Na dworcu i w pociągu
Taking the train · a free Polish immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Chciałbym kupić bilet do Krakowa.
I would like to buy a ticket to Kraków.
Literal I-would-like to-buy ticket to Kraków.
A polite way to request a ticket at the counter, using the conditional form of chcieć.
- chciałbym = conditional of chcieć (I would like)
- kupić = perfective infinitive (to buy)
- do Krakowa = genitive with 'do' for destination
Z którego peronu odjeżdża pociąg do Warszawy?
From which platform does the train to Warsaw depart?
Literal From which platform departs train to Warsaw?
Essential question for finding the right platform at a Polish station.
- z którego peronu = genitive with 'z' (from which platform)
- odjeżdża = third person singular present of odjeżdżać (to depart)
- do Warszawy = genitive with 'do' for destination
Pociąg odjeżdża z peronu trzeciego o godzinie piętnastej.
The train departs from platform three at three in the afternoon.
Literal Train departs from platform third at hour fifteenth.
Station announcements use 24-hour time and ordinal numbers for platforms.
- peronu trzeciego = genitive singular (from platform three)
- o godzinie = time expression with locative (at the hour)
- piętnastej = genitive form of 15:00 in 24-hour format
Przepraszam, czy to jest moje miejsce?
Excuse me, is this my seat?
Literal Excuse-me, whether this is my place?
A polite question to verify seating when you board and find someone in your spot.
- Przepraszam = excuse me (essential polite phrase)
- czy = question particle (whether / is it)
- moje = possessive pronoun agreeing with neuter 'miejsce'
Mój bilet jest na miejsce numer siedemnaście.
My ticket is for seat number seventeen.
Literal My ticket is for place number seventeen.
Stating your assigned seat number to resolve any seating confusion politely.
- Mój = masculine possessive pronoun (my)
- na miejsce = on/for the seat (accusative)
- siedemnaście = seventeen
Czy mogę tu usiąść?
May I sit here?
Literal Whether I-may here to-sit-down?
A short, polite request to ask permission before taking an open seat.
- Czy mogę = may I? (modal verb móc + question particle)
- usiąść = perfective infinitive of siadać (to sit down)
- tu = here (adverb)
Podróżuję pociągiem pierwszy raz.
I am traveling by train for the first time.
Literal I-travel by-train first time.
A natural conversation-starter that invites the instrumental case for transport.
- Podróżuję = first person singular present of podróżować
- pociągiem = instrumental case of pociąg (by train)
- pierwszy raz = first time (ordinal + noun)
Czy wagon restauracyjny jest w tym pociągu?
Is there a dining car on this train?
Literal Whether dining-car is in this train?
Asking about food service on a long-distance train using the locative case.
- wagon restauracyjny = dining car (adjective agrees with masculine noun)
- czy = question particle
- w tym pociągu = locative with 'w' (in this train)
Poproszę kawę i kanapkę, proszę.
I'll have a coffee and a sandwich, please.
Literal I-request coffee and sandwich, please.
Ordering in the dining car using the very common polite request verb poproszę.
- Poproszę = I would like / please give me (polite request form, perfective)
- kawę = accusative of kawa (coffee, feminine)
- kanapkę = accusative of kanapka (sandwich, feminine)
Skąd pan pochodzi? Jestem z Gdańska.
Where are you from, sir? I'm from Gdańsk.
Literal Where-from sir comes-from? I-am from Gdańsk.
Making small talk with a fellow passenger using the formal pan address with a third-person verb.
- Skąd = from where (question word)
- pan pochodzi = polite 'you' using 'pan' + third person singular verb
- Jestem z Gdańska = I am from Gdańsk (z + genitive)
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
pociąg
train
Pociąg odjeżdża o ósmej.
The train departs at eight.
pociągiem (instrumental) = by train
peron
platform
Pociąg jest na peronie drugim.
The train is on platform two.
z peronu (genitive) = from the platform
bilet
ticket
Chciałbym kupić bilet do Poznania.
I would like to buy a ticket to Poznań.
bilet powrotny = return ticket
miejsce
seat / place
To jest moje miejsce przy oknie.
