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Questions & Answers about Widzę ruch w parku.
Why is the verb widzę used here, and how is it formed?
widzę is the first person singular present tense of the imperfective verb widzieć (“to see”). In this conjugation class, the 1st person singular ends in -ę, so you take the stem widz- and add -ę = widzę.
What aspect does widzieć have, and how does that affect the meaning of the sentence?
widzieć is imperfective, describing an ongoing or habitual action (“I see” or “I am seeing”). Its perfective counterpart is zobaczyć, used for a single, completed event (e.g., Zobaczyłem ruch = “I spotted movement”).
In which case is ruch, and why doesn’t its form change from the nominative?
ruch is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of widzę. Masculine inanimate nouns like ruch have identical forms in nominative and accusative, so ruch remains unchanged.
Why is there no article (like “the” or “a”) before ruch?
Polish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context, so ruch can mean “movement,” “the movement,” or “some movement” depending on the situation.
What case and preposition are used in w parku, and why?
The preposition w (“in”) followed by the locative case expresses location. For a masculine noun like park, the locative singular adds -u, so park → parku, giving w parku (“in the park”).
Is the word order Widzę ruch w parku fixed, or can it be changed for emphasis?
Polish word order is flexible. Widzę ruch w parku (SVO) is neutral. You can say W parku widzę ruch (emphasizing location) or Ruch w parku widzę (stylistic/poetic), but the core meaning stays the same.
How do you pronounce Widzę ruch w parku?
IPA transcription: [ˈvid͡zɛ rux f ˈparku]. A simpler guide: VEED-zheh ROO-kh f PAR-koo. Note w before a consonant is [f], ch is , and dz is the affricate [d͡z].
What is the difference between widzieć and patrzeć, and could you say Patrzę ruch w parku?
widzieć means to perceive visually (unintentional or general seeing), while patrzeć means to look or watch (intentional). You wouldn’t say Patrzę ruch w parku — instead use Patrzę na ruch w parku (“I am watching the movement in the park”).
Can ruch also mean “traffic,” and how would you use it in that sense?
Yes, ruch can refer to vehicular traffic. To say “I see traffic on the street,” you would say Widzę ruch na ulicy, with na + locative (ulicy) to mean “on the street.”