# What is the true meaning of "yakshemash"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-true-meaning-of-yakshemash/337707 "2005-12-30T13:06:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ntcrawler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/34f0e0/32.png) [@ntcrawler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ntcrawler)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-true-meaning-of-yakshemash/337707/21 "2006-01-01T22:46:38Z")
Yes, I am Polish 100%, born and raised in Warsaw. And yes, it’s always fun to put Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks together. It raises the familiar jokes of whether a translator is needed, especially when we have foreign dignitaries visit each other’s countries. About the comma: it was a typo, I swear!!! The thing about “Jak sie masz?” I noticed is its more informal use between friends, people on the street, or tourists, or people here when they discover I speak Polish (and they try to as well). The older generations that I’ve known, or my family definitely does not use it as a greeting, and you’d probably get chastised in my family if the first thing you say to your parents or grandparents after a long absense is “jak sie masz?” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-true-meaning-of-yakshemash/337707/22 "2006-01-02T03:43:19Z")
> [@ntcrawler](#): > > About the comma: it was a typo, I swear!!! Well, you’re more Polish than I am. My parents were both born in southern Poland , but I was born here in–where else?–Chicago. My use pretty much corresponds to yours. I probably wouldn’t use it with my parents or grandparents either. In fact, I can’t think of using the phrase with anybody in my immediate family outside of cousins or other people my age. I would probably use the more exact _jak się tata czuje_ “how are you (dad) feeling” or something of the like. But that does have a slightly different meaning. That said, the more familiar _co tam_ (“what’s up” or, literally, “what’s there”) is certainly used in my family between older and younger generations. As for the comma, I really wasn’t sure after I did the Google search. It did strike me as odd, though, and it’s good to hear that the native Pole agrees. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-true-meaning-of-yakshemash/337707/23 "2006-01-02T08:20:24Z")
> [@ntcrawler](#): > > The thing about “Jak sie masz?” I noticed is its more informal use between friends, people on the street, or tourists, or people here when they discover I speak Polish (and they try to as well). The older generations that I’ve known, or my family definitely does not use it as a greeting, and you’d probably get chastised in my family if the first thing you say to your parents or grandparents after a long absense is “jak sie masz?” 🙂 When I was in Warsaw, in the mid nineties, I got the impression that “Jak sie masz” was kind of universally acceptable while the twenty-somethings I hung around with used “Co slyhaç?” with each other - a habit I picked up, I guess I shouldn’ try to impress your folks with my Polish eh ? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-true-meaning-of-yakshemash/337707.md?page=1)