Polish · Awaria / holowanie
Your car broke down on the road and you phone for help: what to say in Polish
The car broke down on the road and you phone for help.
💡
How it's done. In a breakdown you switch on hazard lights, set the trójkąt ostrzegawczy (warning triangle), put on a vest and phone assistance or pomoc drogowa (roadside help); in a life-threatening case 112.Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
THEY SPEAK FIRST
THEY SAY
Pomoc drogowa, dzień dobry. W czym mogę pomóc?POH-mots droh-GOH-vuh, dzyayn DOH-brih. V chim MOH-geh POH-moots?
Roadside assistance, good day. How can I help?
They might also say:
Assistance, słucham. Co się stało?
Uh-sis-TAHNS, SVOO-khuhm. Tsoh syeh STAH-voh?
Assistance, I'm listening. What happened?
YOU REPLY
Dzień dobry, mam awarię. Samochód nie odpala.
Dzyayn DOH-brih, mahm uh-VAH-ryeh. Suh-MOH-khoot nyeh ot-PAH-luh.
Good day, I have a breakdown. The car won't start.
THEY SAY
Gdzie dokładnie jest pan teraz?Gdzyeh doh-KWAHD-nyeh yehst pahn TEH-ruhs?
Where exactly are you now?
2
YOU FINISH
Na autostradzie A dwa, w kierunku Poznania, przed zjazdem na Konin.
Nuh ow-tos-TRAHD-zyeh Uh dvah, f kyeh-ROON-koo Poz-NAH-nyuh, pshet ZYAHZ-dem nuh KOH-neen.
On the A two motorway, towards Poznań, before the exit to Konin.
THEY SAY
Proszę zostać za barierką. Pomoc będzie za trzydzieści minut.PROH-sheh ZOS-tuhtsy zah buh-RYEHR-kom. POH-mots BAYND-zyeh zah tshid-ZYEHSY-tsee MEE-noot.
Please stay behind the barrier. Help will be there in thirty minutes.
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “Polish for life in Poland”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Pomoc
POH-mots
noun
help
drogowa
droh-GOH-vuh
adjective
road (feminine)
dzień
dzyayn
noun
day
dobry
DOH-brih
adjective
good
mogę
MOH-geh
verb
I can
pomóc
POH-moots
verb
to help
28 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Proszę powtórzyć.
PROH-sheh pof-TOO-zhitsy.
Please repeat that.
Proszę mówić wolniej.
PROH-sheh MOO-veetsy VOL-nyay.
Please speak more slowly.
Nie mówię jeszcze dobrze po polsku.
Nyeh MOO-vyeh YEHSH-cheh DOB-zheh poh POLS-koo.
I don't speak Polish well yet.
Similar situations
Your car will not start and you ask passers-by for helpAwaria / holowanie · A2 in the app
→The car broke down on the road and you phone roadside assistanceAwaria / holowanie · A2 in the app
→You register the car at the communications departmentRejestracja / ubezpieczenie · A2 in the app
→You do not know which petrol to put in the carStacja paliw · A2 in the app
→Found a mistake? Write to us and we will fix it. This is language help, not medical or legal advice.Report