umm it wouldnt be too bad probably
but i would carry a english-polish dictionary with me
a lotttt of people know english, especially the younger generations!

I would definately take a english-polish language dictionary with you for some helpful phrases.

However, most young Poles have taken some English classes (especially in the big cities like Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, etc.) so you probably be able to find someone with some english skills.

You potentially could get away with it but it depends on where you’re going in Poland. I didn’t find it too bad in the major city centres like Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw, etc.

And yes, most young (university age) Poles can speak english… but if you plan on travelling in the more rural areas (ie. eastern regions)... an english-polish dictionary is always good.

Plus, it’s always great to try to speak the language of the country you’re visiting… makes for a warmer experience.

You’ll love Poland. I’m heading back there again in about 2 weeks.

I haven’t been to poland in a few years, but I thought their english was pretty slack. I speak polish so if u got any questions fire away :)
How long you going to poland for?

As everybody said: where’s academic or high scholl youth there’s a chance of understanding english.
Just watch out for people who only say that they know english.

I just don’t recomend walking alone at night without some trusted guide and walking anywhere without any guide. There’s just to much to see! :)

Secondly: I’m natively Polish, so fire away any questions. :)

You’ll be fine. I went to Krakow and Zakopane a few years ago and we didn’t have any problems but as everyone else has stated taking an english-polish dictionary with you would be handy.

last year i spent about a month in poland without the use of a polish-english dictionary. through a polish friend i learned how to say about a dozen basic things (hello, goodbye, thank you, please and all of my favorite foods). it seems like maybe half the time i could get help from people who spoke english, and the rest of the time you just wing it.

i would also write certain things down. this helped me tons with getting train tickets and getting directions. if i were in a town with only vague directions to a place, i’d write down the address clearly and when i eventually got lost i could “ask” directions by showing people the name/address of where i was going. and with buying train tickets – i’d just write down the final destination and the time the train left and say please. i’m sure i sounded like an idiot – but i always got the right ticket and people were friendly and went out of their way to help me.

We went to Krakow, Auschwitz, and nearby areas—and didn’t have any problems. We did find, however, that in many areas in eastern europe knowing some German is very useful. Many places were more prepared to receive German-speaking tourists than English-speaking ones.

Umm..when I visited Poland in November and July just gone, I didn’t have too much trouble with not speaking Polish. However, not many people do speak English. We found that there are very few English speaking tourists in Poland, compared to travellers from other nationalities. However, in the major cities eg Krakow, Warsaw, like people have already said, in restaurants and bars, people do speak English. However, we had more trouble finding English speaking people in the train and bus stations, but it was not too much of a problem, after we eventually figured out what some basic words mean. However, we visited Zakopane and some other towns enroute and there is very little English spoken there. The people in our hotel spoke quite good English, but it was not as widely spoken in the restaurants and bars. However, don’t let this put you off, because I feel it just gives the trip a more ‘foreign’ feel and you can become more immersed in the culture. It’s nice to have a challenge sometimes. As others have already said aswell, if you need help, it’s easier to approach someone younger, as they are more likely to speak at least some English.

I knew like absolutley no polsih prior to the week I went to Poland. I would highley suggest a polish to english dictionary, it is literally a life saver. With that and hand gustures you will be fine.

David

It’s very easy, really.
Most people speak english well enough and polish people are helpfull.
I went there four years ago and had no trouble at all – and I went to Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice, Lodz, Auschwitz…
And I didn’t take a dictionary.
You will be fine and have lots of fun.