Oni muszą zostać w domu po południu i przygotować się na wieczorną kolację.

the house

Breakdown of Oni muszą zostać w domu po południu i przygotować się na wieczorną kolację.

• oni: they
• w: in
• i: and
• na: for
• przygotować się: to prepare
• musieć: must
• zostać: to stay
• po południu: in the afternoon
• wieczorny: evening
• kolacja: the dinner

Questions & Answers about Oni muszą zostać w domu po południu i przygotować się na wieczorną kolację.

What is the function of the modal verb muszą in this sentence?

Muszą expresses obligation or necessity. It tells us that the subjects are required to perform the actions mentioned—that is, they must (or have to) stay at home in the afternoon and prepare for the evening dinner.

Why are the verbs zostać and przygotować się in the infinitive form?

In Polish, when a modal verb like muszą is used, the verbs that follow are typically in the infinitive. Here, both zostać (meaning “to stay”) and przygotować się (meaning “to prepare oneself” or “to get ready”) remain in the infinitive form, much like using “have to” followed by the base form of a verb in English.

What is the role of the reflexive pronoun się in przygotować się?

The reflexive pronoun się is essential because it makes the verb reflexive. This means that the subject is preparing itself—a nuance that changes the meaning from simply preparing something to getting oneself ready. In English, it corresponds to “to get ready” or “to prepare oneself.”

How do the prepositions w, po, and na function in this sentence?

Each preposition plays a specific role:

• W in w domu indicates location (i.e., "at home").
• Po in po południu denotes a time period, meaning "in the afternoon" (literally "after midday").
• Na in na wieczorną kolację is used with the accusative case to express purpose or preparation for something (here, "for the evening dinner"), much like saying “prepare for” in English.

Why does the sentence use the single modal verb muszą for both actions?

Polish allows one modal verb to govern multiple coordinated actions when the subject remains the same. The conjunction i (“and”) links the two actions—staying at home and preparing for dinner—so muszą applies to both, eliminating the need to repeat the modal verb.

Why is kolację in the accusative case in the phrase na wieczorną kolację?

In this context, the preposition na requires the following noun phrase to be in the accusative case when indicating the event or purpose for which something is prepared. Therefore, kolację appears in the accusative (modified by the adjective wieczorną) to show that the preparation is specifically for the evening dinner.