# we will miss you



## IrKirsty

Hello,

I'm writing this thread today as my friend's boyfriend has been living with me and 8 other friends for the past month but he is going back to Poland tomorrow. We have decided to buy him a card and we want to say "goodbye, we will miss you. come back soon". He knows barely any English so I thought it would be nice if we could write it in Polish.
I have attempted to translate myself but as I do not speak Polish, I thought I would check. I got "Do widzenia, będziemy tęsknić. Wracaj szybko!"
Is this correct?

Many thanks,
Kirsty


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## radosna

Hi Kirsty!

I'm not a native Polish speaker. I'm living in Poland and can communicate in Polish, but I'm far from fluent in the language.  I think you did pretty well with your attempt. I'll just adjust it a bit. Here's my attempt:  "Do widzenia. Będziemy za tobą tęsknić. Wracaj wkrótce!"

It would be better to wait for a native Polish speaker. He/she might rework the sentence so that it sounds more Polish (if you'd like).  But this should at least be understandable and communicate your sentiments.  (I just noticed no one's answered yet & you mentioned he'll be leaving tomorrow. So this can be your back-up plan if no one else comes through!)

Best wishes,
Amy


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## dreamlike

Hi Kristy,

your sentence suffers from one tiny drawback - I take it you're relatively young people, or are on friendly terms and know each other very well, in which case you'd do well to write

Cześć! Będziemy za Tobą tęsknić. Wracaj szybko!

"wkrótce", however correct, is a very formal word which doesn't really fit with the remainder of the writing.


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## LilianaB

IrKirsty said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm writing this thread today as my friend's boyfriend has been living with me and 8 other friends for the past month but he is going back to Poland tomorrow. We have decided to buy him a card and we want to say "goodbye, we will miss you. come back soon". He knows barely any English so I thought it would be nice if we could write it in Polish.
> I have attempted to translate myself but as I do not speak Polish, I thought I would check. I got "Do widzenia, będziemy tęsknić. Wracaj szybko!"
> Is this correct?
> 
> Many thanks,
> Kirsty



I think your translation sounds very good, except "Do zobaczenia" will be better than "do widzenia". "Do widzenia" may mean that you will never see that person again. It is more like "Good bye" in my opinion. (etymologically it is not, but it is used as "goodbye" more than "see you soon").


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## dreamlike

'Do widzenia' does not necessarily mean that one is unlikely to ever see the person again. Most of the time it doesn't. 
Also, if the card is intended for a young person, then I wouldn't really use neither 'Do widzenia' nor 'Do zobaczenia'.


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## radosna

I had no idea wkrótce was considered formal! I've used it often enough without any strange responses from people to lead to me believe that it was neutral enough for a variety of settings. I'll take your word for it, though. Thanks. 

(I'm always glad to learn more!)

Kristy, I hope you've found the forum helpful for your needs.  Take care and "wracaj szybko"!


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## LilianaB

radosna said:


> I had no idea wkrótce was considered formal! I've used it often enough without any strange responses from people to lead to me believe that it was neutral enough for a variety of settings. I'll take your word for it, though. Thanks.
> 
> (I'm always glad to learn more!)
> 
> Kristy, I hope you've found the forum helpful for your needs.  Take care and "wracaj szybko"!



I may depend on the age group, Radosna -- if you are closer to 40 it is not too formal. If you are closer to 20 it might. For me personally, nothing sounds too formal in Polish. (Everybody around me has always spoken only formal Polish, if they did). 

I agree with Dreamlike, however, that "wkrótce" may sound dry in this context, sort of detached, and emotionless. "Szybko" is a better word here.


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## Ben Jamin

LilianaB said:


> "Do widzenia" may mean that you will never see that person again. It is more like "Good bye" in my opinion. (etymologically it is not, but it is used as "good bye" more than "see you soon").



Sorry, you're wrong. “Do widzenia” absolutely doesn’t mean that you will never see that person again! If you wish to express that meaning you should use “żegnaj”.
It just means what is said: “see you later”.


