Convenience Store

1. Czy ta Żabka jest otwarta w niedzielę?

   chih tah ZHAHB-kah yest ot-VAR-tah v nyeh-DZYEH-leh

   Is this Żabka open on Sunday?

   Usage

   Poland restricts Sunday trading ("zakaz handlu w niedziele"); apart from a handful of designated "niedziela handlowa" Sundays each year, large shops stay shut. Small shops where the owner personally serves are exempt, and most Żabka convenience stores trade on Sundays under that rule — making Żabka a traveller's default Sunday food stop

   Grammar Note

   "Żabka" is a feminine noun, so the adjective takes the feminine form "otwarta". Days of the week use "w" + accusative: "w niedzielę" (on Sunday), "w poniedziałek" (on Monday)

2. Do której macie otwarte?

   doh KTOO-rey MAH-cheh ot-VAR-teh

   Until what time are you open?

   Usage

   Żabka hours vary by branch, with 6am to 11pm typical; 24-hour outlets are the exception. Neighbourhood shops ("sklep osiedlowy") often close before 8pm, so for anything late at night head for a station or petrol-station shop

   Grammar Note

   Polish expresses being open as "mieć otwarte" — literally "to have open". "Do której" is short for "do której godziny" (until what hour); the preposition "do" governs the genitive, turning feminine "która" into "której". On signs, look for "godziny otwarcia"

3. Reklamówkę podać?

   reh-klah-MOOF-keh POH-dach

   Shall I give you a carrier bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Polish carrier bags carry a mandatory recycling fee ("opłata recyklingowa") and are never free. Answer "Tak, poproszę" or "Nie, dziękuję". "Reklamówka" is the thin plastic carrier, "siatka" a mesh shopping bag, "torba" any bag in general

   Grammar Note

   Leaving the verb in the infinitive — "…podać?" — is a shop-counter shorthand meaning "shall I hand you…?". "Reklamówka" is feminine and shifts its ending to "-ę" in the accusative

4. Ile kosztuje reklamówka?

   EE-leh kosh-TOO-yeh reh-klah-MOOF-kah

   How much is a carrier bag?

   Usage

   Bags cost a few dozen groszy, with sturdier reusable ones a little more. They show up as a separate "Reklamówka" or "Torba" line on the receipt. If you have your own, say "Mam swoją torbę"

   Grammar Note

   Here "reklamówka" is the subject and stays nominative, whereas in the previous phrase it was an object and took the accusative "reklamówkę". Polish nouns change shape according to their role in the sentence

5. Płaci pan kartą czy gotówką?

   PWAH-chee pahn KAR-town chih goh-TOOF-kown

   Are you paying by card or in cash?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Poland is strongly cashless and Żabka takes cards for even the smallest purchase. To a woman the phrasing becomes "Płaci pani…". A one-word reply works: "Kartą" or "Gotówką"

   Grammar Note

   Polish formality works by using "pan" (to a man) or "pani" (to a woman) as the subject with a third-person verb. The familiar "ty" is reserved for people you know well and is never used by staff to a customer. Means of payment take the instrumental

6. Czy jest minimalna kwota przy płatności kartą?

   chih yest mee-nee-MAHL-nah KFOH-tah pshih pwaht-NOSH-chee KAR-town

   Is there a minimum amount for card payment?

   Usage

   Chains like Żabka impose no minimum, but owner-run neighbourhood shops and market stalls sometimes post a notice such as "minimalna kwota 10 zł". Use this when you cannot see whether such a rule applies

   Grammar Note

   The preposition "przy" governs the locative, so "płatność" becomes "płatności", while "kartą" stays in the instrumental as the means. One sentence, two cases doing different jobs

7. Terminal nie działa, tylko gotówka.

   ter-MEE-nahl nyeh DZHAH-wah, TIH-lkoh goh-TOOF-kah

   The card terminal is down — cash only

   Usage

   Said by staff. Because Poles live so thoroughly by card, an offline terminal catches people out. Ask "Gdzie jest bankomat?" and staff will point you to the nearest ATM

   Grammar Note

   "Działać" (to function) applies to machines and systems alike, and is negated by placing "nie" before the verb. Here "tylko gotówka" stands in the nominative; "to pay in cash" would use the instrumental "gotówką"

8. Ma pani aplikację Żappka?

   mah PAH-nee ah-plee-KAH-tsyeh ZHAHP-kah

   Do you have the Żappka app?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Żabka's loyalty app "Żappka" is asked about at almost every transaction; stamps convert into free coffee or hot dogs and most local customers use it. If you don't have it, "Nie mam" is fine. To a man the phrasing is "Ma pan…"

   Grammar Note

   The honorific "pani" is the subject and the verb takes the third-person singular "ma". "Żappka" is a pun blending "Żabka" with "aplikacja". "Aplikacja" is feminine and takes the accusative ending "-ę"

9. Czy mogę tu oddać butelki i puszki?

   chih MOH-geh too OD-dach boo-TEL-kee ee POOSH-kee

   Can I return bottles and cans here?

