Image of Artur Rojek (Myslovitz’s founder and original singer) by Kubakocoj, Wikimedia Commons license 🙏
The verbs mieć (“to have”) and być (“to be”) are two staples of the Polish language. Learn their different forms the fun way, through songs that put them in context!
Quick links:
“Mieć czy być” by Myslovitz
Let’s start with Myslovitz’s classic “Mieć czy być” (“To have or to be”), which introduces us to the basic (infinitive) form of the two verbs.
This song also invites us to ponder the philosophy of Erich Fromm. [Click on the arrow to expand and read more]
The title is taken straight from Fromm’s 1976 book “To have or to be?”.
Erich Fromm is a German-American psychoanalyst and social philosopher. In To have or to be?, he argued that modern society pushes people toward “having” things, status, and relationships as possessions. This comes at the expense of “being”: living authentically, experiencing, creating, connecting. His point was that the “having” mindset makes us shallow and anxious, while “being” is the path to fulfilment.
“Mieć czy być” references Fromm directly in these lines:
| Polish | English |
| Kolejna strona Mieć czy być? | Another page of To have or to be? |
| Czy Erich Fromm, wiedział jak żyć? | Did Erich Fromm know how to live? |
| W rzeczywistości ciągłej sprzedaży | In the reality of constant sales [we live in a reality where everything is for sale] |
| Gdzie “być” przestaje cokolwiek znaczyć | Where “to be” ceases to mean anything [in this reality, “being” has lost all meaning] |
Check it out here – I recommend starting with the acoustic version if you’re learning Polish:
👉 Learn more Polish with Myslovitz in this post.
Other forms of “mieć” and “być” in Polish songs
“Mieć czy być” is a great tune, but it only teaches us the basic (infinitive) form.
To relieve the verb conjugation headache, I made two playlists: One with tunes that include variations of “mieć” and one with variations of “być’.
Playlist “Mieć – to have”
👉 Click on the links in the table to watch the videos on YouTube, or go directly to the full playlist on Spotify or YouTube:
| Polish | English | Polish songs |
| (Ja) mam | I have | Mam na myśli (“I mean” – literally “I have in mind”) by Nosowska Nosowska is a well-known presence on Poland’s music scene, both as a solo artist and as the singer of the esteemed rock group Hey. *** Nie mam czasu (“I don’t have the time) by Mgły 👉 You can read more about Mgły in this post. |
| (Ty) masz | You (singular) have | Masz czas (“You’ve got time”) by Happysad Happysad is a great band for learners of Polish – 👉 read more about them here. *** Masz na to czas (“You’ve got time for this”) by Breakout Breakout was a pioneering rock-blues band in the 1970s. *** Powiedz, ile masz lat (“Tell me how old you are”) by Urszula & Budka Suflera The singer Urszula and the band Budka Suflera have both made a lasting impact on Polish music. |
| (On, ona, ono) ma | He, she, it has | Co ona ma (“What does she have”) by Voo Voo A long-running band led by Wojciech Waglewski (the Fisz Emade brothers’ dad!), Voo Voo blends rock, jazz, folk and world music. |
| (My) mamy | We have | Mamy czas (“We’ve got time”) by Wanda i Banda An energetic rock band with catchy melodies, formed in the 1980s. *** Mamy ten styl (“We’ve got that style”) by Pezet A hip hop artist known for his sharp but reflective lyrics. *** Nie mamy skrzydel (“We don’t have wings”) by Miuosh Miuosh is an established rap artist, most famous for his collaboration with the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. |
| (Wy) macie | You (plural) have | Idźcie z tym co macie (“Go with what you have”) by Grażyna Łobaszewska A soulful Polish singer and songwriter active since the 1970s. |
| (Oni, one) mają | They (masculine, feminine) have | Ściany mają uszy (“Walls have ears”) by Taco Hemingway Hip hop artist Taco Hemingway turns everyday Polish life into intriguing stories. |
Notes:
