Website: https://polski.info
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polski.info
When we started building polski.info, we were responding to a simple, real-world problem. Learning Polish is often not a hobby. It is a necessity tied to work, studies, family life, relocation, or the need to feel at home in a new place.
Yet two barriers kept coming up. Many adults could not afford course fees, and truly high-quality free online options were limited, especially for learners who needed support in languages beyond English.
The idea for polski.info grew out of our work on EU-supported education projects and digital learning platforms. Across different countries and target groups, we repeatedly saw the same pattern: people ready to learn, but held back by cost, language barriers, or fragmented materials. We developed polski.info to address this gap and, from the outset, shaped its concept and took responsibility for its long-term development.
Real-life language learning
We developed polski.info as a free, multilingual e-learning platform for beginners and intermediate learners. In its structure and content, we avoid presenting language as an abstract system and instead focus on Polish as a practical tool for everyday communication.
The lessons are built around real-life situations and supported by multimedia content, interactive exercises, and short reading texts that reflect how Polish is actually used.
We designed the platform for a wide audience, including adults and students, professionals, members of the Polish diaspora, people in mixed families, migrants preparing to live and work in Poland, and travellers looking for more than a phrasebook. From the beginning, we focused on self-study that remains guided and structured, even without the support of a teacher.
From concept to complete learning pathway
In its first major development phase, we focused on building a free learning environment that could take learners beyond a handful of basic phrases. Between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2020, we expanded the platform to include complete A1 and A2 courses, alongside an A0 introduction with a strong emphasis on pronunciation and phonetics. This period laid the foundations that still shape the platform today: a clear lesson structure, integrated grammar explanations, and interactive exercises designed for autonomous learning.
Audio and visual content played a central role from the start. Listening and repetition were treated as core learning activities, not add-ons. This approach made the platform particularly suitable for people learning independently, often alongside work or family commitments.
As the user base grew, a familiar challenge became clear. Many learners reach an elementary level, but far fewer resources help them progress through the intermediate stage. To address this gap, the next phase, running from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2023, extended polski.info with a complete B1 course. The focus shifted toward longer dialogues, more complex structures, and everyday situations that reflect real communication rather than simplified textbook language.
By the end of this phase, polski.info offered a full B1 course with 30 lessons organised into six modules, supported by expanded dictionaries and grammar sections closely linked to lesson content.
Reach, relevance, and multilingual access
Multilingual access has always been a core principle of polski.info. The platform interface is available in ten languages, allowing learners to approach Polish without relying on English as an intermediary. This significantly lowers the entry barrier for many users and makes the platform accessible to a much wider audience.
This approach proved particularly relevant in recent years, when many people needed immediate and accessible language support. By the end of October 2023, the platform was used by learners from well over one hundred countries. This international reach reflects both the mobility of people learning Polish and the ongoing need for free, reliable language resources that remain accessible regardless of location or income.
Ongoing development
We initiated polski.info, developed its core concept, and remain responsible for its ongoing care and development. This role shapes how we manage the project, with an emphasis on continuity, maintenance, and steady, responsible growth rather than short project cycles.
The work covers the full lifecycle of the platform, from concept development and platform architecture to content integration, multilingual workflows, and long-term operation and maintenance. Equal attention is given to ensuring that the platform remains usable and relevant well beyond individual development phases.
A new direction, Polish for Kids
Building on this foundation, polski.info is now expanding into early language education. Polish for Kids, running from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2027, focuses on children aged 4-7. The concept deliberately avoids text-heavy tasks and formal grammar explanations. Instead, it is based on playful interaction, audio-focused learning, and activities that connect digital content with both classroom and home use.
This direction responds to a clear gap. While many high-quality tools exist for early English learning, comparable resources for early Polish learning remain rare. By addressing children, parents, and educators together, the project aims to support early familiarity with the language and to build confidence from the very beginning.
Part of a larger ecosystem
We have created numerous EU-supported education projects, each with its own focus, language versions, and digital outputs. Many of these resources serve similar audiences and respond to overlapping needs.
polski.info is a single platform, but we developed it as part of a broader ecosystem of related projects that has grown over time.
What was missing was connection. Valuable materials existed, but they were spread across separate websites and difficult to navigate as a whole. This insight led to work on a shared umbrella structure that brings related projects closer together. Differences in language, technology, and design mean that full alignment takes time, but the direction is clear: improved visibility, easier access, and stronger links between existing resources.
An invitation to collaborate
polski.info exists because educators, language experts, designers, and developers have worked together across borders. This collaborative approach remains central to how we work at Studio GAUS.
If you are a university, school, adult education provider, NGO, or EdTech organisation working in language learning, integration, or multilingual education, we would welcome the opportunity to explore cooperation. We are particularly interested in partnerships that combine solid pedagogy with real-world implementation, sustainable digital production, and a commitment that extends beyond a single funding cycle.
polski.info is already a place where many learners begin and continue their journey with Polish. The next step is to strengthen these pathways and shape the next chapters together.