⁨Polish For Dummies⁩ review — practical first-contact Polish in English

What this book is

Polish For Dummies by Daria Gabryanczyk is a beginners' book in the well-known For Dummies series from Wiley. The second edition (2024) has 432 pages and online audio for the dialogues; the first edition (2012) came with a CD. It teaches practical Polish by situation — greetings, shopping, eating out, money, travel, emergencies, the office and the building site — and introduces grammar only as it is needed. The ISBN above is for the 2024 edition.

Who it suits best

• Newcomers to Poland who need survival and workplace phrases quickly.
• People who want a relaxed, readable introduction in English before starting a real course.
• Workers in construction, offices or public services — the book has chapters on Polish at work.

Who should pick something else

• Anyone who wants systematic grammar — this is a phrase-based book.
• B1 candidates: it does not get you anywhere near the exam level.

What's inside

• 21 chapters in five parts: getting started, Polish in action (greetings, dining, shopping, entertainment, the phone), on the go (money, travel, hotels, transport, emergencies), Polish in the modern world (office, professional life, the worksite) and the "Part of Tens" lists.
• Pronunciation guides, vocabulary lists, colloquial expressions and cultural notes.
• Verb tables, mini-dictionaries and an answer key in the appendices.
• Audio for the dialogues.

What learners and teachers say

This book has more ratings than any other on our list: on Amazon the first edition shows 4.4 out of 5 from about 1,100 ratings and the 2024 edition 4.6 from 71, while Goodreads readers are cooler at 3.72 from 105 ratings (checked October 2026). About 30 written reviews agree with each other.

• Praised: friendly and approachable — "a decent beginner's book" that "makes a fairly difficult language feel more approachable"; helpful audio; clear pronunciation guidance; practical phrases for everyday life, work and travel, with culture notes. Several readers use it as a supplement to an app or a class, or to refresh childhood Polish.
• Criticised: grammar, especially the cases, is introduced too thinly — "I really feel this book fell flat on introductory grammar", writes one reader; it is more of a phrase book than a systematic course, with few exercises. One reader even finds it most useful "if you already speak some basic Polish". No reviewer connects it with exam preparation.

Our verdict

A cheap, friendly first contact with Polish for English speakers. Once you can get by, move to a real course; when B1 comes into view, use exam-focused books and our free B1 practice tests.