Speaking for the B1, B2 and C1 Polish certificate

The biggest problem in speaking is rarely that someone does not know any words. More often it is a block: you are afraid of making a mistake, you spend a long time looking for the right form, you start a sentence and do not know how to finish it. In the certificate exam, answering with one sentence is not enough. You have to be able to start a response, develop it, react to a question and correct yourself when something goes wrong. The good news: these are technical skills. You can practise them in the same way as cases (przypadki) or aspect (aspekt).

What you really need to be able to do in speaking

At B1 level, you are expected to speak in typical communication situations. A simple, coherent response about experiences, plans, interests, everyday life, work, family, travel, health or dealing with an office is enough. You should be able to express an opinion and briefly justify it. You may use simple language, but communication must not fall apart. If you do not understand the question, you should ask for it to be repeated or explained.

At B2, more freedom is expected. You do not only answer, but keep the conversation going, comment, argue and take part in a discussion, including a formal one. Your response should have an order: thesis, arguments, examples, conclusion. It is also important to be able to summarize a film, book or article and comment on it.

At C1, speaking should be fluent and spontaneous. The topics may be abstract, professional and more complex. It is not enough to say: "Zgadzam się, bo tak uważam". You have to develop points, refer to the other speaker, summarize and use language appropriate to the situation. At C1, mistakes may happen, but they should be rare and not very noticeable.

How to break the speaking barrier

Do not start with long debates. Start with short responses that you repeat many times. Choose one topic, for example living in Poland. First speak for one minute. Then record the same response again and add two details. The third version should already include an opinion.

A starting pattern:

• Say what you are talking about.
• Add two facts.
• Add one real-life example.
• Say what you think about it.
• Finish with one summarizing sentence.

Do not stop at every mistake. In a real conversation, continuity is more important. After recording, choose three mistakes, not thirty. If you often mix up cases after verbs, go back to the section on verb government. If the problem is linking sentences, practise conjunctions and complex sentences.

A good technique is "mówię wolniej, ale nie uciekam na angielski ani rosyjski" (I speak more slowly, but I do not switch to English or Russian). When you are missing a word, describe it. Instead of stopping, say: "Nie pamiętam dokładnego słowa, chodzi mi o dokument, który potwierdza adres". This is better than silence.

How to build a longer spoken answer

A longer spoken answer does not mean saying everything you know. It means selection and order. At B1, a simple structure is enough: introduction, two points, conclusion. At B2, add arguments and a counterargument. At C1, show relationships, consequences and different perspectives.

A universal model for a spoken answer:

• Introduction: "Chciałbym opowiedzieć o...", "Moim zdaniem ten temat jest ważny, ponieważ...".
• First point: "Po pierwsze...", "Najpierw warto zauważyć, że...".
• Example: "Dobrym przykładem jest sytuacja, kiedy...".
• Opinion: "Uważam, że...", "Nie jestem do końca przekonany, czy...".
• The other side: "Z drugiej strony...", "Trzeba też pamiętać, że...".
• Summary: "Podsumowując...", "Dlatego uważam, że...".

At B1, you do not have to use complicated structures. It is better to say correctly: "Nie zgadzam się z tym, bo wiele osób nie ma takiej możliwości" than to build a sentence you cannot control. At B2 and C1, you need a larger number of linking expressions. Without them, your answer sounds like a list of sentences. It is also worth practising syntax (składnia) and word order (szyk wyrazów), because in longer sentences mistakes in word order become more visible.

Practise summarising a film, book or article using three questions: who or what is the main subject, what happened or what problem was described, and what your evaluation is. At B1, the comment can be short. At B2, it should be justified. At C1, it should be critical, meaning it should show not only whether you liked the text, but also why it works or does not work.

How to respond to questions and difficult moments

In the exam, the conversation is not about reciting a prepared text. The examiner may ask follow-up questions, ask for an example or change the direction of the conversation. That is why you need ready strategies.

When you do not understand the question, say: "Czy mógłby pan powtórzyć pytanie?" or "Czy mogłaby pani wyjaśnić, co dokładnie znaczy to słowo?". This is not a failure. It is normal control of the conversation.

When you need time, use a phrase: "Muszę się chwilę zastanowić", "To zależy od sytuacji", "Nie mam jednoznacznej opinii, ale...". At B2 and C1, such phrases are especially important because they allow you to maintain fluency without an artificial silence.

