Breakdown of Zamówię dziś zupę i sałatkę w restauracji.
w
in
i
and
dziś
today
restauracja
the restaurant
zupa
the soup
sałatka
the salad
zamówić
to order
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Questions & Answers about Zamówię dziś zupę i sałatkę w restauracji.
Why is zamówię used here instead of zamawiam?
Zamówię is the future tense of the perfective verb zamówić (“to order”). It indicates a single, completed action you will perform today. Zamawiam is present tense of the imperfective verb zamawiać, which suggests an ongoing or habitual action (“I’m ordering” or “I order regularly”), so it wouldn’t fit if you mean “I will place an order (now)”.
What exactly is a perfective verb in Polish?
Perfective verbs describe actions viewed as complete wholes, with a clear beginning and end. They don’t have a present tense form—only past and future. In this sentence, zamówię (I will order) signals that the ordering will happen and be completed today. The imperfective counterpart is zamawiam, which focuses on the process or repetition.
Why are zupę and sałatkę in the accusative case?
They are direct objects of the verb zamówię, answering “what (am I ordering)?” In Polish, direct objects of transitive verbs take the accusative case. Zupa → zupę, sałatka → sałatkę.
Why do we say w restauracji and not na restauracji?
The preposition w + locative case indicates being inside a place: “in the restaurant.” Na + locative often conveys “on” or “at” for open spaces, events or surfaces (e.g., na dworcu “at the train station platform,” na plaży “on the beach”). Since you’re inside the building, w restauracji is correct.
What’s the difference between w restauracji and z restauracji?
- w restauracji (locative) = inside the restaurant: you dine there.
- z restauracji (genitive) = “from the restaurant,” as in takeout or delivery: you get the food and leave with it.
Can I say dziś or dzisiaj? What’s the nuance?
Both mean “today.” Dziś is slightly more formal or bookish, while dzisiaj is very common in speech. You can use either here without changing the meaning:
– Zamówię dziś zupę…
– Zamówię dzisiaj zupę…
Is the word order flexible? Could I say Zamówię w restauracji sałatkę i zupę dziś?
Polish has relatively free word order because cases mark roles. However, neutral or most common order is Subject–Verb–Objects–Adverbials:
Zamówię dziś zupę i sałatkę w restauracji.
Changing it is possible for emphasis, but might sound awkward. If you move dziś to the end, it’s still correct:
Zamówię zupę i sałatkę w restauracji dziś.
That puts emphasis on dziś (today).
Why aren’t there any articles like “the” or “a” in Polish?
Polish doesn’t use articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context, word order, or additional words (like ta “this” or pewna “a certain”). Here you simply understand from context that you’re ordering specific dishes at the restaurant.