Pan / Pani

Polish enforces a strict formal/informal distinction. Here is how to use Pan and Pani correctly:

• Verb Agreement: Always use third-person verbs. "Do you speak English?" becomes Czy pan mówi po angielsku? (literally: "Does the gentleman speak English?").
• No Dropping: While Polish often leaves out subject pronouns (Leaving Out Subject Pronouns), Pan and Pani are nouns and cannot be dropped in isolated sentences. If you drop them initially, the sentence defaults to "he/she" (e.g., Czy mówi po angielsku? means "Does he/she speak English?", not "Do you speak English?"). However, they can and should be omitted in subsequent clauses of a continuous dialogue to avoid awkward repetition once the subject is established.
• Plural Forms: When addressing a group, use Polite Państwo (mixed group or a married couple), Panowie (men only), or Panie (women only) with third-person plural verbs. For example, Czy państwo mówią po angielsku?
• Declension: Because they are nouns, they change endings depending on their role in the sentence. For example, "I see you" is Widzę pana/panią (Accusative case), and "Can I help you?" is Czy mogę panu/pani pomóc? (Dative case).
• Getting Attention: To say "Excuse me, sir/madam" to get someone's attention, use the Genitive case: Proszę pana (to a man) or Proszę pani (to a woman).
• With Names and Titles: When addressing someone directly, Pan changes to Panie due to the Vocative case, while Pani remains unchanged. Using them with a first name (e.g., Panie Tomku, Pani Aniu) creates a "friendly formal" tone. Crucially, when using this tone, the verb must remain in the third person (e.g., Panie Tomku, czy ma pan czas?, not czy masz czas?). In spoken Polish, avoid using them with just a surname (e.g., Panie Kowalski), which can sound cold or reprimanding; instead, use professional titles (e.g., Panie doktorze, Pani profesor). In written formal correspondence, appending the surname (e.g., Szanowny Panie Kowalski) is a linguistic mistake and sounds unnatural or arrogant. The proper formal written greeting is Szanowny Panie (alone), Szanowny Panie [Title] (e.g., Szanowny Panie Dyrektorze), or Szanowny Panie [First Name] (e.g., Szanowny Panie Janie).
• Capitalization: In written correspondence (emails, letters, texts), you must strictly capitalize these words, their declined forms (e.g., Pan, Panią, Państwu), and possessive adjectives referring to them (e.g., Pański, Pani) as a sign of respect (Polite Pronouns In Writing).

Wait for the older or more senior person to invite you to switch to the informal ty. If two people are of similar age and professional status, the woman traditionally has the right to initiate the switch with a man. Initiating this switch yourself out of turn is considered impolite!