FROM A0 TO THE B1 CERTIFICATE EXAM IN POLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

FROM A0 TO THE B1 CERTIFICATE EXAM IN POLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. HOW IT’S POSSIBLE? An interview with our real Chinese student.

Zeming (he likes it when he is called Zeminek, i.e. using the Polish diminutive form) is the first student from China who started learning Polish from scratch at our KLUB DIALOGU school. After less than 5 years, in March 2022, he took the State Certificate Examination at B1 level. Students, especially from non-Slavic-speaking countries who take up this considerable challenge, know that it is a great achievement! Congratulations! ?

That is why we asked ‘Zeminek’ for a short interview about his way through this ‘silk road’!

Hi Zeminek, thank you for agreeing to talk about your ‘passion’ for the Polish language, all the more that all your Polish as a foreign language learning from A0 to the B1 exam took place at the KLUB DIALOGU School ?. You give hope and faith to our other students that it is possible! So tell me:

Are you a real Chinese guy? How old are you?

Ha, ha – oh yeah! I am a real Chinese guy! I was born in Shanghai, China, and am now 30 years old.

When did you come to Poland and how did your adventure with the Polish language begin?

On the very first day, when I landed in Poland, in October 2017, I thought that it would be worth starting to learn the native language. Different continent, different country, different people, and different letters! Yes, I absolutely had to study it! So I was just surfing the Internet when I found the Polish Language School for Foreigners KLUB DIALOGU. It immediately caught my attention because it stood out among other offers. I thought it was a good choice. I didn’t hesitate for long and came straight to the school office. And here I am! ‘I grew’ with you for 5 years! ?

It’s wonderful that you are with us! So tell me which elements of the Polish language were the most problematic to learn?

Grammar! Horror, massacre! And including: any order of words in the sentence, conjugation and declension, gender: masculine, feminine and neutral and their inflection!, personal pronouns!!, inflection of numerals!!!, oh my God, Vocative?!!!! – nooo – almost everything. And you know how Poles talk quickly …

Even so, Poles speak slower than Italians! ? Well, we have to try harder! How much is Chinese different from Polish?

Very! I don’t even know where to start? Of course, you can see the difference in the alphabet at first glance ?. And then it only gets worse. The Chinese language has practically no grammar, maybe to a small extent, while the grammar of the Polish language is crucial in communication. For example, nouns in Chinese have virtually no inflection. There are no coincidences or even plural – just add a number and you will know what amount you are talking about. Verbs are also not inflected, neither by persons nor by tenses. The appropriate time is indicated in a sentence by time factors such as “yesterday” and “tomorrow”. Also, the counting system in Chinese is slightly different than in Polish. And each part of a sentence has a specific, fixed place in the pattern. Remembering the order guarantees the grammatical correctness of the statement.

Yeah. Chinese seems to be much easier than Polish, although I don’t know if I could remember Chinese characters… And what surprised you the most about Poland and Poles, when you came to our country for the first time?

Many things, but I think the most important are: strong, good beer, generally good looking people, both women and men (ha, ha), that people in Poland are really nice (so far I have not experienced any discrimination), the fact that there are so many beautiful parks here in Warsaw and around it, and of course FLACZKI, which I really like ?

Could you list 5 cultural/lifestyle differences between Poles and the Chinese?

Hard to say. China is changing dynamically, and cultures and lifestyles even differ between regions in China. One thing is obvious – we eat more rice & pasta than bread & potatoes. But seriously, what I noticed is that the Chinese are a collective society, while the Poles are individualists. This can be seen, inter alia, in discussions during which each Pole must have his own separate opinion. In China, too, not everything needs to be said straightforwardly; people interpret the context more, while in Poland rules and principles dominate. For example: ‘No’ means refusing, and guests don’t refuse. That’s why the Chinese will always say yes. If ‘yes’ meant true ‘yes’ then it’s okay. However, if ‘yes’ means ‘no’, the Chinese will simply not answer our phone, or otherwise signal his different opinion.

The intricacies of communication… ? Finally, 2 more questions: Was the State Examination of Polish as a Foreign Language for the B1 Certificate difficult for you? Did something surprise you? Were you very stressed?

Well … I’m not overly happy with the ‘writing’ part. My teacher repeatedly told me to practice writing under time pressure, but I was sure that I would be fine. During the exam, however, it turned out that the time was inexorable and I finished my essay quite awkwardly at the last minute. Luckily, the ‘reading’ and ‘listening’ parts turned out to be easier than I expected. Maybe because my teacher gave me more difficult examples during the Polish language lessons during the B1 exam preparation course. I think that in the end, the Polish as a foreign language exam went better than I expected. It is thanks to my teacher Sandra and the KLUB DIALOGU School, which showed great patience with me and kept my motivation, especially when I was returning to China for a long time.

Yes, of course I was stressing out a lot!

And the last question: Are you going to stay longer in Poland now?

Of course, I intend to stay in Poland. I have no plans neither to leave Poland to another country, nor go back to China. I started my economic studies here at the University of Warsaw, but during the pandemic I had to quit. Now I work in the ‘game & nft’ industry and although it’s still working from home, I like it.

