Giving Directions | Polish Grammar

Asking the way is one thing; giving directions is another, and it leans on two grammar systems at once. You need the imperatives of motion verbs — idź ("go"), skręć ("turn"), przejdź ("cross") — and you need the place prepositions with the cases they govern, because obok ("next to") and naprzeciwko ("opposite") demand the genitive, while turns take w + accusative. This page is the giving half of the directions skill, complementing the asking-the-way dialogue.

The motion imperatives — idź, skręć, przejdź

Direct directions to one person use the informal imperative (the ty form). The three workhorses:

idź — "go" (from iść, to go on foot)
skręć — "turn" (from skręcić)
przejdź — "cross / go across" (from przejść)

Idź prosto aż do skrzyżowania.

Go straight ahead to the crossroads.

Skręć w lewo, a potem w prawo.

Turn left, then right.

Przejdź przez ulicę przy światłach.

Cross the street at the traffic lights.

A turn is skręć w + accusative: w lewo ("to the left"), w prawo ("to the right"). The w here is the directional w taking the accusative, and lewo/prawo are the fixed adverbial directions. For "straight on" use the adverb prosto (no preposition):

Idź prosto, a na drugim skrzyżowaniu skręć w prawo.

Go straight, and at the second crossroads turn right.

How these imperative stems are built (and why iść gives idź but skręcić gives skręć) is covered on the imperative formation page. For an overview of motion verbs themselves, see verbs of motion.

💡

Don't reach for the present tense to give a command. Idziesz prosto means "you are going straight" (a statement), not "go straight". The imperative is a distinct, shorter form: idź, skręć, przejdź — one word each, no pronoun needed.

The polite version — Proszę iść, Proszę skręcić

To a stranger, or anyone you address with pan/pani, the friendly idź is too familiar. Switch to Proszę + infinitive, the same polite instructional frame used on signs and at counters:

Proszę iść prosto do końca ulicy.

Go straight to the end of the street, please.

Proszę skręcić w lewo za bankiem.

Please turn left after the bank.

Proszę przejść przez park, to najszybsza droga.

Please go through the park, it's the quickest way.

Notice the verb is now the infinitive (iść, skręcić, przejść), not the imperative. Both registers are common; pick idź/skręć for friends and children, Proszę iść/skręcić for strangers and formal settings.

Place prepositions and their cases

This is where directions exercise case government. Each "where" word governs a specific case, and you have to honour it:

na rogu ("on the corner") — na + locative. The corner of two streets is na rogu:

Apteka jest na rogu, zaraz za kościołem.

The pharmacy is on the corner, just past the church.

obok + genitive ("next to / beside") — this one always takes the genitive:

Sklep jest obok kościoła.

The shop is next to the church. (kościół → genitive kościoła)

Przystanek jest obok apteki.

The stop is next to the pharmacy. (apteka → genitive apteki)

naprzeciwko + genitive ("opposite / across from") — also genitive:

Bank jest naprzeciwko dworca.

The bank is opposite the station. (dworzec → genitive dworca)

koło / obok / niedaleko all take the genitive too (koło parku "near the park", niedaleko centrum "not far from the centre"), while przy takes the locative (przy ulicy "by the street", przy poczcie "by the post office"). The genitive cluster is large — most "near/next-to/opposite" prepositions are genitive prepositions. See the spatial prepositions set for the full map.

💡

The "proximity" prepositions — obok, koło, niedaleko, naprzeciwko — all govern the genitive. Learn them as a block: whatever landmark follows goes into the genitive (obok kościoła, naprzeciwko apteki, koło rynku). The odd one out is przy ("right by"), which takes the locative.

Distance — blisko, daleko, niedaleko

To say how far something is, use blisko ("close"), daleko ("far"), niedaleko ("not far"):

To jest niedaleko, jakieś pięć minut piechotą.

It's not far, about five minutes on foot.

Dworzec jest dość daleko, lepiej pojechać tramwajem.

The station is quite far, better to take the tram.

Piechotą and na piechotę both mean "on foot"; pieszo is another everyday option.

Giving directions — a full set of instructions

Proszę iść prosto tą ulicą aż do świateł.

Go straight along this street up to the lights.

Przy światłach proszę skręcić w lewo.

At the lights, please turn left.

Potem proszę przejść przez most.

Then please cross the bridge.

Apteka będzie po prawej stronie, naprzeciwko kościoła.

The pharmacy will be on the right, opposite the church.

Notice po prawej stronie ("on the right-hand side", po + locative) for stating which side, distinct from w prawo ("to the right", for the turn itself). That contrast trips learners up: w prawo / w lewo for turning, po prawej / po lewej (stronie) for being located on a side.

Common Mistakes

❌ Skręć na lewo.

Incorrect — a turn takes w + accusative, not na.

✅ Skręć w lewo.

Turn left.

❌ Sklep jest obok kościół.

Incorrect — obok governs the genitive (kościoła).

✅ Sklep jest obok kościoła.

The shop is next to the church.

❌ Idziesz prosto i skręcasz w prawo. (as a command)

Incorrect register — that's the present tense (a statement), not a command.

✅ Idź prosto i skręć w prawo.

Go straight and turn right.

❌ Bank jest naprzeciwko dworzec.

Incorrect — naprzeciwko takes the genitive (dworca).

✅ Bank jest naprzeciwko dworca.

The bank is opposite the station.

❌ Apteka jest w prawej stronie.

Incorrect — 'on the right side' is po prawej stronie (po + locative).

✅ Apteka jest po prawej stronie.

The pharmacy is on the right-hand side.

Key Takeaways

Friendly directions use motion imperatives: idź, skręć, przejdź. Polite directions use Proszę + infinitive: Proszę iść, Proszę skręcić.
Turns are w + accusative: w lewo, w prawo. "Straight" is the adverb prosto, no preposition.
Proximity prepositions obok / koło / niedaleko / naprzeciwko all take the genitive; przy takes the locative; na rogu is na
- locative.
Distinguish w prawo (turn to the right) from po prawej stronie (located on the right side).

Now practice Polish

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Polish→