A2 · Verbs of motion · about 7 minutes
Travelling now or regularly: jechać and jeździć
jechać and jeździć
By bus, car, train or bike you need jechać for one trip and jeździć for habit and ability.
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 need4
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- nartyskis
- piątekFriday
- leciećto fly (in one direction)
- jeziorolake
Understand
RememberIn a vehicle you ride: jechać for one trip, jeździć for many.
- Signal words
- jutro
- teraz
- co roku
- często
- autobusem
- na rowerze
The form
The forms side by side
All the forms in one overview: first what each one stands for, then the form in Polish, so you can compare them directly.
| jechać — one trip, now or planned | jechać — jadę, jedziesz, jedzie, jedziemy, jedziecie, jadą |
| jeździć — often, to and fro, ability | jeździć — jeżdżę, jeździsz, jeździ, jeździmy, jeździcie, jeżdżą |
| by what: instrumental | autobusem, samochodem, pociągiem, tramwajem |
| on what: na with the locative | na rowerze, na koniu, na nartach |
| flying | lecieć — lecę, lecisz; latać — latam, latasz |
| imperative | jedź, jedźcie — jeźdź, jeźdźcie |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
jechać is for a trip going on now or planned.
Jutro jadę do Wrocławia.Tomorrow I am going to Wrocław.
jeździć is for what repeats.
Co roku jeździmy nad morze.Every year we go to the seaside.
jeździć is also for the ability.
Ania dobrze jeździ na nartach.Ania is a good skier.
The vehicle goes into the instrumental.
Do pracy jeżdżę tramwajem.I go to work by tram.
Bike, horse and skis take na with the locative.
Dzieci jadą na rowerach do parku.The children are cycling to the park.
Example sentences
Jedziesz autobusem czy tramwajem?Are you going by bus or by tram?
W wakacje jedziemy do Hiszpanii.In the holidays we are going to Spain.
Marek codziennie jeździ do pracy samochodem.Marek drives to work every day.
7 more example sentences
Ten pociąg jedzie do Gdańska.This train goes to Gdańsk.
Moi rodzice często jeżdżą na wycieczki.My parents often go on trips.
W piątek lecę do Londynu.On Friday I am flying to London.
Czym jedziesz na lotnisko?How are you getting to the airport?
Nie lubię jeździć nocą.I don’t like driving at night.
Ten autobus nie jedzie do centrum.This bus doesn’t go to the centre.
Kasia jeździ konno od dziecka.Kasia has ridden horses since she was a child.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “go” works for a trip by bus too: “I’m going into town.” In Polish iść means on foot. If the vehicle is in the sentence — or you are obviously not walking — you need jechać.
Quick check
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Practise
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself9 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
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Next on the path: 62 · Animate or inanimate: mam brata, mam domBack to the learning path
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
As soon as you are not on foot, you swap iść and chodzić for the pair jechać and jeździć. The split is the same: jechać is one trip in one direction, now or firmly planned — Jutro jadę do Krakowa “I am going to Kraków tomorrow”. jeździć is habit, to and fro, or ability — Często jeżdżę do Krakowa, Umiesz jeździć na rowerze? “Can you ride a bike?”
jechać has an a in “I” and “they”, otherwise an e: jadę, jedziesz, jedzie, jedziemy, jedziecie, jadą. In jeździć the same two forms turn źdź into żdż: jeżdżę, jeździsz, jeździ, jeździmy, jeździcie, jeżdżą.
What you travel by goes into the instrumental (narzędnik), with no preposition — English “by”: autobusem, samochodem, pociągiem, tramwajem. A bike, a horse and skis you sit or stand on, so it is na with the locative (miejscownik): na rowerze, na koniu, na nartach. Flying has a pair of its own, lecieć and latać.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
Walking or riding is always said
Where English casually says “go” — “we’re going on holiday”, “I’m going home” after a party by taxi — Polish says whether you walk or ride. You ride on holiday: Jedziemy na urlop. Home by taxi: Jadę do domu taksówką.
W lipcu jedziemy na urlop.In July we are going on holiday.
Worth knowing
jeździć also means “can ride”
What English says with “can” is often already in jeździć: Jeździsz na rowerze? — Can you ride a bike? To stress the skill, add umieć: Umiem jeździć samochodem “I can drive”.
Mój syn już jeździ na rowerze.My son can already ride a bike.
The verbs on this page, in every form: jeździć · jechać · lecieć