Diminutive forms in Polish add a certain charm, emotion, I and atmosphere that cannot be carried directly across in translation. Diminutives are used to indicate that something is physically small or little, and often they carry an affectionate form when they are referring to normal objects. These types of words lie at the heart of the cultural divide, and it is often very easy to convey the wrong impression, trapped by this quirk of language.
You can say "cat" in Polish in at least five ways - kot, kotek, koteczek, kotulek, kotuleczek. Each word means something quite different, and the meanings vary from a reference to your relationship with the cat in question to describing its size.
The words for "milk" are more straight forward, mleko translating as "milk," mleczko as "small milk." However, the Polish words for smile usmiech,"a smile", and usmieszek,"z little smile", have more of an ironic twist, the "little smile" being forced.
narobi? bigosu [na-ro-beetch bee-go-soo] (idiom)
The expression narobi? bigosu means "to make a mess" or cause problems or confusion. It comes from the noun bigos, which is a popular Polish dish made with sauerkraut, sausage, and mushrooms as the basic ingredients. You then add whatever else you have in the cupboard to the stew. Just so we are clear, if you are setting out to tell someone you're making bigos for supper, this is expressed as zrobi? bigos.
nie dla wszystkich skrzypce graja [nieh dla fshist-keech skship-tseh gra-yonh] (proverb)
This Polish proverb translates literally into English as "the violin doesn't play for everybody." The Polish word for violin is skrzypce and this word derives from the word skrzyp, which means "creak" or "groan." While there is no common translation or equivalent in English, we all know the horrible ear-splitting screeching and scratchiness of a violin in the hands of a novice. Next time you see a person attempting a task for which they quite obviously lack the required skill you could obliquely drop an observation that "the violin doesn't play for everybody."
baba [bah-bah] (noun)
This word has a number of meanings. Differing from the direct equivalent of "woman" in Polish, which is the word kobieta, most often baba is a derogatory word for a woman. It can be translated in various ways to mean "stupid woman," to comment on the appearance of or sexually objectify the woman it describes, or in a way that incredulously implies admiration —"she is wise but she is a woman." However, baba is also one of the first words a baby learns. When spoken by a baby it means "grandma," so most grandmas love to hear this word from their one-year-old grandchildren.
pokaza? komus gdzie raki zimuja [po-ko-zatch to-moosh gdjeh ra-kee jee-moo-yonh] (proverb)
This wonderfully visual proverb literally means "to show someone where crayfish winter" (as in where they spend the winter.) But it is used as an example of teaching someone a lesson, or extracting a revenge. Perhaps the American slang to "sleep with the fishes" comes closest to the flavor of this expression.
hart ducha [hahrt c/oo-cha] (noun)
We are back in the world of the Spanish machismo and the Yiddish mensch for hart ducha. It literally means "strength of spirit," or "strength of will." A man needs to be a man, and this word covers the mental self-discipline that it requires. But, more than this, it describes a man who is physically brave and will not cower, yield to, or flee from danger, attacks on his person, or oppression of his spirit. This noun literally translates as "strength of spirit" or "strength of will." Polish people are renowned for their independent character and, given the nature of Polish history, hart ducha has been witnessed many times in the character of the Polish people.