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Questions & Answers about Jutro pójdziemy przez most, aby zobaczyć rynek po drugiej stronie.
What tense and aspect does pójdziemy represent, and why is it used here?
Pójdziemy is the 1st person plural future tense of the perfective verb pójść (“to go” with an emphasis on completing the action). In Polish, perfective verbs form a simple future. Saying jutro pójdziemy means “tomorrow we will go” (and complete that going). If you used the imperfective iść, you would need a periphrastic future (będziemy iść), which stresses the ongoing nature of “going” rather than its completion.
Why is przez used before most, and what case does it require?
The preposition przez means “through” or “across.” To express “go across the bridge,” you must use przez + accusative. Most (bridge) is a masculine inanimate noun, whose accusative form is identical to its nominative: most. Hence przez most = “across the bridge.”
Why is rynek not in the genitive (rynku) after zobaczyć?
The verb zobaczyć requires a direct object in the accusative case. Rynek (market) is masculine inanimate, so its accusative form matches the nominative: rynek. That’s why we do not see rynku here.
What role does aby play in this sentence, and could we use żeby instead?
Aby introduces a purpose clause meaning “in order to.” It is somewhat more formal than żeby, but both convey purpose. You could say …przez most, żeby zobaczyć rynek… in colloquial speech. There’s also by, which is slightly more literary: …przez most, by zobaczyć rynek…
Why is there a comma before aby?
In Polish punctuation, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like aby, że, gdyby are normally preceded by a comma. That comma marks the boundary between the main clause (“Jutro pójdziemy przez most”) and the purpose clause (“aby zobaczyć rynek po drugiej stronie”).
What does po drugiej stronie mean, and which case does it use?
Po drugiej stronie literally means “on the second side,” idiomatically “on the other side.” Here po takes the locative case. Strona (side) is feminine; its locative singular form is stronie, and the adjective druga is accordingly inflected to drugiej.
Could we move jutro to a different position, and would the meaning change?
Yes. Polish has flexible word order. You could say Pójdziemy jutro przez most… and the meaning remains “Tomorrow we will go across the bridge…” Placing jutro at the beginning adds a slight emphasis on the time.
What’s the difference between pójdziemy przez most and przejdziemy przez most?
- Pójdziemy przez most (from pójść) emphasizes setting out and completing the action of going.
- Przejdziemy przez most (from przejść) focuses specifically on the act of crossing. Both are perfective and form a simple future. The nuance is subtle: pójść = “go,” przejść = “cross (on foot).”
Why not use na moście instead of przez most?
Na moście (locative) means “on the bridge” (i.e., located there). Przez most (accusative) means “across the bridge” (i.e., moving through it). Since the sentence describes going across, przez is correct.
Is aby zobaczyć rynek po drugiej stronie a literal translation of “to see the market on the other side,” or is there any nuance?
It’s essentially literal: “in order to see the market on the other side.” The nuance is formal purpose. In everyday speech you might hear żeby zobaczyć rynek po drugiej stronie, but the meaning stays the same: expressing the intention or goal of the action.