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Questions & Answers about Pociąg musi odjechać teraz.
Why is Pociąg in the nominative case, and what gender is it?
Pociąg is the subject of the sentence, so it takes the nominative case. It is a masculine inanimate noun in the singular.
What part of speech is musi, and how does it function with odjechać?
Musi is the 3rd person singular present form of the modal verb musieć (to have to/must). In Polish, modal verbs are followed directly by an infinitive, so musi governs the infinitive odjechać.
Why is odjechać used instead of the imperfective odjeżdżać?
Odjechać is perfective, highlighting the completion of the action—leaving the station. Odjeżdżać is imperfective and would imply an ongoing process or a habitual action, e.g. “The train is departing” or “Trains depart at 5 pm (regularly).”
Could we replace odjechać with wyjechać here?
Although both can mean “to leave,” odjechać specifically refers to a vehicle departing a stop or station. Wyjechać generally means “to go out” or “to leave” an area (city, country). For a train’s departure, odjechać is the more natural choice.
Why is teraz placed at the end of the sentence, and can we move it?
Polish word order is quite flexible. Putting teraz at the end adds slight emphasis to “now.” You can also say:
• Pociąg musi teraz odjechać.
• Teraz pociąg musi odjechać.
All are correct; the basic meaning (“The train has to leave now”) stays the same.
Can we say Pociąg musi jechać teraz instead?
No, that would change the meaning. Jechać (imperfective) means “to go” or “to be traveling,” not “to depart.” You need the perfective odjechać to convey the one-time act of leaving.
Does musi ever express probability (like “must be”) instead of obligation?
Yes, musi can indicate inference or probability when followed by an adjective or a clause, e.g. Musi być zmęczony (“He must be tired”). In our sentence, however, it conveys necessity/obligation, because it’s followed by a full infinitive.
How would you turn this into a question in Polish?
You can add the particle czy at the start:
Czy pociąg musi odjechać teraz?
Alternatively, you can drop czy and rely on intonation:
Pociąg musi odjechać teraz?