Learn Hardcore Polish: Kelner nigdy nie zapomina przynieść rachunku po obiedzie. - The waiter never forgets to bring the bill after dinner.

In Polish, negative adverbs like nigdy (never) must be accompanied by nie on the verb. This is called negation concord – every negative element in the clause requires the verb to be negated. So nigdy nie zapomina literally means “never does he forget,” which in English we render as “he never forgets.”

What’s the difference between zapominać and zapomnieć, and why is zapomina used here?

zapominać is the imperfective form of “to forget,” used for habitual or repeated actions. zapomnieć is the perfective form, used for single, completed events. Since the sentence describes a repeated habit (“the waiter never forgets”), we use the imperfective zapomina.

Why is the infinitive przynieść (perfective) used after zapominać, and not an imperfective like przynosić?

When you speak about forgetting to complete a specific action – in this case, the one-time act of bringing the bill – you normally use the perfective infinitive for that action. The main verb stays imperfective to show the habitual nature, but the subordinate verb is perfective to show that each occurrence is a finished action.

Why doesn’t Polish put to before przynieść, like English does with “to bring”?

Polish infinitives already end in -ć and never need a separate particle for “to.” After verbs like zapominać, you simply use the bare infinitive przynieść.

Why is rachunku in the genitive case instead of the accusative rachunek?

Because the main verb is negated (nie zapomina), its direct object in the subordinate infinitive clause optionally takes the genitive – a feature called the genitive of negation. With inanimate objects (like rachunek), using genitive rachunku is common in more formal or neutral styles, though accusative rachunek remains possible.

What case is obiedzie in, and why is it used after po?

obiedzie is the locative case. When po indicates time (“after something”), it requires the locative. Hence po obiedzie = “after dinner.”

Can I say podać rachunek instead of przynieść rachunku? What’s the difference?

Yes. podać rachunek literally means “to hand over the bill,” and is idiomatic in restaurants. przynieść focuses on “bringing” the bill over (emphasizing movement toward the speaker). Both are correct; podać rachunek is slightly more common when you ask the waiter to present the check.

Is the word order fixed here? Could I start the sentence with Po obiedzie?

Polish word order is quite flexible. You can say Po obiedzie kelner nigdy nie zapomina przynieść rachunku without changing the basic meaning. Moving the time phrase up front simply shifts the emphasis slightly to “after dinner.”