Jeśli szef nie przyjedzie, księgowy wyśle umowę pocztą.

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Questions & Answers about Jeśli szef nie przyjedzie, księgowy wyśle umowę pocztą.

What does jeśli mean and how is it used to introduce a condition?
jeśli is a conjunction meaning if. It introduces a condition clause describing something that may happen. In Polish, when you talk about a real or likely situation you use jeśli followed by the indicative mood. For hypothetical or counterfactual conditions you’d use gdyby + conditional instead.
Why is przyjedzie in the present tense form even though it refers to a future event?
przyjedzie is the present-tense form of the perfective verb przyjechać. In Polish, perfective verbs use their present-tense form to express a simple future action. So even though it looks like “he comes” in Polish, here it means “he will come.”
Why is the indicative mood used after jeśli rather than a special subjunctive form?
Polish doesn’t have a separate subjunctive mood. For real or possible conditions you always use the indicative. Only for unreal or purely hypothetical situations do you use gdyby + the conditional particle -by on the verb (e.g. gdyby szef przyjechałby – “if the boss were to come,” counterfactual).
What case is szef in Jeśli szef nie przyjedzie, and why?
szef is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the subordinate clause. Subjects in Polish are always nominative unless affected by a preposition or passive construction.
What case is umowę, and why is it in that form?
umowę is in the accusative singular feminine form of umowa. It’s the direct object of the verb wyśle (“(he) will send”), so it takes the accusative case.
What case is pocztą, and what role does it play in the sentence?
pocztą is in the instrumental singular of poczta. It indicates the means or method of sending: “by mail.” Instruments in Polish normally use the instrumental case.
Why is there a comma after przyjedzie in that sentence?
In Polish, when a subordinate clause (here starting with jeśli) comes before the main clause, you separate them with a comma. So Jeśli szef nie przyjedzie, is followed by the comma.
Could we drop księgowy and just say Wyśle umowę pocztą? Why include it here?
Yes, you could drop księgowy because the verb ending -e already implies a masculine singular subject. Including księgowy clarifies who acts and adds emphasis, especially in writing or formal speech.
What aspect is wyśle and why use that instead of an imperfective form like będzie wysyłał?
wyśle is the perfective future-simple form of wysłać. It expresses a single, completed future action. The imperfective future (będzie wysyłał) indicates ongoing or repeated sending, which doesn’t fit a one-time event like mailing a contract.
How flexible is the word order in Polish, and what happens if we move the clauses around?
Polish word order is quite flexible. Starting with Jeśli szef nie przyjedzie highlights the condition. You could also say Księgowy wyśle umowę pocztą, jeśli szef nie przyjedzie or Umowę pocztą wyśle księgowy to shift the focus. Each variation slightly changes the emphasis but keeps the same basic meaning.