Breakdown of Doktor dzwoni, bo ma nowe zadanie na jutrzejszą lekcję.
mieć
to have
nowy
new
bo
because
na
for
lekcja
the lesson
zadanie
the task
doktor
the doctor
dzwonić
to call
jutrzejszy
tomorrow’s
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Questions & Answers about Doktor dzwoni, bo ma nowe zadanie na jutrzejszą lekcję.
What does bo mean in this sentence and could I use another word instead?
bo is a conjunction meaning because. It’s very common in everyday speech. A more formal equivalent is ponieważ (“because”), so you could say:
Doktor dzwoni, ponieważ ma nowe zadanie na jutrzejszą lekcję.
But bo is shorter and more colloquial.
Why is the adjective nowe used instead of nowy?
zadanie is a neuter noun. In Polish, adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Neuter adjectives in the nominative and accusative singular both take -e, so nowy → nowe to match zadanie (which here is in the accusative as the object of ma).
Which case is na jutrzejszą lekcję, and why is it accusative?
The preposition na can take the accusative to express purpose or deadline (“for …”). Here lekcja (feminine) becomes lekcję in the accusative singular, and jutrzejsza (“tomorrow’s”) takes the corresponding feminine-accusative ending -ą, giving jutrzejszą.
Why is there no direct object after dzwoni, like “to me”?
In Polish, dzwonić can be used without specifying the recipient if it’s clear from context. If you wanted to say “The doctor is calling me,” you would add do mnie (genitive):
Doktor dzwoni do mnie.
What is the verb form ma, and what does it come from?
ma is the third-person singular present tense of mieć (“to have”). Here it means “he has” (i.e. the doctor has a new assignment).
Is the comma before bo mandatory?
Yes. In Polish, a comma is normally placed before bo (and other conjunctions like ponieważ, że) when introducing a subordinate clause of reason.
Could I say na lekcję jutro instead of na jutrzejszą lekcję?
You could say na lekcję jutro, but it’s less precise and a bit more informal. na jutrzejszą lekcję is the standard way to express “for tomorrow’s lesson.”
How do you pronounce jutrzejszą?
Roughly [yoot-ZHEY-shon].
- j = “y” in “yes”
- rz = like “s” in “measure”
- ą = nasal “o,” similar to French on
Why isn’t there an article like “the” before doktor?
Polish has no articles. Nouns stand alone without the or a, and you rely on context to know if it’s definite or indefinite.