Character and personality
Charakter i osobowość
- Learn to describe the character of people.
- Talk about personalities.
Explore key vocabulary describing character and personality traits in Polish, ideal for A1 learners. This lesson covers positive traits like "miły" (kind), "cierpliwy" (patient), and "pomocny" (helpful), as well as negative ones such as "złośliwy" (mean) and "leniwy" (lazy). You will practice phrases to describe people, for example, "Ona jest bardzo miła i pomocna" (She is very kind and helpful) or "Mój brat jest trochę nieśmiały, ale wesoły" (My brother is a bit shy but cheerful). Key verbs like "lubię" (I like) and "jest" (is) are used in simple sentences to talk about personality. Dialogues and examples help you discuss friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances, focusing on how to express opinions about character in everyday contexts. This lesson also includes useful verbs in the present tense related to these conversations, enhancing your ability to communicate about people’s personalities effectively.
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Assign the following words to two categories describing character traits: positive and negative.
Cechy pozytywne
Cechy negatywne
Ćwiczenie 4: Conversation exercise
Instrukcja:
- Describe and compare the people. (Describe and compare the people. )
- Describe your own character. (Describe your own character.)
- Describe your family members and friends. (Describe your family members and friends.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Juliette i Lukas to kochająca się para. Juliette and Lukas are an affectionate couple. |
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Raúl jest najbardziej zamkniętą osobą. Jest introwertykiem. Raúl is the most closed person. He is introverted. |
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Caitlin nie jest wysportowana; jest najmniej aktywną osobą. Caitlin is not sporty; she is the least active person. |
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On jest najbardziej leniwą osobą. He is the most lazy person. |
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Wydaję się leniwy, ale jestem aktywny. I seem lazy but I am active. |
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Mogę być nieśmiały, jeśli nie znam ludzi. I can be shy if I do not know the people. |
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On nie jest uczciwy. He is not honest. |
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Ona jest bardzo przyjazna, ale niezbyt mądra. She is very friendly but not very smart. |
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Są inteligentnymi studentami. They are intelligent students. |
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Oni są raczej niemądrzy, ale im tego nie powiemy. They are rather dumb, but we will not tell them. |
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Exercise 5: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 6: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Mój brat zawsze ______ innym, bo jest bardzo życzliwy.
(My brother always ______ others because he is very kind.)2. Ona często ______ się, ponieważ jest radosna.
(She often ______ because she is cheerful.)3. Moi przyjaciele często ______ nowe pomysły.
(My friends often ______ new ideas.)4. Nasza koleżanka dużo ______, bo jest bardzo sumienna.
(Our colleague ______ a lot because she is very diligent.)Exercise 7: We describe our colleagues at work
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Rozmawiać - To talk
Czas teraźniejszy
- ja rozmawiam
- ty rozmawiasz
- on/ona/ono rozmawia
- my rozmawiamy
- wy rozmawiacie
- oni/one rozmawiają
Uważać - To think
Czas teraźniejszy
- ja uważam
- ty uważasz
- on/ona/ono uważa
- my uważamy
- wy uważacie
- oni/one uważają
Myśleć - To be
Czas teraźniejszy
- ja myślę
- ty myślisz
- on/ona/ono myśli
- my myślimy
- wy myślicie
- oni/one myślą
Być - To like
Czas teraźniejszy
- ja jestem
- ty jesteś
- on/ona/ono jest
- my jesteśmy
- wy jesteście
- oni/one są
Lubić - Lubić
Czas teraźniejszy
- ja lubię
- ty lubisz
- on/ona/ono lubi
- my lubimy
- wy lubicie
- oni/one lubią
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Understanding Character and Personality in Polish
This lesson focuses on vocabulary and expressions used to describe character traits and personality in Polish. It is designed for A1 level learners who want to expand their ability to talk about people’s nature, emotions, and behaviors clearly and simply.
What You Will Learn
- Common adjectives and nouns related to personality traits, such as miły (kind), cierpliwy (patient), nieśmiały (shy), and pomocny (helpful).
- Phrases that describe people’s character, for example: Ona jest bardzo miła i pomocna. (She is very kind and helpful.)
- How to ask basic questions about personality, like Jaki on ma charakter? (What kind of character does he have?)
- Conjugation of verbs used in describing actions related to character, such as pomaga (helps), lubi (likes), and the verb być (to be) in present tense.
- Simple dialogues that allow you to practice talking about friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances’ personalities using clear, everyday expressions.
Example Words and Expressions
- Positive character traits: miły (kind), uczciwy (honest), towarzyski (friendly), pomocny (helpful), cierpliwy (patient)
- Negative traits: złośliwy (mean), leniwy (lazy), zazdrosny (jealous)
- Example sentence: Mój brat jest trochę nieśmiały, ale wesoły. (My brother is a bit shy but cheerful.)
Important Language Notes
Unlike English, Polish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the person they describe. For example, miły changes to miła when describing a female. The verb być (to be) is essential when forming sentences about personality: on jest cierpliwy (he is patient).
Useful phrases to describe personality traits include:
- Jaki on ma charakter? – What kind of character does he have?
- Ona jest bardzo cierpliwa i sympatyczna. – She is very patient and nice.
- Czy twój kolega jest często spokojny? – Is your colleague often calm?
Practical Usage
Use the lesson content to describe people in your life and practice simple conversations about character traits. Remember to pay attention to adjective endings and verb forms as you build your skills.
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