Words sometimes found in Polish correspondence:
| akt - certificate archiwum - record babka - grandmother chlopiec (slash thru l) - boy co'rka - (tsoor-ka) - daughter drzewo genealogicgne - family tree dziadek - grandpa dzieci - (dzhe-chee) - children dziecko - (dzhets-ko) - child, baby dziewica - virgin or maiden dzieko - youngster dziejowy - historical, historic dziekuje - thanks imie - given name jedmoczesnie - (yed-no-gwosh-ne) also, simultaneous juz (dot over z) (yoozh) - already, by now kobieta - (ko-bye-ta) female kobiety - wife koscielny - (kosh-chel-ni) - of church kosiol (slant line thru l) - church kosztowac (kosh-tov-ac) - cost kwota - (kvo-ta) - amount, amount of money lata - (la-ta) - years malzenstwa (slash thru l, dot over z and n) refers to marriage matka - (mat-ka) - mother matka chrzestna (mat-ka chrzestna) godmother maz - (2 dots over z) - (mownish) - man or husband mezczyna (dot above first z) - male mexczyny - married man namiastka (na-myast-ka) - substitute nazwisko -(naz-vee-sko) - family name Nazwisko rodowe - birth name Nie rozumiem - I don't understand niemiecki - german odpowiadac (mark over c) - (od-po-vya-dach) - answer tona - (na) - on, upon, syn - (san) - son nasz - (nash) - our
|
ojciec -(oy-chets) - father ojciec chrzestny (oy-chyets khzhest-ni) - godfather oraz - (o-raz) - as well as Pani - (pa-nee) - you - lady para - (pa-ra) - couple Polska - Poland pomoc - help, assist pomorski - Pomeranian porodzic (po-ra-dzjecj_ - advise prosze (pro-shan) - please prabca - great grandmother przodek - ancestor przodjiwue - ancestry rodenstwo (ro-dzenstvo) - siblings rodzinny - (ro-dzhee-na) - family slubu - marriage Stan - (stan) - condition, status swiadectwo slubu - marriage certificate szarza (dot over last z) calavary or military umarly (slash thru l) - deceased, dead uiscic (oo-eesh-cheech) - bill, remit, pay up udzielac (oo-dzhe-lach) give, apply, grant, pay authentication urodzenia - birth urzedowy -(oo-zhan-do-vi) official document w - (v) - in, into, at Warszawa - Warsaw wdowa or wdowiec - widow or widower wykonana - (vi-ko-nach) - execute, do, perform, carry out z - (z) - with, off, together, at, for, by or in zapis - record, registration zgonu - death znak - (snak) - mark or sign znany -(zna-ni) - known, familiar, well known zona - (dot over z) - wife; lajwz (slash thru l) - wives |
Some Polish Pronunciations
| Polish | English pronounciation | German Aussprache |
| ch | same as h in happy | |
|
cz |
as the English ch in church | entspricht dem deutschen tsch in Peitsc |
|
dz |
as the English j in jam | |
|
g |
as the g in the English girl | as the g in girl |
|
j |
as the English y in yet | |
|
l with slash through |
as the English w in win | |
|
N~ n~ |
kind of like "ni" in "onion" |
|
| o | sounding much like oo in book | as the o in open |
| rz | same as s in treasure | |
|
s |
as the English s in sit | entspricth dem deutschen ß as in reißen |
|
sz |
as the English sh in shine | entspricht dem deutschen sch |
|
w |
as the English v in van | entspricht dem deutschen w |
|
z with dot above |
as the English s in pleasure | woe s. aber die Stimmänder schwin |
|
rz |
same as above | wie j in Journal |
| z | same as in street |
German Form Letter (to be used in writing to German archives)
Instructions:
- After the word "über", fill in the name of your ancestor, after "geboren", his birth date, and after "in", his place of birth.
- Enclose the equivalent of $15 (or if in
the
- Address envelope to
Standesamt (Staatsarchiv or Stadtarchiv) der Stadt (town)
Country
German Letter:
Date
Sehr geehrte Dame, sehr geehrter Herr!
Zur Vervollständigung meiner Familiengeschichte benötige ich nähere amtliche Angaben über die Familie des/der ____________, geboren am _________________ in ___________.
Ich bitte Sie freundlichst um Übersendung
eines vollständigen Auszuges aus Ihrem Geburts-/ Heirats-/ Sterberegister zur vorstehend
genannten Person.
Sollte es Ihnen möglich sein, mir
ebenfalls Auszüge über Geburt, Heirat oder Tod seiner/ihrer Eltern anzufertigen, die im
gleichen Ort gewohnt haben sollen, so wäre ich Ihnen auch für diese Hilfe sehr dankbar.
Zur Deckung Ihrer Geböhren lege ich $15 bei. Sollten Ihnen weitere Auslagen entstehen, so bitte ich Sie, mir dies mitzuteilen.
Für Ihre Hilfe danke ich Ihnen herzlich
im voraus.
Hochachtungsvoll,
Your name
Address
English Translation:
Date
Gentlemen:
In order to complete my family history, I am in need of more precise official data on the family of _________ born _______________ in _____________________.
I would kindly like to ask you to send me a complete excerpt from your birth-/ marriage-/ death registers for the person mentioned above.
Should you be able to let me have, in addition, the birth-, marriage- or death records of his/her parents, who are said to have lived in the same place, I would be most grateful for your assistance in this matter.
To cover your fees, I am enclosing $15. Should you incur additional expenses, please let me know.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely yours,
Your name
Address