There's an App for that....

I don’t know much about Android apps, so you’re on your own for that. But iTunes has some great Polish language apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone that have already helped me order another beer correctly.

So far, I have found the following four apps really helpful in order of usefulness:

1.     1. 123 Learn Polish – Everyday Polish by RosMedia. I like this app a lot. It has an audio track that will read a list of words in Polish so you know the pronunciation. The audio track is only a single track for about 30 words per subject matter, so finding a particular word is difficult, but it’s still really helpful.

2.    2.  Polish Language Dictionary & Translator by BitKnights LLC – very good basic dictionary that is searchable in both English and Polish.

3.    3.  BidBox Vocabulary Trainer: English – Polish by BidBox. Useful only if you really want to start learning Polish. Very good for basic vocabulary, but if you don’t have pronunciation of the different letters down then it won’t help much.

4.     4. Learn Polish Vocabulary – WordPower by Innovative Language Learning LLC. I like this concept a lot and will be working with it more over the next few days. Basically, it hammers 10 vocabulary words into you per day so that you gradually build a working vocabulary in Polish. Pedagogically, this is a great way to get a foundation from which to learn the language better. Contractually, I had some problems when I attempted to sign up for a subscription to the associated website. Their customer service was cool, though, so I am giving them another chance. When you first start this app, though, it will suggest opening a free account at the associated website. Resist the urge to do so. I’ll be happy to let you look at my account when you get here if you want, but the “$5/month – cancel at any time” subscription offer does not mean what you might think it means.

We will be providing three days worth of Polish language introductory classes. My number one recommendation is that you learn how to pronounce Polish letters before you get here. It’s not as hard as it looks, and except for one exception involving a few consonants preceding the letter “I” it is absolutely regular. And the accent always goes on the second to last syllable.