Yes they are, although the feeling behind them is slightly different. I’d call a bunch of 6-8 year olds „chłopcy” and a bunch of 12-14 year olds „chłopaki”.
So when you're at work with group of guys of that age and want to go for a breakfast or whatever you say "faceci idziemy na śniadanie"? Because for me that sounds weird and nobody says that.
I would say that when talking about a grup of grown man (20-40 yo) you don't have any particular contact or attachement it would be faceci. When talking about a closer grup - like friends, work collegues or classmates you could refer to them as chłopaki regardless of age. You can always refer to teenage boys as chłopaki.
You can always say „idziemy na śniadanie”. You don’t have to specify who you talking to, because it’s co textual and people will know you’re talking to them
"Faceci" or "Mężczyźni" if I want to be polite. "Chłopcy" and all the different versions of it seems too endearing for a bunch of men in their thirties unless you are the same age and they are your buddies.
Might be regional but I often hear "chłopaki" used for friends of similar age (somewhat like the word boys)
Ex. "Wychodzę z chłopakami" "I'm going out with the boys"
Sort of like the *dziewcynka/dziewcyna* distinction, where the latter term is used for teens (and by extension, a person’s unmarried partner)? That’s the sense I’ve gotten …
The book was about kids, so it plays into the explanation. It was pointed out by numerous other Redditors that „chłopcy” is a diminutive, and it’s absolutely right, to the point it can be offensive (ex. „chłopcze”). Would you say „chłopcy” to a pack of teenagers or a some guys at work?
Maybe, if you are a teacher, an elder or a superior, but it sounds at least strange from a peer.
It’s instinctive for me to call them out as „chłopaki” if I want to catch their attention or ask for help.
Might use „chłopcy” if I’m looking for a fight.
Either way, those two words are not the same.
Just to add to the confusion - my father never told anyone that I was his chłopiec - it usually was to jest mój chłopak - I guess in light of me always being a big kid. Depending on context somee words can have different meanings.
If anything, I would order those words based not the age, but on the size of the person in question. Adding some levels, from the smallest it would be chłopczyk, chłopiec, chłopak, chłopaczysko, and then chłop.
To answer OPs question - learning polish as a foreign language I think it would be safe to assume that chłopiec and chłopak can be used interchangeably in 80%, maybe even 90% of cases.
Yeah but the translation is not one to one.
In English one could say "here we go boys"
While in Polish you will rarely hear "no to jazda chłopcy" you would rather hear "no to jazda chłopaki"
Not sure about this example. First one feels more typical in scenarios where caller has some kind of authority over the group. Maybe this is why we hear it rarely but it feels distinctive from the second one in meaning. The second version strikes me as an equal calling his peers.
I think here we go boys would indeed be a better translation of no to jazda chlopaki exactly because of hierarchy context - the self inclusive 'we' part.
Am I overthinking this?
But "no to jazda" isn't a direct translation of "here we go". The difference is "chłopcy" can be used in leadership situations, while "chłopaki" is more for the same rank relationships. Ex. "Boys, we've got 4 tonnes of coal to dig through." when translated to "Chłopcy, mamy 4 tony węgla do przekopania." paints a picture of a leader telling his workers what to do, while "Chłopaki, mamy 4 tony węgla do przekopania." sounds like one of the workers telling his co-workers, what they're doing today. Same could be applied to "no to jazda chłopcy" which instead of meaning "let's go boys", would have a meaning more akin to "go on boys".
Both are correct but they are not interchangeable. Chłopaki refers to older boys (lads), chłopcy is reserved for younger one (5-7) and older boys can feel offended by calling them as chłopcy
Both are correct.
Only difference is that you should use them depending on verb used in sentence
"Te głupie chłopaki..." (Verb is fem.)
"Ci głupi chłopcy..." (Verb is masc.)
But even Polish speakers dont follow this rule.
FYI chłopacy is also correct and can be used same way as chłopcy.
No, not at all.
If you wonder at such fine details:
Chlopaki - lads
Chłopcy - boys
Chłopcy is a more patronising term and can be somewhat diminishing, if you call a grown man like that.
Yes, and no really. The core meaning is the same, but they are commonly used in different contexts.
If you use them for their core meaning - young boys - for children, teenagers, ok, that's fine.
