B1 · Aspect · about 8 minutes
Choosing the aspect: signals in the sentence
aspect in use
Words like “codziennie” and “w końcu”, commands, negation and questions show which aspect fits.
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need5
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- zamykaćto close, to shut
- zacząćto begin, to start
- znaleźćto find
- zapomniećto forget
- otwieraćto open
Understand
RememberAsk of every verb: a line or a point?
- Signal words
- codziennie
- zawsze
- zwykle
- długo
- już
- w końcu
- nagle
- od razu
- kiedy
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Polish.
negation
| repetition, habit: imperfective | codziennie, często, zawsze, zwykle, co tydzień |
| duration: imperfective | długo, cały dzień, przez godzinę |
| completion, a moment: perfective | już, w końcu, nagle, od razu, raz |
| asking for an action: perfective | Zamknij okno! |
| prohibition: imperfective | Nie otwieraj okna! |
| experience: imperfective | Czytałeś tę książkę? |
| done yet? perfective | Przeczytałeś już? |
| common pairs | pisać – napisać, dzwonić – zadzwonić, robić – zrobić, otwierać – otworzyć, wstawać – wstać |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
With repetition and habit the imperfective is used.
Kiedyś często dzwoniłam do babci.I used to ring my gran often. (a woman speaking)
In a sequence of actions the perfective is used.
Piotr wstał, zjadł śniadanie i wyszedł.Piotr got up, had breakfast and left.
An interrupted process is imperfective, the interrupting event perfective.
Kiedy oglądaliśmy film, zgasło światło.We were watching a film when the lights went out.
A prohibition is almost always imperfective.
Nie zamykaj drzwi, proszę.Please don’t close the door.
After “Have you ever …?” you ask with the imperfective.
Byłeś kiedyś w Gdańsku?Have you ever been to Gdańsk? (to a man)
After verbs of starting and stopping the imperfective is always used.
Zaczęłam uczyć się polskiego.I have started learning Polish. (a woman speaking)
Example sentences
Długo szukałam kluczy, ale w końcu je znalazłam.I spent ages looking for my keys, but in the end I found them. (a woman speaking)
Zwykle wstaję o siódmej, ale dziś wstałem o piątej.I usually get up at seven, but today I got up at five. (a man speaking)
Zamknij okno, proszę. — Dobrze, już zamykam.Close the window, please. — All right, I’m doing it.
6 more example sentences
Siadaj, zaraz zrobię kawę.Sit down, I’ll make some coffee.
Nie mów nikomu!Don’t tell anyone!
Kiedy jechałam do pracy, zobaczyłam Marka.On my way to work I saw Marek. (a woman speaking)
Oglądałeś ten film? — Tak, oglądałem go dwa razy.Have you seen this film? — Yes, I have seen it twice. (two men talking)
Nagle zaczął padać deszcz.Suddenly it started to rain.
Co tydzień sprzątamy mieszkanie.Every week we clean the flat.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
After “start” and “stop” English speakers like to put the perfective, because something gets completed. But zacząć, skończyć and przestać always take the imperfective infinitive: what starts or stops is a process, not a result — “I finished writing”, with the “-ing” of the process.
Quick check
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Practise
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Now write it yourself9 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
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Next on the path: 79 · Powinien: what you should doBack to the learning path
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
You know the basic rule: process imperfective, result perfective. In the sentence there are signals to help you. Words of repetition and duration call for the imperfective: codziennie(every day)często(often)zawsze(always)zwykle(usually)długo(for a long time)cały dzień(all day) Words of completion or of a single moment call for the perfective: już(already)w końcu(in the end)nagle(suddenly)od razu(at once)raz(once)
In a sequence of actions each one is complete before the next begins — so perfective: Wstałam, umyłam się i wyszłam “I got up, washed and left”. When two actions run side by side, both are imperfective. When an event interrupts a process, the process is imperfective and the event perfective — exactly where English uses “was doing” and “did”: Kiedy czytałam, zadzwonił telefon “I was reading when the phone rang”.
In commands you ask for one particular action with the perfective: Zamknij okno! “Close the window!” The imperfective sounds like an invitation or a nudge to get going: Siadaj! “Do sit down!”, Jedz! “Eat up, go on!” A prohibition is almost always imperfective: Nie otwieraj okna!
A question about experience — English “Have you ever …?” — takes the imperfective, although English uses the present perfect: Czytałeś tę książkę? “Have you read this book?”. Somebody who wants to know whether a job is done asks with the perfective: Przeczytałeś już? “Have you finished reading it?”
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
The present perfect does not decide
Whether English says “I read it” or “I have read it” has nothing to do with aspect. Never translate the present perfect as perfective and the past simple as imperfective. What decides is whether the result counts: “I read all evening” is imperfective in Polish, “I have read the whole book” perfective.
Wczoraj cały wieczór czytałam.Yesterday I read all evening. (a woman speaking)
The verbs on this page, in every form: wstać · zamykać · być · mówić · zrobić · uczyć · szukać · dzwonić