Thank You in Polish: Dziękuję, Dzięki and How to Reply
| Polish | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dziękuję | jen-KOO-yeh | Thank you (neutral, polite) |
| Dzięki | JEN-kee | Thanks (casual) |
| Dziękuję bardzo | jen-KOO-yeh BAR-dzoh | Thank you very much |
| Proszę | PROH-sheh | You’re welcome |
Thank you in Polish is dziękuję, pronounced roughly jen-KOO-yeh. It is polite enough for strangers, shops and offices. Friends say dzięki (JEN-kee), “thanks”. To say “thank you very much”, use dziękuję bardzo or bardzo dziękuję, and to answer someone’s thanks, say proszę (you’re welcome).
Thank you in Polish is dziękuję , said roughly jen-KOO-yeh. Literally it means “I thank”: it is the first-person form of the verb dziękować, to thank. That one word works with anyone, from a waiter to your partner’s grandmother, so it is the safest phrase to learn first.
How to pronounce dziękuję
The spelling looks hard, but it follows regular rules. Break it into three syllables: dzię-ku-ję.
- dzi is a soft sound [d͡ʑ], close to the “j” in “jeep” but with the tongue flatter against the palate.
- ę before k sounds like “en” as in “length” [ɛŋ]. It is a nasal vowel; see the letter Ę for every position.
- ku is simply “koo”. This syllable carries the stress, because Polish stresses the second-to-last syllable.
- ję at the end is “yeh”. In everyday speech a word-final ę loses most of its nasal sound, so you do not need to say “yen”.
Put together: [d͡ʑɛŋˈkujɛ], jen-KOO-yeh. Tap the button above to hear it, then repeat it a few times. The full set of rules is in our Polish pronunciation guide.
Ways to say thank you in Polish
There are several ways to say thank you in Polish, and Poles use a small set of them over and over. A corpus study of spoken Polish by Agnieszka Cyluk found dziękuję was by far the most frequent, followed by dzięki. Learn the first five rows below and you can say thank you in Polish in almost any situation.
| Polish | Sounds like | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dziękuję | jen-KOO-yeh | Thank you | Anyone, any situation |
| Dzięki | JEN-kee | Thanks | Friends, family, colleagues you call ty |
| Dziękuję bardzo | jen-KOO-yeh BAR-dzoh | Thank you very much | Polite, warm |
| Bardzo dziękuję | BAR-dzoh jen-KOO-yeh | Thank you very much | Same meaning; slightly more emphatic |
| Dzięki wielkie | JEN-kee VYEL-kyeh | Thanks a lot | Casual |
| Dziękuję pięknie | jen-KOO-yeh PYENK-nyeh | Thank you kindly | Warm, a little old-fashioned |
| Serdecznie dziękuję | ser-DECH-nyeh jen-KOO-yeh | Heartfelt thanks | Cards, emails, speeches |
| Dziękujemy | jen-koo-YEH-mih | We thank you | Speaking for a group or couple |
One detail from the same study: dzięki almost never takes an intensifier like bardzo. People say dzięki wielkie or just dzięki, but “bardzo dzięki” sounds odd to Polish ears.
Thanking someone for something
To say what you are grateful for, add za (for) and the thing in the accusative case. You do not need to know the grammar yet; just memorize the phrases you need.
| Polish | Sounds like | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dziękuję za pomoc | jen-KOO-yeh zah POH-mots | Thank you for the help | After directions, a favor |
| Dziękuję za wszystko | jen-KOO-yeh zah FSHIST-koh | Thank you for everything | End of a stay, a farewell |
| Dziękuję za zaproszenie | jen-KOO-yeh zah zah-proh-SHEH-nyeh | Thank you for the invitation | Guests, hosts |
| Dzięki za kawę | JEN-kee zah KAH-veh | Thanks for the coffee | Casual |
Polish thanks often attach to a refusal too. Offered more food, you can say Nie, dziękuję (NYEH, jen-KOO-yeh), “No, thank you.” In the corpus study, this “no, thanks” pattern made up about 15 percent of all thank-yous.
How to say “you’re welcome” in Polish
Learners often ask for the reply to thank you in Polish. The standard answer is proszę (PROH-sheh). It is the same word as “please”, and it also means “here you are” when you hand something over.
| Polish | Sounds like | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proszę | PROH-sheh | You’re welcome | Neutral, any situation |
| Proszę bardzo | PROH-sheh BAR-dzoh | You’re very welcome | Polite, friendly |
| Nie ma za co | NYEH mah ZAH tsoh | Don’t mention it (lit. there is nothing to thank for) | Small favors |
| Nie ma sprawy | NYEH mah SPRAH-vih | No problem | Casual |
| Spoko | SPOH-koh | No worries | Very casual, younger speakers |
In real conversation, Poles often do not answer a thank-you at all. Cyluk’s study found replies were rare outside shops and service desks; people simply nodded, smiled or moved on. So if your Polish friend says nothing after your dzięki, nobody is being rude.
Proszę has three jobs: “please”, “you’re welcome” and “here you are”. When you ask for something, put it at the end: Kawę, proszę (Coffee, please).
Formal and informal thanks
Polish separates formal and informal address, and saying thank you in Polish follows that split. With strangers, older people and in business, use dziękuję, and add panu (to you, sir) or pani (to you, madam) if you want to sound extra polite: Dziękuję panu , Dziękuję pani . With friends and family, dzięki is normal.
In writing, thank you in Polish follows the same logic. An email to a client might end Z góry dziękuję (Thank you in advance) or Serdecznie dziękuję. A text to a friend is just dzięki! or the slangy dzięks.
A traditional phrase you may hear from older or religious speakers is Bóg zapłać (BOOK ZAH-pwach), “may God repay you”. It is still used in churches and villages, but you do not need it as a learner.
Writing thank you in Polish without diacritics
On a phone without a Polish keyboard, people sometimes type “dziekuje”. Poles will understand it, but the correct spelling has two marks: ę twice, in dzię and ję. If you write cards or signs, use the proper letters. Our guide to typing Polish characters shows the keyboard shortcuts.
Common mistakes with thank you in Polish
- Stressing the first syllable. It is jen-KOO-yeh, not JEN-koo-yeh.
- Saying “dzi” like English “dz”. The dzi is one soft sound, close to “j”.
- Over-nasalizing the end. The final ę sounds like plain “eh” in normal speech.
- Using dzięki with officials. It is friendly but informal. With strangers, say dziękuję.
- Answering with “dziękuję” to “dziękuję”. The usual reply is proszę or nie ma za co, or simply a smile.
Next, learn the matching greetings: hello in Polish and other everyday Polish phrases.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say thank you in Polish?
Say dziękuję, pronounced roughly jen-KOO-yeh. It works in any situation, formal or casual.
What is the difference between dziękuję and dzięki?
Dziękuję is the standard, polite form. Dzięki means “thanks” and is used with friends, family and people you are on first-name terms with.
How do you say thank you very much in Polish?
Say dziękuję bardzo or bardzo dziękuję. Both are correct and common.
How do you reply to dziękuję?
Say proszę (you’re welcome), proszę bardzo, or nie ma za co (don’t mention it). Friends often say nie ma sprawy (no problem).
Why does dziękuję have so many letters?
Polish spells some single sounds with letter pairs. Dzi is one soft sound, close to English j, and ę is a nasal vowel.
Sources
- Agnieszka Cyluk, Akty podziękowań i ich repliki w mówionej polszczyźnie (Linguodidactica XVI)
- Wikipedia: Ę (pronunciation of Polish ę)