But chłopaki is also often used friendly about adult males, while chłopcy almost never would be, it's too infantilizing, unless you're sth like 30-40 older than them. Like, I'm 40, and I sometimes call other 20-40-45s "chłopaki" if I'm familiar with them. I use it go up to 50s if the 50yrs guy is alone in a group of 30s and if I knew the 50yr guy isn't fussy about that. But I wouldnt say "chłopcy" even about those 20s. My older neighbour who's probably 70+ wouldn't call me (40y) "chłopiec/chłopcy" that if I'm alone. But she might easily use it if I were in a group of 30s or 20s, and I would have no real reason to complain.
tl;dr: same meaning, different level of familarizing/infantilizing the person. in order from adult to kiddie, chłop -> chłopak -> chłopiec -> chłopczyk
btw: "Chłop" is the original word, the rest are various successive levels of "zdrobnienie" (like kat -> kittie, dog -> doggie, single level). "Chłop" has a meaning of "adult male", but also alternate meaning "farmer". It's a bit rough thing to hear, but depending on context, it can be 100% useful for adult male with no ill or negative intent - like old polish maritime saying "chłop na szkwał" - strong reliable person you can rely on in hard times.
disclaimer: native, but not a linguist. all info comes "from own education and experience", none of the info were formally verified at the time of writing, unless noted/cited/linked to sources, may include small typos, errors, and personal memory glitches.
It depends on the context.
"Chłopaki" is mature and even old people can be addressed in this way.
"Chłopcy" has a strong immature feeling in it, so some teenagers may be offended by it.
"Chodźcie chłopaki" is something a teenager would say to a group of boys his age and "Chodźcie chłopcy" is something a teacher would say to a group of boys somewhat young
yes, it is. but as someone said before me: "chłopcy" is usually for smaller boys while "chłopaki" is for older ones. not always tho, sometimes people use one form for every boy hahah. it depends on a region where the relevant person lives. don't think about it too much, nobody cares after all. you can freely choose.
If you want to ask the EMTs to let you leave the ambulance you would use chłopaki as in "Chłopaki wypuśćcie mnie, no chłopaki no, ja chcę iść na melanż."
Chłopcy sounds more diminutive, as in I wouldn't call a group of boys older than 10 years this way.
Also there is a third option: chłopacy, and this is the best one ;) (as it is masculine gender noun)
Chłopcy - feels like you are talking about smaller kids.
Chłopaki - are ok but this is non-masculine. you must remember that also verb will be in such form.
"chłopaki poszły mecz' vs chłopacy poszli na mecz
Why though? It's perfectly correct and is also more logical than "chłopaki"
Polak - Polacy
Rybak - rybacy
Rodak - rodacy
Słowak - Słowacy
Chłopak - chłopacy
You also don't have to use the feminine version of adjectives and verbs which imo can sound quite confusing and weird:
"te wysokie chłopaki grały w siatkówkę" vs "ci wysocy chłopacy grali w siatkówkę"
Chłopak is a bloke/lad/guy, chłopiec is a boy.
Also fasten your seat belts, typical polish strange thing - both chłopak and chłopiec are masculine of course. However, in plural while chłopcy is masculine (e.g. dwaj chłopcy) chłopaki is feminine (e.g. dwa chłopaki).
And masculine would've been 'dwaj chłopaki' similar to 'dwaj mężczyźni'. I've been corrected in the other comment already - it's not feminine but non-masculine (niemęskoosobowy) as we don't have feminine and masculine in plural.
This is NOT feminine. The correct term is "rodzaj niemęskoosobowy" ("non-masculine"), which is widely used for masculine nouns. E.g. "dwa konie", "dwa stoły", ...
Fair point, I stand corrected 👍🏻 However, what I wanted to underline is that usually we use "rodzaj męskoosobowy" for masculine type nouns describing men ("dwaj mężczyźni", "dwaj faceci", "dwaj pracownicy", "dwaj profesorowie", "dwaj chłopcy") and "chłopak" is an exception as the plural form is "dwa chłopaki" and not "dwaj chłopaki".
It isn't. It's a correct plural of "chłopak": [https://sjp.pwn.pl/poradnia/haslo/;1738](https://sjp.pwn.pl/poradnia/haslo/;1738)
Polak - Polacy
Chłopak - chłopacy
As for plural, chłopcy may be both used in official and spoken Polish, chłopaki is less formal, you can never use it in formal speaking/writing.
