Podaj mi długopis, proszę.

Give me the pen, please.

Breakdown of Podaj mi długopis, proszę.

• ty: you
• proszę: please
• mi: me
• długopis: the pen
• podać: to give

Questions & Answers about Podaj mi długopis, proszę.

What grammatical form is podaj, and how is it formed?

podaj is the second-person singular imperative of the verb podać (“to hand, to pass”). In Polish you form the imperative by taking the verb stem (podaj-) and using the appropriate ending (for many verbs, including podać, the 2 sg. imperative has no extra ending). This is how you directly instruct someone: “Hand over…”

What’s the difference between podaj mi długopis and daj mi długopis?

Both can mean “give me the pen,” but there’s a nuance:

• podaj: “pass/hand me” (emphasizes a short, physical action within reach)
• daj: “give me” (more general; could imply handing or handing over permanently)

Use podaj when you want someone to simply pass you something.

What case is długopis in here, and why does it look the same as the nominative?

długopis is the direct object of podaj, so it’s in the accusative case. For masculine inanimate nouns the accusative form is identical to the nominative, hence długopis stays unchanged.

Why do we say mi instead of mnie for “me”?

Polish uses a short-form clitic for unstressed personal pronouns immediately after verbs. For the dative:

• short form (unstressed, usually directly after the verb): mi
• long form (stressed, after prepositions, or for emphasis): mnie

Since mi comes right after podaj, we use the short form.

Why is proszę at the end of the sentence? Can it go elsewhere?

proszę is a polite particle meaning “please.” Placing it at the end softens the command:

• At the end (common in spoken Polish): Podaj mi długopis, proszę.
• At the beginning (also fine): Proszę, podaj mi długopis.
• Even in the middle: Podaj mi, proszę, długopis. (less common, more emphatic)

Is a comma required before proszę?

Yes—when proszę functions as a parenthetical (“please”), it’s set off by a comma:
Podaj mi długopis, proszę.
If proszę starts the sentence as a verb (“I ask”), you might omit the comma or place it after proszę, depending on style.

Can we drop mi and just say Podaj długopis?

Absolutely. Podaj długopis means “Pass the pen.” You omit mi when it’s obvious who should receive it. Including mi emphasizes that the action is for you.

How would you make this request more formal or address a group?

To sound more formal or polite to one person:

• Use the infinitive form: “Proszę podać mi długopis.”
• Or impersonal: “Niech pan/pani poda mi długopis, proszę.”

To address multiple people (informal plural):

• Imperative plural: “Podajcie mi długopis, proszę.”