Polish phrases for work with translations — free

Short answer. The key Polish phrases for work are Mam doświadczenie w pracy z klientami. (I have experience working with customers), Chcę pracować na pełny etat. (I want to work full-time) and Mój grafik zmienia się co tydzień. (my work schedule changes every week); this page has 26 phrases, from job hunting and contracts to the working day. Pay is often quoted as a brutto figure, before tax, so check: Czy to kwota brutto czy netto?

Work is where you need Polish every single day. Some workplaces run in English, but in a hotel, a shop, a warehouse or waiting tables in a café you will hear Polish from customers, your manager and your colleagues. And in an interview, describing your experience yourself, without an interpreter, makes a strong first impression.

Below, the phrases follow the steps from job hunting to time off. All of them come from Talkfirst's Polish decks, so you can practise them out loud straight away. If you are just starting, read Polish for beginners: essential phrases first: it covers greetings, polite forms and how to read Polish letters.

Phrases for work

Finding a job

Polish	Meaning
Marek szuka pracy w hotelu.	Marek is looking for a job at a hotel.
Szukam ciekawej oferty pracy w internecie.	I'm looking for an interesting job opening online.
Chcę wysłać CV do tej firmy.	I want to send my CV to this company.
Do CV dołączę krótki list motywacyjny.	I'll attach a short cover letter to my CV.
Możemy umówić się na rozmowę w przyszłym tygodniu.	We can arrange an interview for next week.
Czy masz doświadczenie zawodowe?	Do you have work experience? (a friend asks)
Mam doświadczenie w pracy z klientami.	I have experience working with customers.
Na życzenie mogę podać referencje od poprzedniego szefa.	I can provide references from my previous boss upon request.
Pracodawca zaprosił mnie na drugą rozmowę.	The employer invited me to a second interview.

Contract and pay

Polish	Meaning
Podpisuję umowę w poniedziałek.	I’m signing the contract on Monday.
Chcę pracować na pełny etat.	I want to work full-time.
Wynagrodzenie jest wypłacane co miesiąc.	The salary is paid every month.
Czy mogę negocjować wynagrodzenie po otrzymaniu oferty?	Can I negotiate the salary after receiving the offer?
obowiązki	duties

At work

Polish	Meaning
Mój grafik zmienia się co tydzień.	My work schedule changes every week.
O dwunastej mamy przerwę na lunch.	We have a lunch break at twelve.
Zróbmy przerwę i pójdźmy na kawę.	Let’s take a break and get some coffee.
Dziś mam dużo pracy, więc zostanę trochę dłużej.	I have a lot of work today, so I’ll stay a little longer.
Kierownik poprosił nas o krótkie podsumowanie.	The manager asked us for a brief summary. (a colleague says)
To kolega z pracy.	This is a colleague from work.
Mogę pomóc koledze przygotować prezentację.	I can help a colleague prepare the presentation.
O dziesiątej mam spotkanie z zespołem.	I have a meeting with the team at ten.
Wyślę ci wiadomość po spotkaniu.	I’ll send you a message after the meeting.
W piątki pracuję z domu.	I work from home on Fridays.
W poniedziałek mam wolne, więc nie będzie mnie w biurze.	I have Monday off, so I won’t be in the office.
urlop	leave; holiday

A few phrases here are in the feminine form, as a woman would say them. A man says Wysłałem CV instead of Wysłałam CV, Znalazłem instead of Znalazłam, dołączyłem instead of dołączyłam and Chciałbym instead of Chciałabym. The question Czy masz doświadczenie zawodowe? is informal, the way a friend or colleague would ask it. In an interview you will be addressed formally with pan for a man or pani for a woman: Czy ma pan doświadczenie zawodowe? or Czy ma pani doświadczenie zawodowe? Use the same words when you speak to the interviewer.

