Polish · Real conversations
Change a plan naturally in Polish
When a plan changes, state the change early. Ask for a new day, explain that you cannot attend, or give a realistic arrival time and check whether it works.
Three ways to say it
Czy możemy przełożyć nasze spotkanie na piątek?
Could we move our meeting to Friday?
Request a new day for an existing meeting.
Coś mi wypadło. Dziś nie mogę przyjść.
Something has come up. I can't make it today.
Explain an unexpected commitment and decline today's arrangement.
Przepraszam, spóźnię się dziesięć minut. Czy to w porządku?
I'm sorry, I'll be ten minutes late. Is that okay?
Give the expected delay and ask whether that is acceptable.
Avoid translating word by word
English 'something has come up' usually means an unexpected matter needs attention. It does not describe an object moving upward. The examples use a natural expression for an unexpected event or task.
See the difference in context
Moving a Thursday meeting
Czy czwartek nadal ci pasuje?
Is Thursday still okay?
Czy możemy przełożyć nasze spotkanie na piątek?
Could we move our meeting to Friday?
Changing an afternoon arrangement
Do zobaczenia dziś po południu.
See you this afternoon.
Coś mi wypadło. Dziś nie mogę przyjść.
Something has come up. I can't make it today.
Your turn
Tell someone you will be ten minutes late. Apologize and ask whether the revised time is okay.
Reveal a sample reply
Przepraszam, spóźnię się dziesięć minut. Czy to w porządku?
I'm sorry, I'll be ten minutes late. Is that okay?
This speaking goal in other languages
A note on speaking Polish
Polish distinguishes familiar ty from polite pan and pani. Choose pan when addressing a man and pani when addressing a woman formally; the paired forms shown in examples are alternatives, so say one. A formal question usually uses a third-person verb, such as Czy może pan …? First-person past and conditional forms can change with the speaker’s gender.
Keep letters such as ą, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź, and ż. Noun and adjective endings can change with their role in the sentence. Learn the complete expression before replacing a name, object, or time.
