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Questions & Answers about Czas minął.
What does Czas minął literally mean in English?
It’s literally “Time has passed” or “The time has passed.” There is no article like “the” in Polish, so both translations are acceptable.
Why is there no article before czas?
Polish does not use definite or indefinite articles (a, an, the). Nouns appear without them, and context or word endings indicate specificity.
What grammatical aspect does the verb minął express and why?
minął is the past tense of the perfective verb minąć. The perfective aspect signals that the action (time passing) is completed.
Why is minął in the masculine singular form?
In Polish past tenses, the verb agrees in gender and number with the subject. czas (time) is a masculine noun, so its past-tense verb form is masculine singular: minął.
Could you use an imperfective form instead, and what would change?
Yes. The imperfective equivalent is mijać (past tense mijał).
- Czas mijał = “Time was passing” (ongoing action)
- Czas minął = “Time has passed” (completed action)
How do you pronounce Czas minął?
Phonetic approximation: /tsas mi-NAW/
- cz = /t͡ʂ/ (like ch in check)
- ą = /ɔ̃/ (a nasal o, similar to French on)
- ł = /w/ (like English w)
Can you say Minął czas instead? Is there a difference?
Both Czas minął and Minął czas mean “Time has passed.”
- Minął czas places emphasis on the verb and can sound more poetic.
- In idiomatic phrases like Minął czas na działanie (“The time for action has passed”), the verb-first order is common.
Are there synonyms for Czas minął?
Yes. Common alternatives include:
- Czas upłynął (Time has elapsed) – slightly more formal
- Upłynął czas – same meaning, different word order
- Przepadł czas (Time is gone) – more dramatic or colloquial
Is the subject czas always required?
Not always. Polish allows dropping subjects when context is clear. Saying just Minął in a discussion about a deadline can still imply “Time has passed,” but including czas is more explicit.