Ja proponuję mięso tylko wtedy, gdy potrzebujesz więcej energii.

I suggest meat only when you need more energy.

Breakdown of Ja proponuję mięso tylko wtedy, gdy potrzebujesz więcej energii.

• ja: I
• ty: you
• potrzebować: to need
• więcej: more
• energia: the energy
• proponować: to suggest
• mięso: the meat
• tylko wtedy, gdy: only when

Questions & Answers about Ja proponuję mięso tylko wtedy, gdy potrzebujesz więcej energii.

Why is ja included when Polish verbs already show the subject?

In Polish the verb ending usually indicates the subject (here -ę tells you it’s first person singular). Adding ja is not grammatically necessary but adds emphasis or contrast – as if to say “I, for one, suggest meat…”.

What does proponuję mean here? Can it mean both “I suggest” and “I offer”?

Yes. Proponować can mean “to propose/suggest” (e.g. an idea) or “to offer” (e.g. food or help). Context tells you which sense is meant. In this sentence it’s closer to “I (would) recommend/suggest meat…”.

Why is the noun mięso not mięsa?

Mięso is the direct object of proponuję, so it’s in the accusative case. For neuter nouns like mięso, the nominative and accusative forms are identical, hence mięso, not mięsa (which would be genitive).

Why is there a comma before gdy?

Polish uses a comma to separate the main clause from a subordinate clause introduced by conjunctions such as gdy, kiedy, że, etc. So you write tylko wtedy, gdy… with a comma.

What’s the difference between tylko wtedy, gdy and tylko gdy?

Tylko gdy literally means “only when.” Adding wtedy (tylko wtedy, gdy) makes it more emphatic – “only at that time, when…” In everyday speech you might hear both, but tylko wtedy, gdy is slightly more formal or forceful.

Why use gdy instead of kiedy or jeśli?

• gdy and kiedy both mean “when,” with gdy more common in written or slightly formal contexts.
• jeśli means “if” (conditional) rather than “when.” Here we’re saying “at the moment you need more energy,” not “in the hypothetical case you need more energy.”

Why is więcej energii in the genitive case?

With comparatives like więcej (“more”), Polish requires the genitive case for the noun that follows. Energia is feminine, its genitive singular is energii, so you get więcej energii (“more energy”).

Could you change the word order, for example say Tylko wtedy proponuję mięso, gdy potrzebujesz więcej energii?

Yes, you can. Polish allows some freedom in word order for emphasis. Your version is correct and shifts the focus slightly to tylko wtedy at the start, but the meaning remains the same.