Learn Hardcore Polish: Czy on może znaleźć tani bilet na pociąg jutro rano? - Can he find a cheap ticket for the train tomorrow morning?

Czy is a question particle used to form yes/no questions in Polish. Instead of inverting subject and verb like in English, you keep normal word order and add Czy at the beginning to signal that it’s a question.

What is the role of on here, and can I omit it?

On means he and specifies the subject. Polish verbs are conjugated for person, so może already tells us it’s third person singular. You can omit on in informal speech because the verb ending implies the subject, but keeping it adds clarity or emphasis.

What does może mean in this context?

Może is the third person singular present tense of the verb móc (“to be able to,” “can,” or “may”). Here it asks if he is able to find a cheap ticket.

Why is znaleźć in the infinitive form?

After modal verbs like móc you always use an infinitive in Polish. So just like in English “can find,” Polish uses może + znaleźć (“to find”).

Why is the adjective tani used here, and why not another form?

Tani is the basic (positive) form of “cheap.” It agrees in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (accusative) with bilet. For masculine inanimate nouns like bilet, the accusative form looks exactly like the nominative, so tani bilet is correct. A comparative like tańszy bilet would mean “a cheaper ticket” (comparing two things), which isn’t intended here.

Why do we say na pociąg instead of using an instrumental case like pociągiem?

Na pociąg (with na + accusative) means “for a train,” i.e. a ticket intended for that train. The instrumental pociągiem would mean “by train,” describing the mode of travel rather than the ticket’s purpose.

Why is the time expression jutro rano placed at the end of the sentence?

In Polish, time expressions can appear at the beginning or end. Placing jutro rano at the end is very natural and keeps the focus on the main action first. You could also say Jutro rano czy on może..., but it’s less common.

Could we use taniego biletu instead of tani bilet?

No. Taniego biletu is the genitive case, used after negations or certain verbs. Here the sentence is affirmative and bilet is a direct object, so the accusative is required—which for masculine inanimate looks like the nominative (tani bilet).