Lesson 0 — Personal Intro, Nationalities & Numbers

🗣️ Your Eight Core Sentences

The script the tutor built up one line at a time, then reviewed as a set at the end. Over-learn these until they come out without pausing to think. Tap any line to hear it.

Swap in a different “I like”

The questions these answer

Practise both directions — ask them, then answer them.

🌍 Where Are You From? — z + the genitive

The pattern is [person] + jestem / jesteś / jest + z + [country], and the country changes form. The tutor’s spelling callout: most of these end in a doubled -ii — one i belongs to the country, the second is the ending. Say them aloud and listen for the two i’s.

Who you are talking about

A memory hook the tutor offered, not a rule: Ukraina echoes the Polish word for “land”, which is why it can feel like “the land” when you say it.

👥 Pronouns & Być (to be)

This is the frame that carries every country sentence above.

oni vs one: use one for a group of women or girls, oni for men or a mixed group.

🔢 Numbers 1–20

The tutor’s emphasis here was spelling, not just sound — go slowly and look at each word as you say it. The pattern for the whole 11–19 range: take the base number and add -naście. That is the entire rule.

The tens

Only 20 was drilled to completion in the session — these are the next ones to bring up to speed.

🤲 Daj · Masz · Dawaj

Three closely related words, useful well beyond the classroom. The rule of thumb: daj asks for a specific thing, dawaj pushes an action along — and how polite dawaj sounds depends entirely on tone and context.

Practise the exchange with someone: one of you hands something over saying Masz., the other asks for it with Daj mi pięć. Then swap. Dawaj, dawaj! at the gym or running with a child is encouragement; said sharply at someone who owes you something, it lands as pushy.

🧩 Interactive: Fill in the Blank

The word in brackets is the dictionary form or the meaning — never the answer. Change it to fit the sentence.

✅ Practice & Next Steps

1. Drill the eight core sentences until they come out without pausing.
2. Write numbers 1–20 by hand, focusing on spelling — flashcards help here.
3. Practise the Masz / Daj mi exchange with a partner or your child, swapping roles.
4. Re-run the countries drill from memory: pick five and say the whole “[person] is from [country]” sentence.
5. Bring the tens (30, 40, 50…) up to full fluency — only 20 was finished in the session.