Thank you very much, Zeminek, and good luck! See you at the Polish Language School for Foreigners KLUB DIALOGU, because you still have an exam at the B2 and C1 levels ?
Dorota Maszkiewicz, Managing Director

Dorota Maszkiewicz11 April 2022 b1exam, certificationexam, china, Chinese, klubdialogu, learnpolishlanguage, Poland, polishgrammar, polishlanguage, polishlanguageschool, polishpeople, stateexam, Warsaw EVENTS RECOMMENDED BY KLUB DIALOGU Leave a comment

EXAM PREPARATION COURSES

EXAM PREPARATION POLISH COURSES

WE INVITE YOU TO B1 EXAM PREPARATION POLISH COURSES

KLUB DIALOGU Polish Language School for Foreigners has, for many years, been perfectly preparing its students for the State Certification Examination at the B1 level. How are we doing this?

First of all, the entire curriculum in KLUB DIALOGU is precisely structured. At each stage of learning the Polish language, the student receives comprehensive knowledge necessary for later, during the exam. All our Polish courses, starting from A0, through A1, A2 and B1 levels, are led taking into account exam requirements, and the fact that students can learn towards B1 and B2 levels in order to pass the exam.

Before every exam KLUB DIALOGU provides Polish courses that solely prepare students towards the B1 exam. These courses are appropriate for those students who have already reached B1 level and are preparing for the exam; the courses go through all aspects that can be expected on the exam itself – grammar, speaking, reading, writing and listening.

Many of our students have already passed this exam, which is something we are so proud of!

KLUB DIALOGU School conducts individual or group classes.

POLISH B1 PREPARATION COURSES

WHY IS IT WORTH ATTENDING OUR PREPARATION COURSE?

Guarantee yourself peace and an exam passed with flying colours, when you want! Register today.

During the course:

You will learn the types of exam tasks and learn techniques for solving them.

Whether it’s skills such as listening comprehension, wording or text editing, we’ll show you exactly how to approach each exam task. We will solve the sample sheets and discuss them.
You will consolidate and supplement knowledge. During the class you will have the opportunity to practice, expand your grammar and vocabulary skills. Our teachers will help you learn new information quickly and efficiently.

Thanks to this, you know what to expect before the day of the exam. You feel calm and well prepared. You know that you will make the most of your knowledge and present your skills properly.

You will determine your level of knowledge of the Polish language. You will get feedback about your language competence. We will determine what you already know and what you need to work on. So you will learn what to focus on, which parts of the material you still need to learn and master.

Advantages of the course preparing for the exam

Classes are held in small groups (4 – 10 people);
Thanks to an individual approach, each student receives enough attention and support;
Use of additional learning tools such as: quizzes, role play, field exercises, etc.

COURSES DETAILS

Detailed information about available exam preparation courses you can find on our Polish Page or contact us: +48 797 284 800 or osrodekcertyfikatowy@gmail.com

OPINIONS

One of the people that passed the B1 certificate in 2020 is Julia. Julia said the following when she was asked about her experience at KLUB DIALOGU and about the exam itself:

“I will start with the fact that I like to learn foreign languages, and the Polish language course is not my first challenge. I really enjoyed the general Polish language course. Well-established, friendly relations in the group and great teachers were of great importance here. But it was time to prepare for the exam, so I had to change the nature of the class. I started a preparatory course. I believe, that exam preparation is important and necessary. Classes were easy and natural. In the preparatory process we went through almost all common exam tasks. Now not only do I advise, but I also strongly recommend a similar preparation course to successfully pass the exam.”

Sandra, experienced teacher of KLUB DIALOGU has led courses that specifically prepare to the B1 examination. When asked about whether running such a course is different to other courses, she explained:

“The course is dedicated to students who want to take the B1 exam, so the structure of the course should differ from the one used for regular courses. Classes are longer, and all the exam elements are gone through each lesson.” She added with a smile, “Perhaps students are more tolerant of the language itself and are able to accept most of the language exceptions that appear at this level.”

When asked if she enjoys running these kinds of courses, and whether there’s a greater sense of pressure to ensure students to well to learn and remember everything to pass the exam, she expressed that,

“students at this level are already able to speak the language really well. This allows you to conduct cool discussions or even take up controversial topics. Positive reinforcement always works, but the most important thing is the student’s attitude and personal commitment.”

It is worth mentioning that using any additional learning tools, such as quizzes, role-playing, field exercises, etc. work on all levels, and it’s important to make classes as lively and interesting as possible, no matter if it’s a course to prepare for an exam or not.

So, once the exam session comes round and students who have learnt with us take it, we are eagerly waiting for the news of how it went. Just like all of us, Sandra explained how when we get the news that students have passed the exam, it’s a really great feeling, for them, but also for us!

“It is a great pleasure to receive such information from students. There are usually also thank you emails that greatly motivate you to continue working, and student results arouse admiration and satisfaction.”

CHECK YOUR LEVEL

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