Zapytaj o stawkę niezależnie od tego, czy rośnie, czy spada.

Zapytaj is the imperative form of zapytać.

More specifically, it is:

• 2nd person singular
• used when speaking to one person
• usually informal

So it means ask!

Because zapytać is a perfective verb, zapytaj suggests one complete act of asking. It sounds like go ahead and ask or make sure you ask.

Compare:

• zapytaj = ask once, do it
• pytaj = ask, keep asking, ask in general

This is mainly a question of aspect.

Polish often has verb pairs:

• pytać = imperfective
• zapytać = perfective

In commands:

• pytaj can mean ask, but often has a more ongoing, repeated, or general feel
• zapytaj sounds like ask once and get the information

In this sentence, zapytaj fits well because the idea is to make the inquiry, not to emphasize a repeated process.

Because after pytać / zapytać o, Polish uses the accusative case.

So:

• dictionary form: stawka
• accusative singular: stawkę

This is a very common pattern:

• pytać o cenę = ask about the price
• pytać o godzinę = ask about the time
• pytać o stawkę = ask about the rate / stake

So o here is not optional decoration; it is part of the normal structure of the verb.

Stawka can mean different things depending on context, for example:

• rate
• fee
• wage
• fare
• stake
• sometimes something like a bid or quote

So learners should not assume it always means only one thing.

In this sentence, it most likely means something like rate or price level, especially because it can rise or fall.

This is a fixed expression meaning regardless of whether...

Literally, the structure is something like:

• niezależnie = independently
• od = from / of
• tego = that

But you should learn the whole phrase as one unit:

• niezależnie od tego, czy... = regardless of whether...

Very common alternatives are:

• bez względu na to, czy...
• niezależnie od tego, czy...

They are very close in meaning.

Tego is the genitive form of to.

That happens because od requires the genitive case.

So in:

• niezależnie od tego

the word tego is there because of the preposition od.

This is a good example of why Polish learners often need to memorize preposition + case combinations:

• od
  • genitive
• o
  • accusative in this kind of sentence

In Polish, whether... or... is very often expressed as:

• czy X, czy Y

So:

• czy rośnie, czy spada = whether it is rising or falling

Repeating czy is normal and natural here.

This is different from English, where you usually say whether X or Y and do not repeat whether before both parts.

The subject is understood from context.

Here, it is most naturally stawka.

So the full idea is:

• whether the rate is rising
• or whether the rate is falling

Polish often leaves out subjects when they are obvious. This is very normal and much more common than in English.

They are singular because the understood subject is singular: stawka.

However, in the 3rd person singular present tense, Polish verbs do not show gender.

So:

• on rośnie
• ona rośnie
• ono rośnie

The form rośnie stays the same.

The same is true for spada:

• on spada
• ona spada
• ono spada

Gender shows up in some other forms, especially in the past tense, but not here.

The commas help mark the subordinate structure clearly.

The phrase:

• niezależnie od tego, czy...

introduces a dependent clause, so a comma before czy is normal.

Then:

• czy rośnie, czy spada

contains two parallel alternatives, and Polish normally separates them with a comma as well.

So the punctuation reflects the grammar:

• main command: Zapytaj o stawkę
• subordinate clause: niezależnie od tego, czy rośnie, czy spada

Yes, the person is not stated, but that is perfectly normal.

Polish can say:

• zapytać kogoś o coś = ask someone about something

For example:

• Zapytaj sprzedawcę o stawkę = Ask the seller about the rate

But if the person is obvious from context, Polish often leaves that part out:

• Zapytaj o stawkę = Ask about the rate

So the sentence is complete even without naming who you ask.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

• bez względu na to, czy rośnie, czy spada

That also means regardless of whether it rises or falls.

The difference is mostly stylistic:

• niezależnie od tego, czy... = slightly more formal or neutral
• bez względu na to, czy... = very common and natural too

Both are correct.

By itself, zapytaj is usually an informal singular command, addressed to one person you would say ty to.

If you want to be polite or formal to one person, Polish usually uses:

• Niech pan zapyta
• Niech pani zapyta

If you are speaking to several people:

• Zapytajcie

So learners should notice that the plain imperative form often carries information about number and level of formality.