B1 · Must, can, like · about 7 minutes
Powinien: what you should do
should (powinien)
A word that looks like an adjective, changes like the past tense and means “should”.
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 need1
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- odpoczywaćto rest, to relax
Understand
RememberHe powinien, she powinna — and with był it becomes “should have”.
- Signal words
- powinienem
- powinnam
- powinieneś
- powinno się
- był
- chyba
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Polish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (irregular) person ending negation
| I should (a man) | (ja) powinienem |
| you should (to a man) | (ty) powinieneś |
| he should | (on) powinien |
| we should (with a man) | (my) powinniśmy |
| you should (several, with a man) | (wy) powinniście |
| they should (with a man) | (oni) powinni |
| I should (a woman) | (ja) powinnam |
| you should (to a woman) | (ty) powinnaś |
| she should | (ona) powinna |
| we should (women only) | (my) powinnyśmy |
| you should (several, women only) | (wy) powinnyście |
| they should (no men) | (one) powinny |
| it should | powinno |
| should have | powinienem był, powinnam była |
| one should | powinno się |
| you shouldn’t | Nie powinieneś. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
After powinien comes an infinitive.
Jesteś chory, powinieneś zostać w domu.You are ill, you should stay at home. (to a man)
The form changes with person and gender.
Ania powinna więcej odpoczywać.Ania should rest more.
With był and była it becomes “should have”.
Powinnam była wcześniej wyjść.I should have left earlier. (a woman speaking)
powinno się means “one should”.
Powinno się pić dużo wody.You should drink plenty of water.
With pan and pani use the third person.
Pani powinna porozmawiać z lekarzem.You should talk to a doctor. (formal, to a woman)
Example sentences
Powinniśmy już iść, jest późno.We should go now, it’s late.
Nie powinieneś tyle pracować.You shouldn’t work so much. (to a man)
Pociąg powinien przyjechać o ósmej.The train should arrive at eight.
6 more example sentences
Dzieci powinny spać osiem godzin.Children should sleep eight hours.
Powinienem był do ciebie zadzwonić.I should have rung you. (a man speaking)
Co powinnam zrobić?What should I do? (a woman speaking)
To powinno wystarczyć.That should be enough.
Powinniście odwiedzić babcię.You should visit Gran. (to several people)
Pan powinien więcej się ruszać.You should get more exercise. (formal, to a man)
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Because powinien means “should”, English speakers treat it like a verb and invent endings: powinienam or powinię. A woman says powinnam: without the ie, with a double n.
Quick check
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Practise
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
powinien means “should, ought to”. It gives advice or says what would be right: Powinieneś odpocząć “You should get some rest”. As with the modal verbs, an infinitive follows.
Its forms are unusual: it has no infinitive and changes for person and gender like the past tense. A man says powinienem, a woman powinnam; “he should” is powinien, “she should” powinna. In the plural there is the men’s form powinniśmy, powinniście, powinni beside powinnyśmy, powinnyście, powinny.
For “should have” add był, była or byli: Powinienem był zadzwonić “I should have rung”. That is the usual way to regret something or to reproach somebody gently.
Without a person you say powinno się “one should”: Powinno się jeść więcej warzyw. In formal address with pan and pani use the third person: Pan powinien, Pani powinna.
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
“Should” and “is to”
powinien covers advice and expectation, English “should” and “ought to”. For “he is to ring” in the sense of an instruction, use niech: Niech zadzwoni.
Szef mówi, że powinniśmy skończyć do piątku.The boss says we should finish by Friday.
The verbs on this page, in every form: być · iść · pracować · pić · spać · zadzwonić · przyjechać · zostać