What does “dom dziecka” mean in Polish?
Chłopiec poznaje ojca, którego nie chce znać
B1 Polish listening practice · Standard Polish · Picked for people who know some
In this emotional sketch, a frightened boy assumes the worst about a stranger: «Jeszcze nie muszę iść do domu dziecka» (“I don’t have to go to the children’s home yet”). Dom dziecka is an orphanage or children’s home, literally “house of the child.”
Note the grammar tucked inside: dziecka is the genitive of dziecko (“child”), so it’s “house of the child”, Polish stacks meaning through case endings rather than word order. The man turns out to be the boy’s father, which the child wants no part of. Heavy stuff, built on two simple words.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this B1 Polish listening practice video?
How common in written Polish
How common in spoken Polish
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-PL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Polish dramas and social-issue storytelling.
- ▸In Polish talk of foster care and adoption (adopcja, piecza zastępcza).
- ▸Showing the genitive: dziecko → domu dziecka.
- ▸In Polish news about child-welfare reform.