Dialogue: a job interview

The interviewer's lines come from the "Job interview" scene that Talkfirst's AI conversation partner plays out with you, out loud. The answers are short: clear and confident beats long. Do not skip the last question; asking about the contract and the schedule is normal.

Interviewer: Dziękuję za przybycie. Proszę na początek powiedzieć kilka słów o sobie.
Thank you for coming. To start, please say a few words about yourself.

You: Jestem z Ukrainy, w Polsce mieszkam od dwóch lat.
I'm from Ukraine and I've lived in Poland for two years.

Interviewer: Proszę opowiedzieć o ostatniej pracy.
Please tell me about your last job.

You: Mam doświadczenie w pracy z klientami.
I have experience working with customers.

Interviewer: Od kiedy możliwe byłoby rozpoczęcie pracy?
When could you start?

You: Mogę zacząć od pierwszego.
I can start on the first of the month.

Interviewer: Czy są jakieś pytania do mnie?
Do you have any questions for me?

You: Tak. Jaka to będzie umowa i jaki jest grafik?
Yes. What kind of contract will it be, and what is the schedule?

Tips: how work is organised in Poland

Find out what kind of contract it is. The main difference is between umowa o pracę, an employment contract, and civil-law contracts: umowa zlecenie and umowa o dzieło. Only an employment contract gives you the full rights of the Labour Code, such as paid holiday and a notice period. The other two give no statutory paid leave and less protection, so asking Jaka to będzie umowa? at the interview is a perfectly reasonable question.

Gross and net. Job ads and interviewers often quote pay (wynagrodzenie) as a brutto figure, before tax and social security contributions. What lands in your account is less: the netto amount, informally na rękę. If it is unclear which one they mean, ask: Czy to kwota brutto czy netto?

Annual leave on an employment contract. Paid annual leave is called urlop wypoczynkowy: 20 or 26 days a year, depending on your length of service. Some of those days can be taken at short notice, by telling your employer on the day itself: that is urlop na żądanie, up to four days a year. A regular day off on your schedule is a dzień wolny: Mam wolne.

Sick notes are electronic. If you fall ill, the doctor issues a sick note (zwolnienie lekarskie), which everyone calls L4. It is electronic, so there is no paper to hand in, and your employer sees it automatically. Still, tell your manager you will not be in. For what to say at the doctor's, see Polish at the doctor.

Shifts and the rota. Hotels, shops, restaurants and warehouses work in shifts, and the rota is called the grafik. It often changes every week, so it pays to ask in advance: Kiedy będzie grafik na przyszły tydzień?

Keep your paperwork when you leave. When an employment contract ends, the employer issues a świadectwo pracy, a certificate stating how long you worked there and in what role. Keep it: it proves your length of service, which affects your annual leave in the next job.

How to learn these phrases

There is no phonetic respelling here on purpose; the phrasebook hub explains why. Spend one evening on the reading rules in the beginner's guide, then play the phrases on flashcards and repeat them out loud. Start with talking about yourself: Mam doświadczenie w pracy z klientami is easy to adapt to your own job, for example w pracy w hotelu or w pracy w sklepie. Learn whole phrases rather than single words, and swap the details to fit your situation.

Questions and answers

How do you introduce yourself in Polish at a job interview?

Start with two or three simple sentences: where you are from, how long you have lived in Poland and what experience you have. For example: W Polsce mieszkam od dwóch lat. Mam doświadczenie w pracy z klientami. That is enough to start; the interviewer will ask the rest.

How do you ask about pay in Polish?

It is easiest to ask at the end of the interview or once you have an offer: Jakie jest wynagrodzenie? Then check which figure they mean: Czy to kwota brutto czy netto?

How do you ask for a day off in Polish?

To ask your manager for a free day, say Czy mogę wziąć wolne w piątek? If you are ill, let them know: Jestem chory, nie przyjdę dzisiaj do pracy (a woman says Jestem chora), and the doctor will issue an electronic sick note.