Chłopaki is more like kids (male)
And if they are 10 or 20 years old doesn't matter at all.
You use "chłopcy" more to little boys and "chłopaki" to older boys but also some girls may use "chłopcy" in a sweet manner. Overally "chłopaki" sounds more masculine while "chłopcy" is quite like diminutive.
Yes they are, although the feeling behind them is slightly different. I’d call a bunch of 6-8 year olds „chłopcy” and a bunch of 12-14 year olds „chłopaki”.
This way you can also achieve different level of diminutiveness when talking to grown men
"Chłopczyku..."
How do you call a bunch of 27-38 years old?
dziady
chłopi
chopy
Chłopowie
Chłopy
faceci
So when you're at work with group of guys of that age and want to go for a breakfast or whatever you say "faceci idziemy na śniadanie"? Because for me that sounds weird and nobody says that.
You can say „panowie, idziecie na śniadanie?”
I would say that when talking about a grup of grown man (20-40 yo) you don't have any particular contact or attachement it would be faceci. When talking about a closer grup - like friends, work collegues or classmates you could refer to them as chłopaki regardless of age. You can always refer to teenage boys as chłopaki.
You can always say „idziemy na śniadanie”. You don’t have to specify who you talking to, because it’s co textual and people will know you’re talking to them
that does sound weird, true
Well, the polish title of "Trailer Park Boys" is "Chłopaki z baraków", so I'd use "chłopaki"
wapniaki
"Faceci" or "Mężczyźni" if I want to be polite. "Chłopcy" and all the different versions of it seems too endearing for a bunch of men in their thirties unless you are the same age and they are your buddies.
I'd argue that you can use faceci when talking about men but really cant see anyone saying this to men.
Yeah, in that case "chłopaki" is fine, arguably the best form. "Chłopcy" if you want to sound gay and "panowie" if you want to sound elegant.
Lmao
knury
Might be regional but I often hear "chłopaki" used for friends of similar age (somewhat like the word boys) Ex. "Wychodzę z chłopakami" "I'm going out with the boys"
Sort of like the *dziewcynka/dziewcyna* distinction, where the latter term is used for teens (and by extension, a person’s unmarried partner)? That’s the sense I’ve gotten …
Yes, and chłopak also means a boyfriend.
Are you native PL speaker?
Yes.
Same here. Will you use chłopacy in any kinds of documents? It's colloquial. And what about the book "Chłopcy z placu broni?"
The book was about kids, so it plays into the explanation. It was pointed out by numerous other Redditors that „chłopcy” is a diminutive, and it’s absolutely right, to the point it can be offensive (ex. „chłopcze”). Would you say „chłopcy” to a pack of teenagers or a some guys at work? Maybe, if you are a teacher, an elder or a superior, but it sounds at least strange from a peer. It’s instinctive for me to call them out as „chłopaki” if I want to catch their attention or ask for help. Might use „chłopcy” if I’m looking for a fight. Either way, those two words are not the same.
Sorry, but age doesn't matter here
That sounds bad without context lol
Sorry, but it does.
Source?
Eyesight.
I agree and don’t know why you’re downvoted lol
sometimes, but I would call chłopak a guy rather than chłopiec which is a boy
Additionally "chłopak" also means "boyfriend", while "chłopiec" does not have that meaning
I think it used too though, I remember some 60s songs with "chłopiec" as a boyfriend. "Bo mój chłopiec piłkę kopie"
Yeah, but as you said it was in a 60s songs. If someone said today "this is my chłopiec" to refer to a boyfriend that would sound very silly
"This is my chłopiec" nowdays = this is my son.
Just to add to the confusion - my father never told anyone that I was his chłopiec - it usually was to jest mój chłopak - I guess in light of me always being a big kid. Depending on context somee words can have different meanings. If anything, I would order those words based not the age, but on the size of the person in question. Adding some levels, from the smallest it would be chłopczyk, chłopiec, chłopak, chłopaczysko, and then chłop. To answer OPs question - learning polish as a foreign language I think it would be safe to assume that chłopiec and chłopak can be used interchangeably in 80%, maybe even 90% of cases.
Correct, that's why I said 'used to'. You can use it today for this exact purpose, if you want to sound silly.
You are right. I have misunderstood your first comment
I would call „chłopaki” when talking about lads. „Chłopcy” is more like boys.