When you make a mistake, correct yourself briefly and move on: "Przepraszam, chciałem powiedzieć, że...". Do not explain why you made the mistake. Do not go back to the beginning of your answer.

When you have to refer to someone else's statement, reported speech (mowa zależna) is useful: "Autor twierdzi, że...", "Rozmówca zauważył, że...", "Nie zgadzam się z opinią, że...". At B2 and C1, this is very practical, because the standard requires summarising, commenting on and responding to other people's statements.

Sentences you can practise right away

• Chciałbym zacząć od tego, że przeprowadzka do Polski zmieniła moje codzienne życie.
• Moim zdaniem praca zdalna jest wygodna, ale nie każdemu pomaga w koncentracji.
• Nie znam dokładnego terminu, ale chodzi mi o sytuację, kiedy urząd prosi o dodatkowy dokument.
• Czy mogłaby pani powtórzyć ostatnią część pytania, bo nie jestem pewien, czy dobrze zrozumiałem?
• Z jednej strony studia za granicą dają duże możliwości, z drugiej strony wymagają samodzielności.
• Film opowiada o rodzinie, która musi podjąć trudną decyzję po wyjeździe z kraju.
• Nie zgadzam się z tą opinią, ponieważ w praktyce wiele osób nie ma takich samych szans.
• Podsumowując, uważam, że nauka języka jest skuteczniejsza, kiedy regularnie używamy go poza lekcją.

Practise these sentences not as a text to memorise, but as models. Change the topic, tense, people and details. If you are speaking about work, replace "studia" with "zmianę zawodu". If you are speaking about health, replace "urząd" with "przychodnię".

Typical mistakes made by Ukrainian, Russian and English speakers

• *Na moją opinię to jest dobry pomysł - Moim zdaniem to jest dobry pomysł. This mistake often comes from a calque from English "in my opinion" or from East Slavic constructions with a preposition. If you speak English, it may feel natural to carry over "in", but Polish does not build this phrase that way: the ready-made expression is Moim zdaniem.
• *Jestem zgodny z tobą - Zgadzam się z tobą. This is a semantic calque. In Polish we use the verb (czasownik) "zgadzać się", not a construction with an adjective (przymiotnik).
• *Według mnie, że ten problem jest ważny - Według mnie ten problem jest ważny. You can also say: Uważam, że ten problem jest ważny. The mistake comes from mixing two correct patterns.
• *Rozmawialiśmy o praca - Rozmawialiśmy o pracy. After the preposition (przyimek) "o" in this meaning, you need the locative case (miejscownik). In fast speech the ending often disappears, but in the exam it can be heard.
• *Ona powiedziała mnie, że nie przyjdzie - Ona powiedziała mi, że nie przyjdzie. In Polish, the person who receives the information is in the dative case (celownik): komu? mi, tobie, koledze.
• *Chcę powiedzieć o tym, że mam inne zdanie - Chcę powiedzieć, że mam inne zdanie. This is a common calque from Russian and Ukrainian. In Polish, "powiedzieć, że" is the simplest and most natural pattern.
• *Mam pytanie do ten temat - Mam pytanie na ten temat. The mistake comes from uncertainty about case government (rekcja) and from mixing prepositions. It is worth learning whole combinations, not single words.
• *Nie wiem jak to nazwać po polski - Nie wiem, jak to nazwać po polsku. The form "po polsku" is fixed. English speakers often build it as if it were "in Polish", and East Slavic speakers shorten the ending.

You can find more mechanisms like these in the typical mistakes section. In speaking, the most important thing is not only to know the correct version, but to be able to use it automatically.

Plan for the next week

• Day 1: record a one-minute speech about yourself, work, studies or living in Poland.
• Day 2: record the same topic again, but add an opinion and an example.
• Day 3: prepare three B1 topics: rodzina, zdrowie, urząd. For each one, write down five words and three sentences.
• Day 4: choose one B2 topic: praca zdalna, edukacja, transport, media. State a thesis, two arguments and a counterargument.
• Day 5: summarize a short article or film. Say what it is about, what is most important and what you think about it.
• Day 6: practice reactions: asking someone to repeat, asking for clarification, correcting your own mistake, summarizing.
• Day 7: do a practice conversation with another person or with a recording. Afterward, choose three mistakes to correct, no more.

If you are preparing for B1, first fight for clarity and coherence. If you are preparing for B2, add argumentation and a natural reaction to questions. If you are preparing for C1, practice precision, nuance, summarizing other people's opinions and entering a discussion smoothly.