Breakdown of Po dostawie kurier wyjedzie szybko, żeby zdążyć na kolejny tramwaj.
szybko
quickly
na
for
żeby
in order to
zdążyć
to make it
po
after
dostawa
the delivery
kurier
the courier
wyjechać
to leave
kolejny
next
tramwaj
the tram
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Questions & Answers about Po dostawie kurier wyjedzie szybko, żeby zdążyć na kolejny tramwaj.
What does Po dostawie mean and why is dostawie in the Locative case?
Po means “after,” and it always governs the Locative. The noun dostawa (“delivery”) takes the Locative form dostawie, so Po dostawie translates as “after the delivery.”
The word kurier appears without an article. How do I know if it means “the courier” or “a courier”?
Polish has no articles (no “a” or “the”), so kurier can be either. Context tells you which. In this sentence it’s a specific courier, so in English we translate it as “the courier.”
Why is wyjedzie used here instead of wyjeżdża or wyjechał?
Wyjedzie is the 3rd person singular future tense of the perfective verb wyjechać (“to depart”). It implies a single, completed action in the future: “he will depart.”
- Wyjeżdża (imperfective) would suggest an ongoing or habitual action.
- Wyjechał is the past tense.
What role does szybko play, and can I move it elsewhere in the sentence?
Szybko means “quickly” and modifies wyjedzie. Polish word order is flexible, so you could say szybko wyjedzie (emphasizing the speed) or even Kurier wyjedzie po dostawie szybko, but placing szybko after the verb is the most neutral.
How does żeby zdążyć function here?
Żeby introduces a purpose clause (“in order to”), and it’s followed by the infinitive zdążyć (“to manage,” “to be in time for”). So żeby zdążyć means “in order to make (it)” or “to catch.”
Why is na kolejny tramwaj used to express “to catch the next tram”?
The preposition na with the Accusative case often means “for” or “to catch” in the sense of boarding transportation. Tramwaj is masculine inanimate, so its Accusative form is the same as the Nominative (tramwaj). Kolejny (“next”) agrees with it in gender, number, and case.
What exactly does kolejny mean, and why doesn’t it change form?
Kolejny means “next” or “following.” It matches tramwaj (masculine singular inanimate). In the Accusative singular inanimate, adjectives have the same form as in the Nominative, so kolejny tramwaj stays kolejny tramwaj.
Could I replace żeby with aby, and would it alter the meaning?
Yes. Aby is a bit more formal or literary but serves the same purpose of introducing a purpose clause. Aby zdążyć and żeby zdążyć both mean “in order to catch/make it,” with żeby being more common in everyday speech.
Why does the sentence start with Po dostawie? Is that word order mandatory?
Starting with Po dostawie emphasizes the sequence (“after the delivery”). Polish allows flexible word order, so you could also say Kurier po dostawie wyjedzie szybko... or Kurier wyjedzie szybko po dostawie..., but each variation shifts the focus slightly.