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## Ben Jamin

dreamlike said:


> Hi Kristy,
> 
> your sentence suffers from one tiny drawback - I take it you're relatively young people, or are on friendly terms and know each other very well, in which case you'd do well to write
> 
> Cześć! Będziemy za Tobą tęsknić. Wracaj szybko!
> 
> "wkrótce", however correct, is a very formal word which doesn't really fit with the remainder of the writing.



I don’t agree that “wkrótce” is a very formal word. It is a normal word that anybody may use, maybe except skateboard generation in sagging trousers.


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## LilianaB

Ben Jamin said:


> Sorry, you're wrong. “Do widzenia” absolutely doesn’t mean that you will never see that person again! If you wish to express that meaning you should use “żegnaj”.
> It just means what is said: “see you later”.



Well, you might be right, but it is casual; a sort of: _Bye,_ whereas "_Do Zobaczenia is much stronger"_. Yes, _żegnaj_ would be appropriate if you were seeing off someone you will never see agian, more like sentend to death. Don't you think _do widzenia_ is more casual than _do zobaczenia?     



_


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## dreamlike

LilianaB said:


> Well, you might be right, but it is casual; a sort of: _Bye_. Whereas "_Do Zobaczenia is much stronger"_. Yes, _żegnaj_ would be appropriate if you were seeing off someone you will never see agian, more like sentend to death. Don't you think _do widzenia_ is more casual than _do zobaczenia?
> 
> 
> 
> _



None of these is casual. They're both quite formal, at least to me -- I'm 19. 'Żegnaj' means 'I bid you a farewell' - most likely we'll never see each other again..


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## LilianaB

You really think "do widzenia" is as causal as "do zobaczenia". I think the second one is more sophisticated -- used only for special occasions.


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## dreamlike

LilianaB said:


> You really think "do widzenia" is as causal as "do zobaczenia". I think the second one is more sophisticated -- used only for special occasions.



they are casual to the extent of being used every single day in Poland.


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## LilianaB

This is something new to me. _Do zobaczenia_ used to be special. Would _Cześć_ be acceptable these days said on someone's departure, like before a journey?   


What I meant by casual is that a customer, for example leaving an office, or a store would say: _Do widzenia_. I cannot imagine _do zobaczenia_ in such a context. This is why I think _do widzenia_ is more like _Goodbye_.


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## radosna

In the lifestyle I lived (with a full-time touring theatre group) where I would stay with roughly 100 different hosts per year and say an innumerable amount of goodbyes after performances, I did notice a difference in the way "Do widzenia' and "Do zobaczenia" were used. From my observations, the subtle difference has more to do with relationship rather than formality. I believe that "Do zobaczenia" is slightly more relational and is slightly more promising in looking forward to a return.  I wouldn't say that "do widzenia" means that you're saying you'll never see the person again. But "do zobaczenia" does carry more of a hope and anticipation of a return.  I've had many experiences where one party would say "Do widzenia" and then the other party would actually say, "Nie nie. Do zobaczenia!"

I see LilianaB's point in the example she gave about the office or store. However, I would say if you were likely to return to that store, you're a regular customer, for example, then "Do zobaczenia" is absolutely acceptable and even expected. But again, it's because you've built a relationship and you're emphasizing that you'll probably be returning again.

Anyway. For whatever it's worth. Those are my observations as a foreigner. 

As for "cześć", it is definitely much more casual to me than the other two. But the line between formal and informal seems to be becoming more blurred -- all around the world.


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## LilianaB

Hi, Radosna. I agree with almost everything you said. I think there is a slight difference, exactly the way you described it. I think a customer, even a frequent one, would be unlikely, however, to say _do zobaczenia_. The office or the store owner would be more likely to say it to a customer he knows well.


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## dreamlike

I meant casual in the sense of being frequently used, Liliana. Yes, there's even an element of intimacy in 'Do zobaczanie', sort of. This could easily be said by a lover to his or her partner.


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## kknd

Ben Jamin said:


> I don’t agree that “wkrótce” is a very formal word. It is a normal word that anybody may use, maybe except skateboard generation in sagging trousers.


i'd say that _wkrotce_ is formal or literary—if someone is speaking informally or casually i often hear _niedługo_ or _zaraz_ instead of _wkrótce_.


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