Language/Polish/Grammar/Future-and-Conditional-Tenses
Introduction
One of the most challenging aspects of learning the Polish language is understanding and using the various tenses. In this lesson, we will focus on the future and conditional tenses.
The future tense is used to express an action that will take place in the future. The conditional tense, on the other hand, is used to express an action that would take place under certain conditions.
By the end of this lesson, you will have a better understanding of how to use these tenses and be able to use them correctly in your own sentences.
Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: How to Use Have & Pronunciation Rules.
Future Tense
The future tense in Polish is relatively easy to understand and use. The future tense is created by adding special endings to the infinitive form of the verb.
For verbs ending in -ć, substitute -ę, -esz, -e, -emy, -ecie, or -ą. For verbs ending in -ać or -yć, add -ę, -ysz, -y, -iemy, -icie, or -ą. Verbs ending in -eć follow the same pattern as -ić and -yć verbs, but they replace the final -ć with -kę.
Here are some examples of verbs in the future tense:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| będę mówić | bendeh moo-veech | I will speak |
| zjem kanapkę | zhem kanaap-kehn | I will eat a sandwich |
| napiszesz list | nah-pee-szesh list | You will write a letter |
As you can see, the future tense in Polish is formed by adding the appropriate endings to the infinitive form of the verb.
Conditional Tense
The conditional tense in Polish is used to express what would happen under certain circumstances. The conditional tense is formed by adding the appropriate endings to the conditional stem.
The conditional stem is created by adding -by to the infinitive form of the verb. The endings are the same as those used in the future tense.
Here are some examples of verbs in the conditional tense:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mówiłbym | mo-veew-bim | I would speak |
| zjadłbyś kanapkę | zhadwbish kanaap-kehn | You would eat a sandwich |
| napisałby list | nah-pee-sawb-ih list | He would write a letter |
As you can see, the conditional tense in Polish is formed by adding the appropriate endings to the conditional stem.
Practice
Below are some exercises to help you practice using the future and conditional tenses in Polish:
- How do you say "I will go to the park tomorrow" in Polish?
- How do you say "If I have time, I will call you tonight" in Polish?
- How do you say "She would like to visit Poland next year" in Polish?
- "Pójdę do parku jutro"
- "Jeśli będę miał/miała czas, zadzwonię do Ciebie dziś wieczorem"
- "Ona chciałaby odwiedzić Polskę w przyszłym roku"
Sources
- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_grammar">Polish grammar</a>
- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_verbs">Polish verbs</a>
Other Lessons
- Definite Articles in Polish
- Future Tense
- How to Use be
- Personal pronouns
- Plurals
- Gender
- Adjectives
- How to Use Have
- mieć to have
- Cases
Sources