Learn Hardcore Polish: O południu spotykam kolegę w teatrze, bo mamy próbę. - At noon I meet my friend in the theater because we have a rehearsal.

O południu literally means “in the afternoon” or “around noon.” Polish uses o with a time to mean “at that time” (e.g. o siódmej = “at seven”). W południe also exists and means “at noon” precisely. So o południu is a bit more general (“around midday/early afternoon”) while w południe is “exactly at noon.”

Why is spotykam in the present tense when it refers to a planned meeting later?

In Polish, the imperfective present tense can describe scheduled future events, much like English “I’m meeting” or “I meet.” So spotykam kolegę is “I’m meeting my friend” at the specified time. If you wanted to emphasise that the meeting will happen and be completed, you could use the perfective future spotkam kolegę, but here the simple present is idiomatic for plans.

Why is kolegę in the accusative case rather than the nominative?

Kolega is the subject form (nominative). Because spotykać (to meet) takes a direct object, the noun must be in the accusative case. For masculine animate nouns like kolega, the accusative singular is kolegę.

How does w teatrze work grammatically?

W is the preposition “in/at,” and it requires the locative case to indicate location. Teatr (theatre) in the locative singular becomes teatrze, so w teatrze means “at the theatre.”

What is bo, and can I use ponieważ instead?

Bo is an informal conjunction meaning “because.” Ponieważ is more formal or written Polish and means the same thing. You can say ponieważ mamy próbę, but in speech bo is more common.

Why is próbę in the accusative case in mamy próbę?

Próba (rehearsal) is a direct object of mieć (to have), so it takes the accusative case. For a feminine noun like próba, nominative próba changes to accusative próbę.

Could I swap the word order, for example saying W teatrze spotykam kolegę?

Yes. Polish word order is relatively flexible. W teatrze spotykam kolegę still means “I meet my friend at the theatre.” Changing order can subtly shift emphasis (initial position is more prominent), but the core meaning stays the same.

What nuance does using the imperfective mamy próbę give compared to a perfective construction?

Using the imperfective mamy (“we have”) focuses on the ongoing nature of having a rehearsal. If you said odbędziemy próbę (perfective future), it would stress that the rehearsal will take place/completed. Here, mamy próbę simply states the plan/schedule without emphasising completion.