   Usage

   Poland has introduced a deposit-return scheme ("system kaucyjny"): return eligible PET bottles, cans and refillable glass and you get the "kaucja" back. Some shops have a reverse-vending machine ("butelkomat"), others take them over the counter. Eligible packaging carries a deposit mark on the label

   Grammar Note

   "Oddać" is "od-" (away) + "dać" (to give) — to give back. "Butelka" and "puszka" are both feminine, and their accusative plural is identical to the nominative plural in "-i"

10. Ile wynosi kaucja za butelkę?

    EE-leh vih-NOH-shee KOW-tsyah zah boo-TEL-keh

    How much is the deposit on a bottle?

    Usage

    The deposit is a fixed amount per container type and appears as a "kaucja" line on your receipt. Returning the empties produces a voucher that you can spend in the shop or cash out. Travellers can collect and return bottles during a short stay just as locals do

    Grammar Note

    "Ile wynosi…?" is the formal way to ask what a fee or figure amounts to, better suited to institutional amounts than the everyday "Ile kosztuje…?". The preposition "za" takes the accusative when it means "per"

11. Poproszę hot doga i kawę na wynos.

    poh-PROH-sheh hot DOH-gah ee KAH-veh nah VIH-nos

    A hot dog and a coffee to go, please

    Usage

    Żabka's hot dog and self-service coffee machine are a fixture of Polish daily life. You choose a sauce, so expect "Jaki sos?" — ketchup is "ketchup", mustard "musztarda", and the popular garlic sauce "sos czosnkowy"

    Grammar Note

    "Poproszę" is the perfective first-person future of "prosić" (to ask for) and is the standard way to order anything in a shop or restaurant. Even the loanword "hot dog" declines, giving the accusative "hot doga"

12. Czy mogę odebrać tutaj paczkę?

    chih MOH-geh oh-DEH-brach TOO-tie PAHCH-keh

    Can I pick up a parcel here?

    Usage

    Polish corner shops double as parcel points, and Żabka handles both collections and drop-offs. Parcel lockers ("Paczkomat") often stand outside or nearby. Handy if you order a SIM or supplies while travelling

    Grammar Note

    "Odebrać" is the perfective of "brać" (to take) with the prefix "ode-". "Paczkomat" blends "paczka" (parcel) with "automat"; it is an InPost trademark but functions almost as a common noun in Poland

13. Do której można kupić alkohol?

    doh KTOO-rey MOZH-nah KOO-peech ahl-KOH-hol

    Until what time can I buy alcohol?

    Usage

    Polish municipalities may ban night-time alcohol sales by local ordinance, typically 10pm to 6am, and cities such as Warsaw and Kraków have adopted it in some districts. There is no nationwide rule, so it varies town by town. Where a ban applies, the alcohol shelves get covered up at night

    Grammar Note

    "Można" is an impersonal word taking an infinitive, meaning "one may / it is possible"; its negative is "nie można" (one may not). The perfective "kupić" here frames buying as a single completed act

14. Czy może pan/pani to podgrzać w mikrofalówce?

    chih MOH-zheh pahn/PAH-nee toh POD-gzhach v mee-kroh-fah-LOOF-tseh

    Could this be heated up in the microwave?

    Usage

    Żabka has a hot-snack counter, and where paninis or heatable ready meals are sold staff will warm them for you. It is not the universal service it is in Japan, though, and some branches will decline with "Nie mamy mikrofalówki"

    Grammar Note

    "Mikrofalówka" is the colloquial form derived from "mikrofale" (microwaves); the formal term is "kuchenka mikrofalowa". The locative preposition "w" changes the ending to "-ce"

15. Proszę pokazać dowód osobisty.

    PROH-sheh poh-KAH-zach DOH-voot oh-soh-BEES-tih

    Please show me your ID

    Usage

    Said by staff. The legal drinking age in Poland is 18 and shops are required to check ID from anyone who looks young; as a foreign visitor, show your passport. Sales of energy drinks to under-18s are also banned, so the same check can apply there

    Grammar Note

    "Proszę + infinitive" is the standard polite request or instruction and works regardless of the addressee's gender. "Dowód" alone means ID, and in practice you will often just hear "Poproszę dowód"

16. Ma pan drobne?

    mah pahn DROB-neh

    Do you have any small change?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Paying with a large note such as 200 złoty may leave the till short of change, prompting this question; if you have none, say "Nie mam, przepraszam". Widespread card use means shops keep less cash on hand than they used to

    Grammar Note

    "Drobne" is the adjective "drobny" (fine, small) used as a noun, always in the plural — a shortening of "drobne pieniądze". Politeness again comes from making "pan"/"pani" the subject with a third-person verb

17. Jaka jest data ważności?

    YAH-kah yest DAH-tah vahzh-NOSH-chee

    What is the use-by date?

    Usage

    Near-date goods are shelved with a discount sticker. Packaging distinguishes the use-by date, "Należy spożyć do" (must be eaten by), from the best-before date, "Najlepiej spożyć przed" (best eaten before) — the two mean different things

    Grammar Note

    "Data ważności" is a genitive chain — "date of validity". The interrogative "jaki" agrees with the noun it questions, and since "data" is feminine it appears as "jaka"

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