Kolokacje
Verb-and-noun pairs that Polish fixes and other languages do not. Get the pairing wrong and every word is right and the sentence is not.
mieć ochotę
phrase · verb, + na + acc.
- EN
- to fancy, to feel like
- RU
- хотеть, быть не прочь
Masz ochotę na kawę?
Do you fancy a coffee?
The standard way to offer anything. Chcesz kawy is blunt by comparison — grammatical, and a little abrupt.
zwracać uwagę
phrase · verb, + na + acc.
- EN
- to pay attention to; to tell someone off
- RU
- обращать внимание; делать замечание
Zwróć uwagę na ostatni akapit.
Pay attention to the last paragraph.
Zwrócić uwagę KOMUŚ, with the dative, flips it to reprimanding that person. Same phrase, one case apart.
brać pod uwagę
phrase · verb
- EN
- to take into account
- RU
- принимать во внимание
Trzeba wziąć pod uwagę koszty.
We need to take the costs into account.
Fixed: pod uwagę, accusative, always. Never w uwagę, however much the Russian preposition suggests it.
podjąć decyzję
phrase · verb, perfective
- EN
- to make a decision
- RU
- принять решение
Musimy podjąć decyzję do piątku.
We have to make a decision by Friday.
Polish takes up a decision where English makes one and Russian accepts one. Zrobić decyzję is a translation, not a phrase.
odnieść sukces
phrase · verb, perfective
- EN
- to succeed
- RU
- добиться успеха
Odnieśli sukces na rynku niemieckim.
They succeeded in the German market.
Odnieść is otherwise to carry back. The collocation is fixed and mieć sukces is not idiomatic.
ponieść konsekwencje
phrase · verb, perfective
- EN
- to face the consequences
- RU
- понести последствия
Poniesie konsekwencje swojej decyzji.
He'll face the consequences of his decision.
Ponieść also means to bolt, of a horse. Here it is the carrying sense, and Russian pairs the same root with the same noun.
dojść do wniosku
phrase · verb, perfective
- EN
- to come to the conclusion
- RU
- прийти к выводу
Doszedłem do wniosku, że to nie ma sensu.
I came to the conclusion that it makes no sense.
Wniosek again — the same word as an application form, in its other life as a conclusion.
mieć na myśli
phrase · verb
- EN
- to mean, to have in mind
- RU
- иметь в виду
Co masz na myśli?
What do you mean?
Locative, na myśli. Russian says в виду; the preposition and the noun both differ, so nothing transfers except the idea.
robić wrażenie
phrase · verb
- EN
- to make an impression
- RU
- производить впечатление
Jej prezentacja zrobiła na mnie duże wrażenie.
Her presentation made a big impression on me.
Polish makes an impression where Russian produces one. For 'to seem', the usual verb is sprawiać wrażenie — one word apart, impact versus appearance.
wchodzić w grę
phrase · verb
- EN
- to be an option, to come into play
- RU
- быть возможным, подходить
Taka cena nie wchodzi w grę.
That price is out of the question.
Almost always negative: nie wchodzi w grę is the firm, polite no. Literally, it does not enter the game.
Drill these ten · earlier morning · later morning
Drill these ten