1. The Polish pronouns in the table are in brackets as they’re rarely needed.
2. The playlists on Spotify and YouTube include a few more songs with more advanced verb forms (future/past).
Playlist “Być – to be”
👉 Click on the links in the table to watch the videos on YouTube, or go directly to the full playlist on Spotify or YouTube:
| Polish | English | Polish songs |
| (Ja) jestem | I am | Jestem kobietą (“I’m a woman”) by Edyta Górniak Edyta secured 2nd place in Eurovision 1994, with the song To nie ja (“it’s not me”). *** Jestem bogiem (“I am God”) by Paktofonia 👉 A hip hop group formed by Magik after he left Kaliber 44. *** Jestem psem (“I’m a dog”) by Lao Che 👉 Learn more about Lao Che – and count to 10 in Polish – in this post. Check out this post about dogs in Polish music too 🐶 *** Jestem w niebie (“I’m in heaven”) by Fisz Emade Tworzywo Fisz Emade Tworzywo is a band set up by two brothers, Bartosz and Piotr. They’ve been exploring different genres (and band names) since the 90s. *** Jestem twoją bajką (“I’m your fairytale”) by Kleks and Sanah Sanah is one of Poland’s most popular singers. For this tune she teamed up with Tomasz Kot, aka Kleks. *** Motylem jestem (“I’m a butterfly”) by Irena Jarocka 👉 Learn more animal vocab in the playlists on Spotify or YouTube! *** Jestem ogniem (“I am fire”) by Urzula and Budka Suflera Urszula and Budka Suflera have been around since the 80s and 70s, respectively. |
| (Ty) jesteś | You (singular) are | Jesteś (“You are”) by DIMoN and Artur Rojek 👉 Michał “DIMoN” Jastrzębski is Lao Che‘s drummer. He’s also releasing music solo, in this case together with Artur Rojek, who was Myslovitz‘ original singer. *** Jesteś piękny (“You’re beautiful”) by Natalia Grosiak Besides her solo work, Natalia Grosiak founded the “avant art pop” band Mikromusik together with Dawid Korbaczyński. *** Jesteś najlepszy (“You’re the best”) by Wczasy A synth-pop duo with catchy retro beats. “Wczasy” means “holidays”. *** Bo jesteś ty (“Because you are”) by Krzysztof Krawczyk Krzysztof Krawczyk was a charismatic singer appreciated across generations. He passed away in 2021. *** Jesteś moją róża (“You’re my rose”) by Vito Bambino Vito Bambino is a Polish-German singer, songwriter, and actor, known for music that spans multiple genres including pop, soul, and hip hop. *** Jesteś lekiem na całe zło (“You’re the cure for all evil”) by Krystyna Prońko Krystyna Prońko’s powerful, soulful voice made her a standout figure in 1970s and 1980s. |
| (On, ona, ono) jest | He, she, it is | Jest bezpiecznie (“It’s safe”) by Siekiera Check out Siekiera if you wonder how Polish alternative/experimental rock sounded in the 80s! *** Jest taki samotny dom (“It’s such a lonely house”) by Budka Suflera A classic rock/pop/progressive act, formed in Lublin in the 1970s. *** Jest jak jest (“It is what it is”) by Daniel Godson Daniel Godson is a young, rising star within pop, R&B and soul. |
| (My) jesteśmy | We are | Jesteśmy na wczasach (“We’re on holiday”) by Wojciech Młynarski Wojciech Młynarski was a famous lyricists and singer-songwriter, active from the 1960s to the 2000s. *** Jesteśmy w kontakcie (“We’re in touch”) by Łona i Webber A highly appreciated hip hop duo. |
| (Wy) jesteście | You (plural) are | Jesteście gotowi? (“Are you ready?”) by Fisz Emade See “Fisz Emade Tworzywo” above! |
| (Oni) są | They (masculine or mixed group) are | Kim oni są (“Who are they”) by Nietrzask An indie/folk/rock band from Toruń. *** Oni są z nami (“They are with us) by Golec uOrkiestra. A long-enduring band with deep roots in the mountain culture of southern Poland. They play a mix of brass, folk, and pop. |
| (One) są | They (feminine) are | One są (“They are”) by Kasia i Tomek, Katarzyna Szczepaniak and Tomasz Szczepaniak A Lublin-based married couple who makes music together. *** Gdzie one są (“Where are they”) by Papa Dance Papa Dance created dancable synth-pop hits in the 80s. |
Notes:
1. The Polish pronouns in the table are in brackets as they’re rarely needed.
2. The playlists on Spotify and YouTube include a few more songs with more advanced verb forms (future/past).
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