus: Hey is good. It literally means 'reverence' Ah, then it fits just right! Thank you :)

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 26, 10, 17:29 #19
Anytime :)

Lyzko	Jun 26, 10, 17:43 #20
'Cześć!' means both "Hullo!" as well as "'Bye!". For the former, sometimes "Czołem" is heard. It's informal, synonymous with "Hej!" or "Witaj!"/"Witajcie!"

Lyzko	Jun 26, 10, 18:57 #21
Never to be confused either in speech or in writing with the most similar looking "część" meaning "part", as in "first part" (Część Pierwsza) etc....

robertsonThreads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Sep 21, 10 ♂	Sep 21, 10, 08:32 #22
In english 'cześć' called " hi".I also agree but i don't thing so that for use same word.can you tell me what word say for bye!

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 21, 10, 10:54 #23
robertson: In english 'cześć' called " hi".I also agree but i don't thing so that for use same word.can you tell me what word say for bye! I thought it was like the Italian ciao and you could use it for both Hi and Bye?

zetigrekThreads: 59 Posts: 2,709 Joined: May 20, 10 ♂	Edited by: zetigrek Sep 21, 10, 11:14 #24
Teffle: both Hi and Bye? yes it's hi and bye. You can say also: "do zobaczenia/usłyszenia" (see you, when speaking phone:hear you) "na razie" (see ya) "pa pa" (english "ta ta" mostly used in icq-like stuff) "do jutra" (see you tomarrow)

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 21, 10, 13:43 #25
zetigrek: "na razie" Thanks Zeti - I like the above one. Pronunciation, phonetically in English: Na RATS-yeah ? Something like that?

♂

Edited by: zetigrek Sep 21, 10, 14:31 #26

Teffle:

Na RATS-yeah ?

No.
this is a sound you don't have in English at all so I have no idea how to write it phonetically for you.

You know the idea of polish sounds with "i", don't you?

ci = ć = almost like "chi" (like in the surname of Al Pacino)
si = ś = almost like "shi" (like in the sentence: "she is shining" /si ys siajning/)
dzi = dź = almost like ji ("j" pronounced in a way it is pronounced in some soft english accents)
zi = ź = have no idea, maybe like french "j" but much softer

.....................
for contrast:

ż = like hard french "j"
dż = like hard english "g" or "j" pronounced in some hard english accents

here you have a sound sample. Mind it says something like: zia... azia

niejestemcapitaThreads: 3 Posts: 666 Joined: Jan 3, 09 ♀	Sep 21, 10, 14:40 #27
zetigrek: this is a sound you don't have in English at all vision? Television?

zetigrekThreads: 59 Posts: 2,709 Joined: May 20, 10 ♂	Sep 21, 10, 14:42 #28
niejestemcapita: vision? Television? oh. yeah. these are good examples. I haven't thought of these two :)

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 21, 10, 14:45 #29
OK so, NA RAJEE-EH AJ as in vision, stress on the AJ. Maybe...

zetigrekThreads: 59 Posts: 2,709 Joined: May 20, 10 ♂	Edited by: zetigrek Sep 21, 10, 16:20 #30
Teffle: OK so, NA RAJEE-EH you can say also "na ra" - a slang shortcut of "na razie" Teffle: AJ as in vision, stress on the AJ. We Poles would read it: wizien

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