Bits of Polish

There are some Polish words whose meaning is pretty easy to guess – demokracja, matematyka, komputer, telewizja… It might be easy to get in a rut and assume that every word that sounds more or less like an English one must mean the same. In fact, there are plenty of so-called false friends – Polish-English word pairs that look similar enough, but have quite different meaning. They are a source of confusion for learners of Polish and English alike, so let’s get to know some of them.

1. lektura - a read, also: a book on a school reading list
Jej nowa książka okazała się ciekawą lekturą.
Her new book turned out an interesting read.
Ta książka to lektura obowiązkowa dla studentów historii.
This book is a compulsory reading for history students.

lecture - wykład
Studenci słuchają wykładu z filozofii.
The students are listening to a philosophy lecture read all »