💡 At a copy shop they ask czarno-białe czy kolorowe (black and white or colour) and jednostronne czy dwustronne (one-sided or two-sided); ksero is both the copy and the service.
💡 A copy shop usually takes the file on a pendrive (USB stick) or by e-mail to the shop; ask what suits them.
💡 Laminowanie is laminating; the format A4 is said A cztery; after lamination a document cannot be copied or corrected.
💡 Skanowanie is scanning, zeskanować i wysłać na maila is to scan and email; at copy shops this usually costs a pittance.
💡 Useful words in a copy shop: dwustronnie (on both sides), kolorowo (in colour), czarno-biało (black and white), powiększyć (enlarge), kopia (a copy).
💡 In Poland you usually book the hairdresser in advance (umówić się): you give the day, time and service; many salons also take bookings in an app.
💡 Useful words: końcówki (tips), krócej (shorter), grzywka (fringe), odrosty (regrown roots), na bokach (at the sides).
💡 Tips (napiwek) are normal at the hairdresser: you leave a few zloty and say the amount you hand over, for example Proszę, sto złotych, reszty nie trzeba.
💡 Useful words: farbowanie (dyeing), odrost (regrowth), pasemka (highlights), odcień (shade); the hairdresser names the price after checking the length of your hair.
💡 If you cannot come, cancel or reschedule in good time, at least a day ahead; salons appreciate being warned.
💡 Useful words: krótko (short), maszynką (with clippers), nożyczkami (with scissors), grzywka (fringe), z boków (at the sides).
💡 Before agreeing to a locksmith's (ślusarz) service ask for the total price including call-out; prices at night and weekends are higher.
💡 Dorobić klucz is to make a copy of a key; a key marked nie kopiować (do not copy) is not copied without the owner's permission.
💡 A lock in a rented flat is replaced only with the owner's consent; the old keys and the cylinder (wkładka) have to be handed to the owner.
💡 Don't try to pull the broken key out yourself, you may ruin the lock; phone a zakład ślusarski (locksmith's) or a 24-hour pogotowie zamkowe (emergency lock service).
💡 Skrócić is to shorten, zwęzić to take in, rozpruć to unpick, zaszyć to sew up; the workshop is called krawiec or poprawki krawieckie.
💡 A zip is a zamek błyskawiczny, a button a guzik, a seam a szew; a seamstress (krawcowa) or tailor (krawiec) mends small things within a few days.
💡 A cobbler is a szewc, a heel is an obcas, a heel tip a flek, a sole a podeszwa; mending shoes is often cheaper than buying new ones.
💡 The dry cleaner gives you a kwit (ticket); without it things are often not handed back, so don't lose it. It is best to point out stains at once: tu jest plama po kawie.
💡 In a pralnia samoobsługowa (self-service laundry) you pay with tokens or a card at a machine: pick a washer, add detergent, load the clothes and start the programme; the dryer is paid separately.
💡 Useful words: ekran (screen), szybka (glass), bateria (battery), naprawa (repair), gwarancja (warranty); before handing it in, switch off the lock and make a backup.
💡 A prepaid SIM (karta SIM na kartę) is sold with a package; it is usually registered with an ID; a top-up (doładowanie) can be bought at the shop, at a till or in the operator's app.
💡 For ID and residence permit you need zdjęcia biometryczne (biometric) 35 by 45 millimetres: light background, no smile, no glasses with glare. They are made at a photo studio.
💡 For the school ID (legitymacja szkolna) one passport-size photo is usually needed; ask the class teacher for the size; a photo studio does it in a few minutes.