Learn Hardcore Polish: Głodna koleżanka proponuje, abyśmy najpierw zjedli pieczywo. - My hungry friend suggests that we first eat bread.

Pieczywo means “bread” or “bakery products” in general. It is an uncountable noun and always treated as singular in Polish, so you don’t say piecziwa or pieczywa.

Why is the adjective Głodna placed before koleżanka, and how does it agree?

Adjectives in Polish typically come before nouns. Głodna is feminine singular nominative, agreeing with koleżanka (also feminine singular nominative). If you spoke about a male friend you’d say Głodny kolega.

Why is the verb proponuje followed by abyśmy instead of a simple infinitive?

Proponować (to propose) can govern a clause introduced by aby/żeby + subjunctive. You can’t say proponuje zjeść pieczywo if you want “I propose that we eat the bread.” Instead you use proponuje, abyśmy zjedli pieczywo.

What’s the difference between abyśmy and żebyśmy?

Both introduce subordinate clauses with the subjunctive. Aby is slightly more formal or literary; żeby is more colloquial. They’re interchangeable in most contexts:
– Proponuję, abyśmy…
– Proponuję, żebyśmy…

Why is the verb zjedli in the past tense form when we’re talking about something we haven’t eaten yet?

Polish uses the past-tense form as a subjunctive mood after aby(śmy)/żeby(śmy), even for future or hypothetical actions. So you use the 1st-person-plural past (zjedli) to mean “that we eat.”

Why is zjedli perfective rather than the imperfective jedli?

Using the perfective verb zjeść emphasizes a completed action (“to eat up”). In proposals or instructions, Poles often prefer the perfective to show the action will be carried out and finished.

What does najpierw mean, and how does it affect word order?

Najpierw means “first” or “at first.” It’s an adverb of order. In Polish you can put it before or after the verb in the subordinate clause:
– abyśmy najpierw zjedli pieczywo
– abyśmy zjedli pieczywo najpierw
Both are correct, but placing it right before the verb is very natural.