Breakdown of Jeśli mam czas, czytam książkę po pracy.
ja
I
mieć
to have
czytać
to read
książka
the book
czas
the time
po
after
praca
the work
jeśli
if
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Questions & Answers about Jeśli mam czas, czytam książkę po pracy.
Why is the verb czytam in the present tense when the sentence refers to something that might happen in the future?
In Polish, general or habitual conditions (“if I have time, I read…”) use the present‐tense indicative in both clauses. This is called the “zero conditional.” Even though you’re talking about a future possibility, you still say jeśli mam (if I have) and czytam (I read) rather than switching to future forms.
Why isn’t there a personal pronoun ja in jeśli mam czas or before czytam?
Polish is a pro‐drop language: the verb endings (–m in mam, –m in czytam) already indicate “I.” You can add ja for emphasis (“jeśli ja mam czas…”), but normally you omit it.
What case is książkę, and why is it in that case?
Książkę is the accusative singular form of książka. It’s the direct object of czytam, so Polish requires the accusative case for most direct objects.
Why is it po pracy and not po pracę?
The preposition po meaning “after” governs the locative case here. The locative singular of praca is pracy, so po pracy = “after work.”
What’s the difference between jeśli, jeżeli, and gdy?
- jeśli and jeżeli both mean “if” and are nearly interchangeable; jeżeli is slightly more formal or emphatic.
- gdy (or gdyż) means “when” or “because,” but when used as a conditional it’s more like “whenever” or “when” (“gdy mam czas, czytam…” often implies a repeating habit). For a simple “if” you prefer jeśli/jeżeli.
Why is czytam (imperfective) used instead of przeczytam (perfective)?
Imperfective aspect (czytam) indicates an ongoing or habitual action (“I read regularly”). Perfective (przeczytam) would imply completion at a specific future moment (“I will finish reading the book”). Here the meaning is “I read (from time to time) after work if I have time,” so you choose imperfective.
Do I have to put the if clause first? Can I say Czytam książkę po pracy, jeśli mam czas?
Yes, you can. Polish subordinating clauses may come first or second. In both cases you need a comma before jeśli, but both orders are correct:
- Jeśli mam czas, czytam książkę po pracy.
- Czytam książkę po pracy, jeśli mam czas.
Why is there a comma before jeśli?
Because jeśli introduces a subordinate (conditional) clause, and in Polish you separate main and subordinate clauses with a comma.