Most people have a good understanding of basic relationships, but what about the relationship terms that we don't use in everyday speech? Terms like "second cousin" and "first cousin, once removed"? We don't tend to speak about our relationships in such exact terms, so most of us aren't familiar with what these words mean. The same holds true in Poland. This post is meant to fill you in on those terms that are more than basic and some of the differences between Polish and English. I have included a relationship table in Polish and English so you can compare the two.

In Polish most of these relationships are the same as in English, but there are some differences.

UNCLE - In Polish there are two ways to say uncle.... "Stryjek" or "Wujek"

GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS)- You can use the term "grandparents (dziadkowie)", also "great great grandparents (Prapradziadkowie)" but a threefold repetition of "great" is over doing it. In English, this ancestor is called "3rd great grandparent" or "great great great grandparent". The Polish term would be "great-grandparents 3rd level (pradziakowie 3 stopnia)". The word "grandparents (dziadkowie)" suggests distant grandparents, and "3rd Level (stopnia)" accurately indicates their position. The situation is similar with their grandchildren.

GREAT NIECE or NEPHEW - A similar problem exists with the naming of children of a niece and nephew. In Polish there is no common term for these relatives as in English. The best name is probably "The brother's grandson (wnuki brata)"and "sister's grandson (wnuki siostra)" or "The brother's granddaughter (wnuczka brata)"and "sister's granddaughter (wnuczka siostra).""

NIECE & NEPHEW - When stating the relationship of niece or nephew in Polish, you use a word which defines from which gender of your siblings they are from. A niece from a brother would be "bratanicy" and a niece from your sister would be "siostrzenicy". Similarly, a nephew of your brother would be "bratanek" and a nephew from a sister would be "siostrzeniec"

DISTANT COUSINS - In Polish the cousin relationships are the same as English. Second cousin twice removed would be "Kuzin 2 stopnia, 2 razy przesunięci"

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