WhatsApp: +48 729 308 990Are you familiar with the following Polish abbreviations shortened form?
21 May 2020
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They help to save time and accelerate contact. You know what they say, of course. See if you know these traditional polish abbreviations and acronyms!
Rules on punctuation
Polish punctuation rules are identical to those in British English when it comes to the writing of abbreviations. Complete stops in abbreviations like the first and last letters of a name, for instance, nr (Number) dr should generally be omitted (doktor). Complete stops should adopt other abbreviations. The exception to this law is time units, such as minuta or measuring units (cm, mm, km).
Popular shortcuts
| Polish Abbreviation | Meaning | English Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| br. | bieżący rok/bieżącego roku (current year) | - |
| cd. | ciąg dalszy (continued) | cont. |
| cdn. | ciąg dalszy nastąpi (to be continued) | TBC |
| godz. | godzina (hour) | h/hr |
| itp. | i tym podobne (and the like) | etc. |
| itd. | i tak dalej (and so on) | etc. |
| jw. | jak wyżej (ditto, as stated above) | do. |
| m.in. | między innymi (among other things) | i.a. |
| min | minuta/y (minute/s) | min |
| np. | na przykład (for example) | e.g. |
| nr | numer (number) | no. |
| pt. | pod tytułem (entitled) | - |
| r. | rok (year) | yr* |
| śp. | świętej pamięci (the late...) | R.I.P. |
| św. | święty, święta (Saint) | St |
| tj. | to jest (that is) | i.e. |
| tzn. | to znaczy (that is) | i.e. |
| tzw. | tak zwany (so-called) | - |
| ul. | ulica (street) | st |
*note that while there is an abbreviation for "year" in the English language, the word is used in different contexts than the Polish "rok". The letter "r." in Polish is sometimes placed after dates to indicate the word "year", e.g. 15 maja 2020 r.
Titles and Forms of Address
| Polish Abbreviation | Meaning | English Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| dr | doktor (doctor) | Dr |
| dyr. | dyrektor (director) | Dir. |
| inż | inżynier (a professional title, a degree often translated as BEng or MEng) | - |
| lic. | licencjat ( a degree awarded upon completion of first-cycle study programmes - often translated as BA or BSc) | - |
| mgr | magister (a professional title, a degree awarded upon completion of second-cycle study programmes - often translated as MA or MSc) | - |
| p. | pani/pan (Mrs/Ms/Mr) | Mr/Mrs/Ms |
| p.o. | pełniący obowiązki (acting - as in performing someone else's duties) | - |
| prof. | profesor (professor) | prof. |
International relations, companies and institutions
| Polish Abbreviation | Meaning | English Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| NBP | Narodowy Bank Polski (National Bank of Poland) | - |
| ONZ | Organizacja Narodów Zjednoczonych (United Nations) | UN |
| PKP | Polskie Koleje Państwowe (Polish State Railways) | - |
| RP | Rzeczpospolita Polska (The Republic of Poland) | - |
| SA | Spółka Akcyjna (a joint-stock company) | - |
| sp. z o.o. | Spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością (a private limited company) | - |
| UE | Unia Europejska (European Union) | EU |
Colloquial abbreviations, words of the internet
Luckily for non-native Polish speakers, English texting abbreviations (idk, by the way, ikr and so on) are as common in Poland as anywhere else. However, there are also several Polish abbreviations that you can encounter while talking to your Polish friends:
| Polish Abbreviation | Meaning | English Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| jbc | jakby co (usually translated as 'by the way') | btw |
| nmzc | nie ma za co (you are welcome) | yw |
| nwm | nie wiem (I don't know) | idk |
| pzdr | pozdrawiam (greetings, regards) | - |
| zw | zaraz wracam (be right back) | brb |