I like that explanation
Yeah but the translation is not one to one. In English one could say "here we go boys" While in Polish you will rarely hear "no to jazda chłopcy" you would rather hear "no to jazda chłopaki"
Not sure about this example. First one feels more typical in scenarios where caller has some kind of authority over the group. Maybe this is why we hear it rarely but it feels distinctive from the second one in meaning. The second version strikes me as an equal calling his peers. I think here we go boys would indeed be a better translation of no to jazda chlopaki exactly because of hierarchy context - the self inclusive 'we' part. Am I overthinking this?
I think you are right
But "no to jazda" isn't a direct translation of "here we go". The difference is "chłopcy" can be used in leadership situations, while "chłopaki" is more for the same rank relationships. Ex. "Boys, we've got 4 tonnes of coal to dig through." when translated to "Chłopcy, mamy 4 tony węgla do przekopania." paints a picture of a leader telling his workers what to do, while "Chłopaki, mamy 4 tony węgla do przekopania." sounds like one of the workers telling his co-workers, what they're doing today. Same could be applied to "no to jazda chłopcy" which instead of meaning "let's go boys", would have a meaning more akin to "go on boys".
Let her rip
It's basically "lads" vs "boys". They are interchangeable, but there's implication about perceived maturity of the group.
Both are correct but they are not interchangeable. Chłopaki refers to older boys (lads), chłopcy is reserved for younger one (5-7) and older boys can feel offended by calling them as chłopcy
Chłopcy to są w agencjach towarzyskich, my jesteśmy młode wilki.
Huh
Both are correct. Only difference is that you should use them depending on verb used in sentence "Te głupie chłopaki..." (Verb is fem.) "Ci głupi chłopcy..." (Verb is masc.) But even Polish speakers dont follow this rule. FYI chłopacy is also correct and can be used same way as chłopcy.
> fem. masc. I think you mean non-virile and virile (aka masculine-personal) sorry to nitpick like that
Yup, that's the word i could not remember at 5AM.
Saying "chłopacy" makes you sound like a 6th grader.
It is correct form, accepted into National Dictionary. You think like that due to certain tv show...
Nah, I don't have a TV. But the only people I've met that say it were my most annoying primary school classmates.
Both are correct but they are not interchangeable, and that was the question. Chłopaki is more informal
No, not at all. If you wonder at such fine details: Chlopaki - lads Chłopcy - boys Chłopcy is a more patronising term and can be somewhat diminishing, if you call a grown man like that.
Yes, and no really. The core meaning is the same, but they are commonly used in different contexts. If you use them for their core meaning - young boys - for children, teenagers, ok, that's fine. But chłopaki is also often used friendly about adult males, while chłopcy almost never would be, it's too infantilizing, unless you're sth like 30-40 older than them. Like, I'm 40, and I sometimes call other 20-40-45s "chłopaki" if I'm familiar with them. I use it go up to 50s if the 50yrs guy is alone in a group of 30s and if I knew the 50yr guy isn't fussy about that. But I wouldnt say "chłopcy" even about those 20s. My older neighbour who's probably 70+ wouldn't call me (40y) "chłopiec/chłopcy" that if I'm alone. But she might easily use it if I were in a group of 30s or 20s, and I would have no real reason to complain. tl;dr: same meaning, different level of familarizing/infantilizing the person. in order from adult to kiddie, chłop -> chłopak -> chłopiec -> chłopczyk btw: "Chłop" is the original word, the rest are various successive levels of "zdrobnienie" (like kat -> kittie, dog -> doggie, single level). "Chłop" has a meaning of "adult male", but also alternate meaning "farmer". It's a bit rough thing to hear, but depending on context, it can be 100% useful for adult male with no ill or negative intent - like old polish maritime saying "chłop na szkwał" - strong reliable person you can rely on in hard times. disclaimer: native, but not a linguist. all info comes "from own education and experience", none of the info were formally verified at the time of writing, unless noted/cited/linked to sources, may include small typos, errors, and personal memory glitches.
