To Polish people living in the UK - how much your English improved?

Hey,

I was just wondering to anyone who may have come to work in the Uk, what level was yuor english at and do you think it has improved, if so how and how long did it take before you feel comfortable?

The reason I ask this question is my girlfriend is here now and she is learning well but is lucky to be having lessons, her teacher mentioned he knows some polish people who have been here for 4 years and still have only a basic understanding.

Nothing new, many Poles work with another Poles, Ukrainian, Romanian etc.. so how can they improve their English? Especially when they work long hours.....

Before my wife moved to England she told me she had an aunt on her mothers side of the family, who lived near Aylesbury and I gave her a call. She had been here since the war. I gave her a call and the first thing I asked her in English was "do you speak English?" and she replied "nie, nie bardzo duzo", she had been living here for only fifty years!

One woman I know is returning to Poland next week for good...its fair to say her English may have got worse in the time she's been here.



This is true...a lot of my Polish friends are working long, hard hours. One girl can only manage to go to college 4 days a week because she works long hours the other 3 and her husband works his knackers off as well.

hahah many Eastern Euopean workers at my job are more learning the Scottish dialect than the Queen's english...

That is a shame... guy I know is taking as many hours as he can get too... he always looks so tired, I'm shocked he can even be bothered speaking the English that he does know...

By working with English-speakers and using English in the workplace might help.
If any of my Polish colleagues are interested in learning English, I do try to help.
The result? I learn a bit of Polish and they are given the opportunity by me to learn a bit of English.

One colleague I've worked with for about five months has improved a huge amount in that time. He does two jobs, but he is young (and therefore quite malleable) and very keen to learn.

One learns one's language from one's peers.

how's the corgi's at the palace?

i dont know about polish people living in uk, but my english improved in canada for sure!

yes, but many of them work with non-native English speakers.

Yes I am the same but it's difficult.

I should say that most of the Polish people I know do actually make the effort to learn English and generally their English has improved :) As for my Polish, however...

Your grammar, dear. The apostrophe!

Nice one, PD!
Your turn Sofi! Or can you tell me to what of the Corgi's were you referring?

Amended!

Reading a 64 page document on another window....yawn...lol

That's nothing new.

Check this out: http://www.antimoon.com/other/myths-country.htm (BTW this site is in English and about English but the webmasters are from... yes, You are right, Poland ;-))

I did a TESOL course and had to give lessons in the evening to foreign students. Many Czechs used to come from their au-pair jobs. There were not many Poles here in 1999-2000 but one thing I noticed was that it was necessary to keep them apart. They were lonely and isolated in their jobs working in houses 'in the sticks' and came to college in the evening to these free lessons to have a good natter in their native language rather than to learn English! Obviously, we wanted and needed them to come and make up student numbers so we always had to be diplomatic.

Many work together and need very little English, so some of them don't see the point in taking it any further.

On holiday in Poland, the last thing I want to meet is someone else who is English.

A former housemate of mine, from Poland, took this attitude. He didn't care too much about meeting other Poles. He was more interested in making a life for himself. His English seemed to improve by the day.

My mother's ex once randomly brought a woman up to our house. She was from Poland. He speaks Polish and was talking away to her, but because I took an interest in her, she practically ignored him to speak English with me. She really wanted to learn and seemed annoyed he was speaking to her in Polish. It was very interesting =)