Breakdown of Ona płaci rachunek w restauracji.
ona
she
w
in
restauracja
the restaurant
rachunek
the bill
płacić
to pay
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Questions & Answers about Ona płaci rachunek w restauracji.
Why is ona used here? Can’t we omit the pronoun in Polish?
In Polish the verb ending already tells you the person and number, so subject pronouns are often dropped. płaci clearly means “he/she pays.” Ona is included here for emphasis or clarity (to show it’s a woman paying), but it isn’t strictly necessary.
What form of the verb is płaci, and what does it tell me?
płaci is the 3rd person singular present tense of płacić (“to pay”). It simply means “he/she pays” or “he/she is paying.” In the present tense Polish verbs don’t show gender, only person and number.
In English we say “the bill.” Why is there no article before rachunek?
Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles (no “the” or “a”). Context usually tells you whether something is specific or general. Here rachunek can mean “the bill” or “a bill,” but we rely on context rather than an article.
Why is rachunek unchanged instead of having a different ending? Isn’t it declined?
Yes, rachunek is declined. Here it’s the direct object of the verb, so it’s in the accusative case. For masculine inanimate nouns ending in a consonant (like rachunek), the accusative form is identical to the nominative: rachunek → rachunek.
What case is restauracji, and why do we use w before it?
w restauracji is a prepositional phrase meaning “in the restaurant.” After the preposition w (when indicating location) you must use the locative case. The nominative restauracja becomes restauracji in the singular locative.
How do you pronounce rachunek and restauracji?
Polish stress almost always falls on the penultimate syllable.
• rachunek is pronounced ra-CHU-nek (/raˈxu.nɛk/)
• restauracji is pronounced res-tau-RAC-ji (/rɛs.tauˈrat͡s.ji/)
Could we use zapłacić instead of płacić here?
płacić is imperfective (ongoing or habitual action), so płaci means “is paying” or “pays.” zapłacić is perfective (completed action), so you would say Ona zapłaci rachunek to mean “She will pay the bill” or “She has paid the bill” (depending on context). You don’t use zapłacić in the present tense for an ongoing action.
Is the word order always Subject–Verb–Object in Polish?
No, Polish has relatively free word order. The neutral (unmarked) order is Subject–Verb–Object: Ona płaci rachunek. However you can rearrange for emphasis:
• W restauracji płaci rachunek ona (emphasizes the place or the subject)
• Rachunek płaci ona w restauracji (emphasizes what she is paying)
Context and intonation guide you rather than fixed word order.