This is my seat by the window.
na miejscu = seated / in place
odjazd
departure
O której jest odjazd pociągu?
What time is the train's departure?
odjeżdżać (verb) = to depart
podróżować
to travel
Lubię podróżować pociągiem.
I like to travel by train.
podróżuję = I travel (first person present)
rozkład jazdy
timetable
Sprawdziłem rozkład jazdy.
I checked the timetable.
posted at every station and available as an app
wagon
train carriage
Siedzę w wagonie trzecim.
I am sitting in the third carriage.
wagon restauracyjny = dining car
przepraszam
excuse me / I'm sorry
Przepraszam, gdzie jest toaleta?
Excuse me, where is the toilet?
most common phrase to politely get someone's attention
poproszę
I'll have / one … please
Poproszę jeden bilet do Łodzi.
One ticket to Łódź, please.
perfective polite request; more decisive than proszę
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Marta stoi na dworcu i sprawdza rozkład jazdy. Jej pociąg do Wrocławia odjeżdża z peronu piątego o godzinie trzynastej trzydzieści. Kupuje kawę w kiosku i szuka swojego miejsca w wagonie. Obok niej siada starszy pan, który uśmiecha się życzliwie. Rozmawiają przez całą podróż o pięknych miastach Polski.
Sentence by sentence
Marta stoi na dworcu i sprawdza rozkład jazdy.
Marta is standing at the station and checking the timetable.
'na dworcu' uses the locative case with 'na' for location at the station. 'sprawdza' is third person singular present tense.
Jej pociąg do Wrocławia odjeżdża z peronu piątego o godzinie trzynastej trzydzieści.
Her train to Wrocław departs from platform five at 13:30.
'do Wrocławia' uses genitive with 'do' for destination; 'z peronu piątego' is genitive for 'from platform five'; time uses 24-hour format with ordinal genitive.
Kupuje kawę w kiosku i szuka swojego miejsca w wagonie.
She buys a coffee at a kiosk and looks for her seat in the carriage.
'kawę' is accusative (direct object); 'w kiosku' and 'w wagonie' both use the locative case with 'w' for location.
Obok niej siada starszy pan, który uśmiecha się życzliwie.
Next to her sits an older gentleman who smiles kindly.
'obok niej' means next to her, using genitive after obok. 'który uśmiecha się' is a relative clause with a reflexive verb.
Rozmawiają przez całą podróż o pięknych miastach Polski.
They talk the whole journey about the beautiful cities of Poland.
'przez całą podróż' uses accusative for duration; 'o pięknych miastach' uses locative with 'o' to indicate the topic of conversation.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Instrumental Case for Means of Transport
In Polish, when saying how you travel—by train, by bus, by car—you use the instrumental case of the transport noun with no preposition at all. This contrasts with English 'by + noun'. The instrumental ending depends on the noun's gender: masculine nouns typically take -em, feminine nouns take -ą.
podróżować / jechać + [transport noun in instrumental case]
Jadę pociągiem do Krakowa.
I am going to Kraków by train.
Ona podróżuje autobusem.
She travels by bus.
Czy możemy pojechać samochodem?
Can we go by car?
Wolę podróżować samolotem niż pociągiem.
I prefer to travel by plane rather than by train.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Polish: "I would like to buy a ticket to Kraków."
Hint Use 'chciałbym' for 'I would like' and 'kupić' for 'to buy'.
Complete the sentence using the correct form of 'pociąg': "Podróżuję ___ pierwszy raz." (I'm traveling by train for the first time.)
Hint Means of transport use the Instrumental case in Polish.
Translate to English: "Z którego peronu odjeżdża pociąg do Warszawy?"
Hint 'Peron' means platform, and 'odjeżdżać' means to depart.
You sit down in a train compartment and want to ask if the seat is yours. Which sentence is correct?
Rewrite using the Instrumental case to say you are traveling by car ('samochód'): "Podróżuję pociągiem."
Hint Apply the same Instrumental ending pattern as 'pociąg → pociągiem'.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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