Breakdown of Czy dodajesz mleko do herbaty, czy wolisz ją gorzką?
herbata
the tea
do
to
woleć
to prefer
czy
question marker
Questions & Answers about Czy dodajesz mleko do herbaty, czy wolisz ją gorzką?
Why are there two instances of the word czy in this sentence?
Polish often uses czy … czy … to mean “either … or ….” Each czy marks one part of the alternative. Here it’s literally “Do you add milk to tea, or do you prefer it bitter?” The first czy introduces the first option, the second czy introduces the second.
Why is dodajesz used instead of a past- or perfective form like dodałeś or dodasz?
Dodajesz is the present tense, imperfective, second-person singular form of dodawać (“to add”). Imperfective verbs express ongoing actions or habits. Here you’re asking about a regular or current habit: “Do you (habitually/now) add milk?”
Why is herbata in the form herbaty after do?
The preposition do always takes the genitive case in Polish. Herbata (nominative) becomes herbaty (genitive) to show “to tea.” Hence do herbaty = “to the tea.”
Why is mleko not changed in form—why isn’t it mleka or something else?
Mleko is the direct object of dodajesz and remains in the nominative–accusative form for neuter nouns. For neuter singular nouns, nominative and accusative are identical, so mleko stays as it is.