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Lesson 10: I want, do you want, New and Old

If you are talking to strangers you'll use 'Chciałbym' - 'I would like' - from lesson 5. But in everyday language 'wanting' is far more common.

But first ... "Może dzień dobry, Może dobry wieczor. Masz lekcję! Dalej! Do boju!"

OK, the situations when you will use "Chciałbym" are exactly the same as the situations you would use "I would like" in English speaking countries. As such you know you don't use it all the time - in some situations you use "I want".

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
I want

It's got that same gentle scraping sound at the start that we was with "Chciałbym" but apart from that it is thankfully short!

Well - "to want" is a verb ... but ... it's a strange one because sometimes we need to use the after the verb case and sometimes we need to use the something is missing case.

It's complicated and the last thing we need at the moment is complicated - especially if there is a work around available - which there is. As long as we use "Chcę mieć" ("I want to have") we'll always be in the after the verb case.

And because you already know "dobrego" and "dobry" both mean "good" if you hear someone using "dobrego" with "Chcę" you can just nod and remember - it's OK but it's complicated!

So by using the table in the last lesson, or your memory if you are that clever, see if you work these out before revealing them:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
I want to have a big house there
I want to have a white coffee here
I want to have comfort
I want to have a small beer
I want to have a small ecological (organic) beer

Now just to be clear "Chcę mieć" isn't something Polish people would use unless:

however you can use "Chcę mieć" as a work around because it'll be clear anyway that you are not a native speaker and so people will be forgiving in that sense.

But as you learn more verbs remember to change your "I want to have" to "I want to drink/buy/eat/etc."

OK - let's add a bit more easy to remember vocab:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
Lamp
Hotel
Apartment
Tea

All pretty easy except the last one. I remembered this by thinking about tea leaves and how much they look like dried herbs like thyme. That gave me the 'herb' mental hook.

So let's run through those with "Chcę mieć":

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
I want to have a white lamp here
Now I want to have a small hotel
I want to have a big apartment there
I want to have tea now

I don't want

As simple as "I don't have" ("Nie mam") you just stick a "nie" in front:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
I don't want

Now if you don't want something then it follows that you don't have it either and so we are now in the "something missing" case with or without "mieć".

So let's do a few examples:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
I don't want to have a white lamp here
Now I don't want a small hotel
I don't want to have a big apartment there
I don't want tea now
I don't want a red telephone
I don't want your pizza
I don't want a big problem

Brilliant - we're rocking!

Do you want?

"You want" and "do you want?" are exactly the same on paper:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
You want / Do you want

And here we see that 'sz' ending that we also saw in "Masz" - "You have / do you have". We'll see this ending over and over in the 'informal you' version of verbs

"Chcesz" is short and sweet so let's get two new adjectives just to give ourselves a proper challenge:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
New
Old

You'll see "Nowy" everywhere:

Nowy Baner

Yes, you've guessed it "Baner" is "Banner" and is also used the same way to talk about 'banner' adverts on a website as well as the material banners which are strapped to the balconies and the sides of buildings.

In adverts and in shops you'll see "Nowy" all over the place - "New Series", "New product", "New collection" ... actually you already know how to say "New Collection". Think it through using the rules from Lesson 2:

So you have everything you need to think this out correctly...

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
New collection
Old collection

Nowa kolekcja

... and if I told you "product" was said the same way in Polish but written differently because if it sounds like 'k' it is 'k' ... then you know how to say "New product".

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
New product

Well, let's be accurate - it is not said exactly the same way. Remember we press down and emphasis the penultimate syllable and the 'u' is said like 'ou' in 'you' so it does sound a little different.

Right - bit of a detour there but always good to revise some of those useful rules that help you find words! Now let's get asking:

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
Do you want to have a new camera?
Do you want to have a white wine?
Do you want to have my collection?
Do you want to have a new product?
Do you want to have good wifi?
Do you want to have a new apartment here?
Now do you want to have a big hotel?

Now, just like in English, you can use the negative as a way of showing surprise - you know, "What? You don't want it? Are you crazy?" ("po prostu szok" :) )

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
You don't want?

... and now remember because we are in the negative we are back in the "something is missing" case - with our without "mieć". If you want to keep using 'Mieć' because it's easier to remember you can.

... and we are acting all surprised ....

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
You don't want to have a new telephone?
You don't want old wine?
You don't want to have a good lamp?
You don't want a big apartment?
You don't want to have a legal firm?
You don't want normal shampoo?
You don't want an ecological (organic) option?

He / She / It wants

Now in your early days you are not going to need this form of the verb much but it's good to at least hear it because after a shop assistant has listened to your Polish strains they will narrow their eyes, nod as if to acknowledge that they maybe understand you, and shout to a colleague, "He wants a coffee!".

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
He/She/It wants

So let's hear someone, who thinks they understand you, shouting to someone else!

EnglishEnglishPolishPolish
He wants to have normal shampoo
She wants to have a good beer
He doesn't want to have a laptop
She doesn't want to have a technical definition

In reality our fictional shop assistant wouldn't use "Mieć" because they know how to juggle the two different cases that get used when "Mieć" is absent or use other verbs like buy/rent/drink/hear/etc. But otherwise you get the drift!

And of course all the above could be questions just by raising your tone at the end.

We haven't done a physical exercise for a while so it't time to get up, wander around where ever you are, point to things you know in Polish and say "Chcę mieć ...[whatever it is]" and "Nie chcę ... [whatever it is]".

Lesson 11: To think, To like