Wczoraj byłem na uczelni i miałem ważne spotkanie.

Yesterday, I was at the university and had an important meeting.

Breakdown of Wczoraj byłem na uczelni i miałem ważne spotkanie.

• ja: I
• być: to be
• mieć: to have
• i: and
• wczoraj: yesterday
• na: at
• uczelnia: the university
• ważny: important
• spotkanie: the meeting

Questions & Answers about Wczoraj byłem na uczelni i miałem ważne spotkanie.

What does the word wczoraj mean in the sentence?

It means yesterday. This adverb sets the time frame for when the events took place.

Why is the verb form byłem used, and what does its form indicate about the speaker?

Byłem is the first-person singular past tense form of być (to be). The ending -em shows that the speaker is male. If a female speaker were talking, she would use byłam.

Why is the preposition na used with uczelnia in this context?

In Polish, when referring to attending or being at a college or university, the preposition na is traditionally used along with the locative case. Na uczelni is a common idiomatic expression meaning at the university/college.

What does the verb miałem signify, and how does it reflect the subject’s identity?

Miałem is the first-person singular past tense form of mieć (to have). It indicates that the speaker had or experienced something—in this case, an important meeting. Like byłem, its ending -em confirms that the speaker is male; a female speaker would say miałam.

How does the adjective ważne agree with the noun spotkanie?

In Polish, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Since spotkanie is a neuter noun, the adjective takes its neuter form ważne (instead of ważny for masculine or ważna for feminine).

How is the overall sentence structured regarding its clauses and conjunctions?

The sentence is composed of two coordinate clauses joined by the conjunction i (and). It begins with wczoraj (yesterday) to establish the time, followed by the first clause byłem na uczelni (I was at the university) and then the second clause miałem ważne spotkanie (I had an important meeting), effectively linking two related past events.