Ja sprawdzam numer telefonu w liście.

I check the phone number in the letter.

Breakdown of Ja sprawdzam numer telefonu w liście.

• ja: I
• w: in
• numer telefonu: the phone number
• list: the letter
• sprawdzać: to check

Questions & Answers about Ja sprawdzam numer telefonu w liście.

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” before numer or liście?

Polish does not have articles like the or a. Definiteness and indefiniteness are expressed through context, word order or additional words (e.g. ten numer – “this number,” jakiś numer – “some number”). Here, you simply understand numer telefonu and w liście from the situation.

What case is liście and why isn’t it just lista?

liście is the locative singular form of the feminine noun lista. After the preposition w (“in”), Polish requires the locative. The full locative declension of lista is:

• Nom. lista
• Gen. listy
• Dat. liście
• Acc. listę
• Inst. listą
• Loc. liście

So w liście literally means “in the list.”

Is numer in the nominative case? It looks like the dictionary form.

Actually numer here is the direct object of sprawdzam (“I check”), so it’s in the accusative. For inanimate masculine singular nouns, the accusative form is identical to the nominative. That’s why numer looks unchanged.

Why is telefonu in the genitive case instead of telefon?

Polish often uses the genitive to link two nouns in a “of” relationship. numer telefonu literally means “number of the phone.” So telefonu is the genitive singular of telefon.

Could I say sprawdzam numer telefonu na liście instead of w liście?

Yes, but with a nuance:

• na liście (“on the list”) treats the list like a page or table. Common when you imagine a printed list: Jesteś na liście gości (“You’re on the guest list”).
• w liście (“in the list”) treats the list as a container or as part of a larger document (e.g. a phone directory). Both are possible depending on what you picture.

How do I pronounce sprawdzam, especially the dz cluster, and where is the stress?

• Pronunciation: [ˈspraf.d͡zam]
  • spra- (first syllable)
  • dzam (second syllable, with dz as the voiced affricate [d͡z])
• Stress in Polish almost always falls on the penultimate syllable. Here that’s the first syllable: SPRAF-dzam.

What aspect is sprawdzam, and is there a perfective form?

• sprawdzam is the imperfective present tense of sprawdzać (“to check,” ongoing or habitual action).
• The perfective infinitive is sprawdzić, with future/future-past forms like sprawdzę (“I will check” – completed action) or sprawdziłem (“I checked”). Use perfective if you mean a one-time, completed check.

Why do we sometimes include Ja (“I”) before sprawdzam? Can it be omitted?

The subject pronoun Ja is optional because the verb ending –am already signals “I.” You can say either:

• Ja sprawdzam numer telefonu w liście. (adds emphasis: “I (not someone else) am checking…”)
• Sprawdzam numer telefonu w liście. (neutral, everyday style)