dobry vs porządny
Polish word comparison
Listen to dobry
Listen to porządny
| dobry | porządny |
|---|---|
DO-bry adjective | POR-zhon-dnih adjective |
| good; having positive qualities, satisfactory, or kind | decent, respectable, reliable; properly done or well-made |
How they differ
Porządny implies reliability, decency or being proper — it suggests steadiness, conscientiousness or solid quality, whereas dobry is broader and can mean simply acceptable, kind, or positive without stressing dependability or thoroughness.
When to use each
When to use dobry: Prefer dobry for general positive descriptions or moral goodness without implying reliability or thorough workmanship.
When to use porządny: Use porządny when you want to highlight that a person is respectable and reliable or that an object/work is solidly made or done properly.
Side-by-side examples
- To jest dobry pracownik.
(That is a good employee.) - To jest porządny pracownik.
(That is a reliable/decent employee.)
Register & nuance: Porządny is neutral-to-colloquial and widely used in spoken Polish; it carries a connotation of respectability and dependability not always present in dobry.