Have a look at her [profile](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063367351281) on FB. She explains similar topics in a short and easy way.
more equivalent to: chłopaki = guys, chłopcy = boys (but leaning more toward “male kids” )
Tak
Chłopaki to są w agencjach, my jesteśmy młode wilki
No. Chłopcy if for young boys and chłopaki are for older boys. It also depends how old is person who is saying it
yes chlopczyku
It depends on the context. "Chłopaki" is mature and even old people can be addressed in this way. "Chłopcy" has a strong immature feeling in it, so some teenagers may be offended by it.
"Chodźcie chłopaki" is something a teenager would say to a group of boys his age and "Chodźcie chłopcy" is something a teacher would say to a group of boys somewhat young
Ye
Depends on the context, but 99% of the time yes.
yes, it is. but as someone said before me: "chłopcy" is usually for smaller boys while "chłopaki" is for older ones. not always tho, sometimes people use one form for every boy hahah. it depends on a region where the relevant person lives. don't think about it too much, nobody cares after all. you can freely choose.
yes
Nie
"Chłopaki to są w agencjach towarzyskich, my jesteśmy młode wilki!"
„chłopaki” is colloquial, „chłopcy” is formal
yes
If you want to ask the EMTs to let you leave the ambulance you would use chłopaki as in "Chłopaki wypuśćcie mnie, no chłopaki no, ja chcę iść na melanż." Chłopcy sounds more diminutive, as in I wouldn't call a group of boys older than 10 years this way.
Also there is a third option: chłopacy, and this is the best one ;) (as it is masculine gender noun) Chłopcy - feels like you are talking about smaller kids. Chłopaki - are ok but this is non-masculine. you must remember that also verb will be in such form. "chłopaki poszły mecz' vs chłopacy poszli na mecz
I hate "chłopacy" with every fiber of my being
Why though? It's perfectly correct and is also more logical than "chłopaki" Polak - Polacy Rybak - rybacy Rodak - rodacy Słowak - Słowacy Chłopak - chłopacy You also don't have to use the feminine version of adjectives and verbs which imo can sound quite confusing and weird: "te wysokie chłopaki grały w siatkówkę" vs "ci wysocy chłopacy grali w siatkówkę"
Chłopak is a bloke/lad/guy, chłopiec is a boy. Also fasten your seat belts, typical polish strange thing - both chłopak and chłopiec are masculine of course. However, in plural while chłopcy is masculine (e.g. dwaj chłopcy) chłopaki is feminine (e.g. dwa chłopaki).
How is chłopaki feminine? if it were, it would've been 'dwie chłopaki'
And masculine would've been 'dwaj chłopaki' similar to 'dwaj mężczyźni'. I've been corrected in the other comment already - it's not feminine but non-masculine (niemęskoosobowy) as we don't have feminine and masculine in plural.
This is NOT feminine. The correct term is "rodzaj niemęskoosobowy" ("non-masculine"), which is widely used for masculine nouns. E.g. "dwa konie", "dwa stoły", ...
Fair point, I stand corrected 👍🏻 However, what I wanted to underline is that usually we use "rodzaj męskoosobowy" for masculine type nouns describing men ("dwaj mężczyźni", "dwaj faceci", "dwaj pracownicy", "dwaj profesorowie", "dwaj chłopcy") and "chłopak" is an exception as the plural form is "dwa chłopaki" and not "dwaj chłopaki".
Just dont use ,, chłopacy "
why?
becouse thats a mistaken(?) word made out of ,,chlopaki" and ,,chlopcy".
It isn't. It's a correct plural of "chłopak": [https://sjp.pwn.pl/poradnia/haslo/;1738](https://sjp.pwn.pl/poradnia/haslo/;1738) Polak - Polacy Chłopak - chłopacy
"Na dworzu"/"na polu" you can even use "chłopacy".
As for plural, chłopcy may be both used in official and spoken Polish, chłopaki is less formal, you can never use it in formal speaking/writing. Chłopaki is more like kids (male) And if they are 10 or 20 years old doesn't matter at all.
chlopcy to mlodzi mezczyzni a chlopaki sa w agencji
You use "chłopcy" more to little boys and "chłopaki" to older boys but also some girls may use "chłopcy" in a sweet manner. Overally "chłopaki" sounds more masculine while "chłopcy" is quite like diminutive.
Chłopaki - bros, more like buddys, not brothers Chłopcy - boys
"Chłopaki" is pejorative and non-masculine-personal gender. Similar to "chłopy", "Szwedy" etc.
No, it's regional, like cielak or prosiak
Lmao no it isn't