Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ty pomagasz mi gotować obiad.
Why is the subject pronoun ty used here, and can it be omitted?
In Polish, verb endings already indicate the subject, so ty is optional. You can simply say Pomagasz mi gotować obiad and it still means “You help me cook dinner.” We include ty only to add emphasis or clarity.
Why is the personal pronoun mi in the dative case rather than accusative like mnie?
The verb pomagać (to help) requires a dative object. You always help someone (dative), so you use mi (to me), not mnie.
How is the form pomagasz constructed?
Pomagasz is the second person singular present tense of pomagać. You drop -ać and add -asz, so pomagać → pomagasz.
Why is the verb gotować in the infinitive?
After verbs like pomagać, you use an infinitive to express the action you’re helping with. You don’t conjugate gotować here; it stays in its base form.
What case is obiad in, and why?
Obiad is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb gotować (to cook something).
Could I use a preposition instead of this infinitive construction, for example w gotowaniu?
Yes. You could say Pomagasz mi w gotowaniu obiadu, using w + the locative gotowaniu, but the more straightforward pattern in Polish is pomóc komuś + infinitive.
What would change if I used the perfective verb ugotować instead of gotować?
Using ugotować focuses on completion. Pomagasz mi ugotować obiad implies helping me finish cooking dinner (result). Gotować emphasizes the ongoing process.
Is the word order fixed, or can I rearrange these words?
Polish has relatively free word order. You could say Pomagasz mi gotować obiad, Mi pomagasz gotować obiad, or Gotować obiad pomagasz mi. Each variation shifts emphasis but keeps the core meaning.