Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ja idę z domu do pracy.
What is the role of ja in this sentence, and do I need to include it every time I speak?
ja is the first-person singular pronoun (“I”). In Polish you can usually drop pronouns because the verb ending (-ę in idę) already shows who’s doing the action. You include ja only for emphasis or contrast. In everyday speech you’d normally say simply Idę z domu do pracy.
What does idę mean in this sentence?
idę is the first-person singular present tense of iść (“to go on foot”). Polish has just one present tense, so idę can be translated as either “I go” or “I am going,” but here it clearly means “I am going (right now).”
Why is idę used instead of chodzę?
idę (from iść) describes a one-time, directional movement happening now. chodzę (from chodzić) describes habitual or back-and-forth action (“I walk/ I usually walk”). If you wanted to say “I usually walk from home to work,” you’d use Chodzę z domu do pracy.
Could I say jadę z domu do pracy instead of idę?
Yes—but only if you’re travelling by some vehicle. jadę comes from jechać (“to go by vehicle”). Use idę for walking, and jadę if you’re taking a car, bus, train, etc.
Why is it z domu and not z dom or ze domu?
The preposition z means “from/out of” and always takes the genitive case. The noun dom (nominative) becomes domu in genitive. You use z (not ze) before simpler words; ze appears only to ease pronunciation before certain consonant clusters (e.g. ze szkoły, ze stacji).
Why is it do pracy and not do praca or do pracę?
The preposition do means “to/into” and also requires genitive. praca (nominative) changes to pracy in genitive, so do pracy literally means “to work.”
Could I say od domu instead of z domu?
Both z and od can mean “from” and take genitive, but with a slight nuance. z domu focuses on physically leaving a building or room, while od domu emphasizes the point of origin or starting point more abstractly. For exiting a house, Poles prefer z domu.
Is the word order fixed? Could I say Idę do pracy z domu?
Polish has relatively free word order. Idę do pracy z domu is grammatically correct, but the emphasis shifts: the original order highlights leaving home first, while the reversed order highlights arriving at work first. Both are fine, depending on what you want to stress.
If I want to talk about going tomorrow, can I use pójdę?
Yes. pójdę is the first-person singular future (perfective) of iść, meaning “I will go.” So Pójdę z domu do pracy means “I will go from home to work,” implying you plan to complete that action.