Complete Polish review — Teach Yourself course for English speakers
Self-study course in English
Best for: English speakers studying alone who want one broad course from beginner to lower-intermediate, with free audio.
- Authors
- Nigel Gotteri, Joanna Michalak-Gray
- Publisher
- Teach Yourself (John Murray Learning)
- Edition
- 2010–2014
- Level
- A1–B1
- ISBN
- 978-1-4441-9529-3
What this book is
Complete Polish is the Polish title in the Teach Yourself series: a self-study course written in English that takes you from the first words to a lower-intermediate level. It was written by Nigel Gotteri, a British Slavist, and Joanna Michalak-Gray, a Polish teacher. The audio is free to stream or download in the Teach Yourself library app. The ISBN above is for the 2014 paperback edition, the one most bookshops sell.
The course has gone through several editions since 2010, and the number of units differs between them, so check the edition you buy.
Who it suits best
- English speakers studying alone who want explanations in English and a course they can follow at home.
- Motivated learners who do not mind a steep climb, especially with some Slavic background or a tutor: it covers a lot of ground in one book.
- People who want to add a book with dialogues and audio to a Polish-only course. Buy a copy with working access to the audio.
Who should pick something else
- Learners who do not read English comfortably — choose a Polish-only course instead.
- Complete beginners who want a gentle pace or grammar laid out systematically: reviewers find the grammar scattered and heavier than the dialogues suggest.
- B1 exam candidates looking for exam practice: there are no exam tasks.
What's inside
- Units built around everyday situations: introductions, numbers, sightseeing, food shopping, the bank and post office, booking a hotel, making a date, family, weather, the doctor.
- Grammar discovered from examples, cultural notes and "Test yourself" progress checks after each unit.
- Listening activities with free audio.
- A verb reference, a glossary and revision sections.
What learners and teachers say
Opinions are mixed. On Amazon UK the 2014 edition has 4.4 out of 5 from 81 ratings, the older 2010 edition 3.6 from 17, and on Goodreads it averages 3.77 from 35 ratings (checked October 2026). The written reviews Amazon shows are more critical than the star average suggests.
- Praised: it takes persistent learners further than most beginner books — one reviewer says it helped them test into a master's-level Polish class at Columbia University; good native-speaker audio; short chapters with self-tests. A Spanish reviewer sums it up: "It demands a lot of the student, but the course really works."
- Criticised: grammar is scattered through the book instead of being presented systematically ("strewn haphazardly", one reviewer writes); it is too hard for true beginners ("terrible for beginners", says another); some typos; and several buyers had problems with the audio — copies sold without the CD, or online audio that did not work. Several reviewers recommend using it with a tutor.
Our verdict
A good first or second book for English speakers, especially as a home companion to a course. It does not prepare you for the exam format — when you get close to B1, switch to a dedicated exam book and our free B1 practice tests.
These reviews are independent. We are not paid by any publisher or bookshop, and we do not sell these books. Descriptions are based on the publishers' information, the books' contents and publicly available reviews by learners and teachers.