Anyone learning a foreign language has at least once come across abbreviations and acronyms. They are often used in speech and writing by native speakers. But for a beginner it is sometimes difficult to understand these abbreviations until he or she understands how the abbreviation is formed.
For example, in the Russian language you can often find such a word as "vuz". We use this abbreviation without thinking, but a foreigner is unlikely to realise that we are talking about a university.What is an acronym?
It is a word formed by abbreviation of a word or phrase and read by the alphabetical name of the initial letters or by the initial sounds of the words comprising it.
It often takes a long time to pronounce or write the full name (e.g. of an organisation), so it is convenient to use abbreviations. You can trace a certain pattern in the Polish language. If the name of something consists of three words, it will necessarily be abbreviated to three letters. They are already so ingrained in speech. Sometimes even native speakers cannot decipher what a particular abbreviation means.
Polish abbreviations
The first abbreviation that any of us who have come to live in Poland have come across is PESEL. And what is this beast, do you know? It turns out that it is an abbreviation for Powszechny Elektroniczny System Ewidencji Ludności (a.k.a. General Electronic System of Population Identification).
So, for those who have just arrived, and not only for them, we have prepared a cheat sheet "20 most common abbreviations in Polish"
1. PKP - Polskie Koleje Państwowe (Polish railway)
2. PKS - Państwowa Komunikacja Samochodowa (State Automobile Communication)
3. PL - Polska (Poland)
4. PIT - Private Income Tax (a.k.a. Personal Income Tax, tax return)
5. MOPS - Miejski Ośrodek Pomocy (Municipal Social Assistance Centre)
6. ZUS - Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (Social Security Administration)
7. OC - Odpowiedzialność cywilna (Civil Liability Insurance)
8. AC - Ubezpieczenie autocasco (Car insurance, autocasco)
9. SOR- Szpitalny Oddział Ratunkowy (Emergency Room)
10. VAT - Value Added Tax (English), Podatekod wartości dodanej (Value Added Tax (VAT)).
11. ePuaP - elektroniczna Platforma Usług Administracji Publicznej (a.k.a. Electronic Platform of Public Administration Services)
12. POZ - Podstawowa Opieka Zdrowotna (Basic health care)
13. NFZ - Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia (National Health Fund)
14. PIP - Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy (National Labour Inspectorate)
15. NBP - Narodowy Bank Polski (Polish National Bank)
16. DS - Dom Studencki (Student Hostel)
17. DT - Dom Turysty (Hotel for tourists)
18. AGD - Artykuły gospodarstwa domowego (Household goods)
19. NIP - Numer Identyfikacji Podatkowej (Taxpayer Identification Number)
20. TOZ - Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zwierzętami (Society for the Care of Animals)
It is important for everyone living in Poland to learn and, most importantly, to understand these abbreviations. These abbreviations are often used not only in speech but also in the media
