In the Conversations, we briefly touched on the topic of balance and balancing poses. While I’m already familiar with different poses, my student reminded me of another one that is quite popular in our region. She confidently claimed she could do it.
At that moment, all sorts of bird names starting with "S" came to mind—sparrow, swan, stork—but the one we needed was the swallow. (You might recognize this word as a verb, but in this case, it has nothing to do with that—though that’s a story for another time.)
In English, the posture that involves standing on one leg, extending the other leg backward, and stretching the arms out to the sides is called the swallow.

And if you need to brush up your knowledge on most common birds have a look into this QUIZLET SET.

On Thursday, some of you and I discussed Polish doughnuts and the whole idea of Fat Thursday. Of course, I assume you are all familiar with the word doughnut, so there’s no need to explain it. However, it might be worth noting that doughnuts in Poland can be a little different from what’s traditionally understood in other cultures.

Polish doughnuts, or pączki, are round and fluffy. During our discussion, the word nadziany came up, and I think the best English equivalent would be filled, as it’s the most natural and commonly used term. So, for example, you would say -📌a doughnut filled with jam.

That said, there are also a few other words that could work, such as stuffed, loaded, or bursting with, depending on the context. These words can sometimes be used to translate nadziany in different situations. Here are some examples:
📌Stuffed 
A chocolate-stuffed doughnut
📌Loaded 
A loaded raspberry doughnut
📌Bursting with 
A doughnut bursting with cream

The entire idea stems from the recent adjective we covered in class--sloppy. While sloppy looks and sounds somewhat similar to snoopy, their meanings are completely different.
So, let me start by explaining the verb to snoop.

Snoop means to investigate or look around in a sneaky or curious way, often when trying to find out information that may not be meant for you.
Can dogs snoop?
Yes, dogs can absolutely snoop! They use their noses to sniff around and investigate everything—whether it’s your bag, the trash, or a new person. A dog snooping is usually just them being naturally curious, following scents, or trying to figure out what’s going on around them.

And now to the adjective Snoopy. It means being overly curious or prying into things that may not be one's business. It describes someone (or even an animal) who is nosy and likes to investigate or eavesdrop on others.
Snoopy comes from the verb snoop, and of course, it's also the name of the famous Peanuts cartoon dog, Snoopy! 

We’re talking about our morning routine and the ride to work when we come across a simple, instinctive action that every driver—and hopefully every passenger—does. But what exactly do we call it? That’s when the question arises: How do you say zapiąć in English? Well, it depends on the context—one verb for seatbelts and another for other things you might want to zapiąć. But overall, the language here is pretty logical.

📌Fasten
seat belts or straps

• Zapiąć pasy → Fasten* your seatbelt. 
• Zapiąć plecak → Fasten your backpack.

*Buckle your seatbelt in the car.

📌Button up
clothes with buttons.

• Zapiąć koszulę → Button up your shirt.
• Zapiąć marynarkę → Button up your blazer.

📌Zip up
clothes with a zipper.

• Zapiąć kurtkę → Zip up your jacket.
• Zapiąć torbę → Zip up the bag.

A few weeks ago—well, I think it was a few weeks ago—my student Ola, referring to something I had done, asked me a rather unexpected question: How would you say Żmija in English? She wanted to call me that.
I told her the word viper, but later, I started thinking—was that really the best translation? Viper has a certain sharpness to it, and I’m pretty sure Ola meant it in a more playful way.
So here I am, sharing three possible alternatives to that expression. And, of course—thank you, Ola, for seeing my true colours.

📌You little snake!
is very common and can be said in a joking way, depending on the tone. It's used for someone being sneaky or mischievous, but not necessarily in a bad way.
​
📌You sly fox!
has a more positive twist, implying cleverness rather than pure sneakiness.  A bit cunning but in a charming way.

📌​You sneaky thing!
​is super playful and friendly. You’d use it when someone does something a bit tricky but in a light-hearted, funny way.

In Polish, the phrase would be something like "Jadę do domu" or "Idę do domu." In English, there are a few ways to say this. Let me give you three:

• I'm coming home.
• I'm heading back home.
• I'm on my way home.

​Please note that with "home," we usually wouldn’t use "my." So while "I'm coming back to my home" is grammatically correct, it sounds uncommon in casual conversation.
Also, if you change the place to something like "the office," the structure changes slightly. You would say, "I'm coming to the office."

This week we are dealing with the Polish word - bzdura.

📌Complete nonsense
​Use this when something is absurd or makes no sense at all.
Example:
​A: I think I can fly if I concentrate hard enough.
B: That’s complete nonsense.

📌Rubbish
Popular in British English, this is a direct way to call something untrue.
Example:
A: He says he owns three Ferraris.
B: Rubbish! He doesn’t even have a driver’s license.

📌Baloney
A playful, informal American English term for something absurd or made-up.
Example:
A: I heard they found a secret treasure in the basement.
B: Oh, come on. That’s baloney.

📌A load of crap
​Very informal, often used to express frustration or disbelief.
Example:
A: The politician said he’ll cut taxes for everyone.
B: What a load of crap. They never do that.

In English, spotkanie rodzinne can be translated naturally depending on the context.

📌Family gathering –  most direct and natural equivalent.
A: Are you free Friday night?
B: Sorry, I have a family gathering at my grandparents’ house.

📌Family get-together – slightly more casual and common in spoken English.
A: How was your weekend?
B: Pretty good! We had a family get-together at my aunt’s place. It was really fun.

📌Family meeting –  less common and usually implies something more formal or serious, like discussing family issues.
A: You seem stressed.
B: We just finished a family meeting about dividing responsibilities for my mom’s care.

📌Family reunion – typically used for larger or more formal gatherings, often involving extended family who haven’t seen each other in a long time.
A: That’s a lot of people in the photo!
B: Yeah, it’s from our family reunion last weekend. It was the first one in 10 years.

The phrase the real deal refers to someone or something that is authentic, genuine, or highly impressive. It can also mean that something is truly valuable or worth it. 

The phrase "after you" in Polish can be translated as "proszę przodem" or "po Tobie", depending on the context. 

You’d use "after you" in everyday situations like:

• Letting someone walk through a door before you.
• Offering someone the first chance to speak or act.

Synonyms:

1. Go ahead 
2. You first