Polish Level 1

Polish Level 1

Course Description

Level 1 Classes: This course is suitable for people with no prior knowledge of the language, who would like to begin to communicate in Polish, particularly in daily life and holiday contexts. By the end of the course, you will be able to formulate simple statements and questions in an everyday setting and understand the most basic written and spoken language. This class will cover themes from the first half of the A1 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)*.

Term duration 10 x weekly 2-hour classes, Monday evenings, 18:15 - 20:15

Key Language:

Communicative themes may include:

·         Greetings and introductions in daily life.
Dzień dobry, Jak masz na imię?

·         Talking about your job and workplace.
Jestem nauczycielem, To jest biuro

• Making sense of a menu in a restaurant, ordering food and drinks.
  Jestem głodny, Poproszę kawę
• Shopping and asking for prices.
  Ile to kosztuje?, To jest za drogie

·         Asking and telling the time.

Która godzina?, Jest druga

·         Scheduling meetings or plans.

Mam spotkanie, Do zobaczenia jutro

·         Talking about dates and birthdays.
Dziś jest piątek, Urodziny mam w maju

• Talking about your weekly routine, describing weekend plans.
  W poniedziałek pracuję, Idę do kina

Key grammatical points covered may include:

·         Polish alphabet and pronunciation, e.g. ą, ć, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź, ż

·         Conjugation of common verbs in present tense, e.g. jestem, mam, pracujesz, idzie

·         Key verbs: być, mieć, pracować, iść, jechać, gotować, kupować, lubić, robić, pić, spać

·         Noun gender and adjective agreement in singular, e.g. czerwony samochód, mała kawa, ładne mieszkanie

·         Numbers 0–1000, e.g. zero, dziesięć, sto pięćdziesiąt, tysiąc

·         Pointing pronouns: ten, ta, to, tamten, tamta, tamto

• Question pronouns: kto?, co?, gdzie?, kiedy?, jaki? 

• Possessive pronouns: mój, twój, nasz, wasz, e.g. To jest moja książka 

• Prepositions with nouns: z kolegą, w domu, na uniwersytecie, do pracy 

• Ordinal numbers: pierwszy, drugi, trzeci, used in dates or sequences 

Please note that we adapt the pace of the class to the needs and interests of the group, so the listed themes and grammar may be subject to change and are not meant to be exhaustive. 

Homework may be set between classes, though we do understand that the constraints of everyday life may make it difficult to complete at times. You are under no obligation to complete the homework, but revision of the weekly lessons is strongly encouraged to allow you to make excellent progress and benefit fully from the course. 

Each week you will practice most if not all four communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). You will be encouraged to take an active part in all activities which can include games, pair and group work as well as individual tasks. We aim to establish a friendly, inclusive atmosphere in the classroom so that all students can express themselves freely and increase their confidence. 

*CEFR levels indicated on our level descriptors are not a guarantee that you can take the State Certificate Examination in Polish as a Foreign Language (Państwowy Egzamin Certyfikatowy z Języka Polskiego jako Obcego) for this level. There is an accredited exam centre at the Polish Social & Cultural Association in London and the certification level required for citizenship is B1. If you would like to take the certification exam, please speak to your tutor to discuss what they think would be most appropriate.