Glizdka
Key Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2019
- Member Type
- Other
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Poland
I've heard it only from Poles speaking English; I haven't heard it from native speakers (yet).
Does it look natural to you?
I have a small problem.
I have a small question.
Can I ask you for a small favor?
I think this might be a result of trying to bring some Polish phrases into English.
Polish loves its diminutives. They're used for a variety of purposes. One of them is sort of similar to a euphemism - making something appear less substantial than it is, especially when you're asking for help. In certain phrases, it's so common that it's almost idiomatic. Because English doesn't really support forming diminutives as much as Polish does, the word small is often used when a Pole would use a diminutive.
Does it look natural to you?
I have a small problem.
I have a small question.
Can I ask you for a small favor?
I think this might be a result of trying to bring some Polish phrases into English.
Polish loves its diminutives. They're used for a variety of purposes. One of them is sort of similar to a euphemism - making something appear less substantial than it is, especially when you're asking for help. In certain phrases, it's so common that it's almost idiomatic. Because English doesn't really support forming diminutives as much as Polish does, the word small is often used when a Pole would use a diminutive.
