The only polish word a foreigner won't ever say correctly :P

ąźęśćłóńż

I dare ya :P


(just a stupid thing that will be deleted anyway)

Is it a real word or just a random string? :-0

Looks too easy. Not enough consonant clusters, but nice usage of all the symbols.

I am pretty sure that you can't say it either.

I have to agree on the last part :)

1/ no words in Polish begin with "ą" (neither with "ę" or "ń")
2/ "źę" - that's totally impossible, before vowels "ź" becomes "zi"
3/ I don't recall any words that would have the sequence of "ćł", or "ńż"

but keep trying :)

żółąśćęńź?

ńłóżąśćę

I avoided that - it somehow just didn't look right.

it is that

I know one Polish word with only "special" letters, (in Nominative), and it's

"żółć" [bile/gall], but of course it's not that bad to pronounce.

but words that are phonetically challenging don't have to include too many Polish letters, it's the sounds order untypical to other languages that makes them hard to say. Most Poles (native speakers) can't pronounce correctly "jabłko" [apple] - we rather say it as "japko", or "głupi" [stupid/dumb] - in a relaxed speech it sounds like "gupi"

I find the 'łu' in 'słucham' a bit tricky. It just comes out as 'sucham'.

listening to

or

searching for

???

its "listening to"

Ł is a very soft L with the tounge behind the teeth and a a slight vibration behind the throat.

OMG. Can't believe I even asked that question. I didn't notice the little cross in the "l" so I though he mis-spelled the word...

You did well here.
Each language allows some consonnat clusters while others are not allowed. Neither English nor Polish are exceptions in this regard.

For instance in: ńłóżąśćę (above) the ńł is not possible in Polish.
Additionally, some consonant/vowels combinations (such as "ćę") do not occur in Polish.

Bottom line, the challenge of the original post is not an exercise in the Polish pronounciation.

I'll stick to the English 'w' on that one....

What about "chrząszcz" ? :P

chrząszcz szczy w pszczynie - a little harder then the original "chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie"

http://pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/%C5%81ama%C5%84ce_j%C4%99zykowe

haha this is a funny thread

Try something better:
Chrząszcz pszczołę w trzcinie pieprzy :)

Are there any consonant clusters in English that Polish speakers have difficulty with?
I ask that assuming the answer to be found in words like 'Twelfths'.

There may be other languages that would pose a Pole a problem or two.
In Georgian, allegedly, there can be as many as 6 consonants in a row without a single vowel sound to break it up and make it any easier.

I don't want to speak for all Polish speakers, but I know at least one who can't say crisps. Always comes out as crips! Actually, comes out as Lays because he's sick of me saying crisps at him!


Edit:
Word with five consonants in a row - angsts.
I've got loads of these, up to and beyond eighthly!

Oh and just for Osiol:
In Georgian, GVPRTSKVNI (you peel us) is a one-syllable word [Benjamin Schak].

My Fiancée (who's polish) couldn't say it... ROTFLOL!! And she gives me hassles because i'm not learning polish quickly enough... wish it was a real word though :-p

I don't suppose this word is used all that often.
Must look up some facts about popular pastimes in Georgia.

Szczur is hard to get right. Even ptak isn't as easy as it seems. My girlfriend says I say 'pitak' rather than a merged 'pt' sound. I don't agree but she's the expert on this one so I acquiesce here

mgła [fog] is quite difficult for many foreign speakers :)

boaah. For me it's enough when foreigner can say my name and maybe:
jesteś ostra
hehe :P

łzy is hard for some people too

Łódz lol