Learn Hardcore Polish: Czy powinni spacerować po parku, jeśli są zmęczeni chorobą? - Should they walk in the park if they are tired from illness?

czy is the interrogative particle used to form yes/no questions in Polish. It doesn’t translate directly into English but signals to the listener that a yes/no answer is expected. Placed at the very start, it triggers the inverted word order typical for Polish questions (verb before subject).

Why is powinni used here and what does it mean?

powinni is the 3rd person plural of the modal verb powinien, which expresses obligation or advice—equivalent to “should” in English. It agrees with the implied subject oni (“they”) and requires a following infinitive verb (spacerować).

Why is the verb spacerować in its infinitive form?

In Polish, modal verbs like powinien are always followed by an infinitive. This pattern is similar to English “should + base verb,” so you’ll see spacerować (to walk) unconjugated after powinni.

Why do we use po parku, and what case is parku?

The preposition po (in the sense of “around,” “through,” or “in”) takes the locative case when describing movement within an area. parku is the locative singular of park, so po parku means “around the park” or “in the park.”