Czy możesz zapisać adres na tej karcie, żebym go nie zgubił?

Can you write the address on this card so I don’t lose it?

Breakdown of Czy możesz zapisać adres na tej karcie, żebym go nie zgubił?

• ty: you
• na: on
• czy: question marker
• żeby: in order to
• zgubić: to lose
• móc: to be able to
• ta: this
• adres: the address
• zapisać: to write
• karta: the card
• go: it

Questions & Answers about Czy możesz zapisać adres na tej karcie, żebym go nie zgubił?

Why do we start with Czy in Czy możesz zapisać…? Can't we just say Możesz zapisać…?

In Polish you can form yes/no questions in two ways:

• Omit Czy and rely on rising intonation:
  Możesz zapisać adres? (informal)
• Precede the verb with Czy to clearly mark it as a question:
  Czy możesz zapisać adres? (neutral/polite)

Both are correct. Czy adds clarity—especially in writing—and a touch of formality.

Why is zapisać in the infinitive after możesz?

Polish modal verbs like móc (to be able to) are followed by an infinitive:

• mogę iść – I can go
• możesz napisać – you can write

You never conjugate the main verb after móc—the infinitive is required.

What's the difference between karta and kartka? Could I use kartka instead of karta?

Both words mean “card” but differ in nuance:

• karta – a rigid or official card (e.g., credit card, ID card, index card)
• kartka – a small, usually disposable piece of paper/card (e.g., greeting card, note)

If you mean a little piece of paper to jot down an address, kartka (and na tej kartce) is most natural. Karta works if you’re writing on an index‐card or other stiffer material.

Why is there żebym + go nie zgubił instead of an infinitive like żeby nie zgubić?

Polish allows two “so that” constructions:

1. żeby
   • finite verb (subjunctive) when the subject changes:
     żebym go nie zgubił (“so that I don’t lose it”)
2. żeby
   • infinitive (impersonal):
     żeby nie zgubić (“so as not to lose”)

The first is more personal and explicit (subject = I). The second is more abstract. Both are correct; the finite form is more common in spoken Polish.

Why is the pronoun go used here, and why is it placed before nie? Also, which noun does go refer to—adres or karta?

• go is the masculine singular accusative pronoun meaning “it.” It refers to adres (address), which is masculine.
• karta is feminine, so its pronoun would be jej.
• Clitic pronouns in Polish typically precede nie and the verb:
  żebym go nie zgubił
  Putting go after nie is grammatically okay (żebym nie zgubił go) but less common.

Why is there a comma before żebym?

In Polish, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like żeby, aby, or że are separated by a comma:

• Main clause: Czy możesz zapisać adres…
• Comma
• Subordinate purpose clause: …, żebym go nie zgubił?

The comma signals the start of a new clause.

Could I replace żeby with aby? Is there a difference?

Yes. Both mean “so that,” but:

• żeby – informal/colloquial
• aby – more formal or literary

Your sentence also works as
Czy możesz zapisać adres na tej karcie, aby go nie zgubił?
It simply sounds a bit more formal.

Why do we use nie zgubił instead of a future form like nie zgubię?

After żebym (the subjunctive), Polish uses what looks like the past tense form for the “jussive” or subjunctive mood:

• nie zgubił (subjunctive “that I not lose”) If you said nie zgubię, you’d be making a straightforward future statement (I will not lose it), not a purpose clause.

Can I say Zapisz adres na tej karcie, żebym go nie zgubił using the imperative instead of Czy możesz?

You can, but it changes the tone:

• Zapisz adres na tej karcie, żebym go nie zgubił.
  Feels like a direct order.
• Czy możesz zapisać…
  Is a polite request.

Imperative is fine among close friends; Czy możesz… is gentler.

Could I say Mógłbyś zapisać… instead of Czy możesz zapisać…? What’s the nuance?

Both are polite requests:

• Czy możesz zapisać… – neutral question (“Can you write…”).
• Mógłbyś zapisać… – conditional (“Could you write…”), slightly softer and more tentative.

Use Mógłbyś or even Czy mógłbyś to be extra polite.