Breakdown of Muszę wysłać dzisiaj list do mojej rodziny.
mój
my
do
to
rodzina
the family
dzisiaj
today
musieć
must
list
the letter
wysłać
to send
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Questions & Answers about Muszę wysłać dzisiaj list do mojej rodziny.
What is the function of the verb Muszę in this sentence?
Muszę is the first person singular present tense form of the modal verb musieć (“to have to”/“must”). It expresses obligation or necessity: “I have to” or “I must.”
Why is the infinitive wysłać used here instead of the imperfective wysyłać?
Polish verbs have aspect. wysłać is the perfective infinitive of wysyłać. You use the perfective to talk about a one-off, completed action or the intent to complete it. Here, you mean “I need to (successfully) send” the letter today.
What role does the adverb dzisiaj play, and where can it be placed?
dzisiaj means “today” and specifies when the action takes place. Polish word order is flexible, so you can say:
- Muszę dzisiaj wysłać… (today right before the verb)
- Dzisiaj muszę wysłać… (today at the very beginning)
- Muszę wysłać dzisiaj… (today after the infinitive)
All are grammatically correct; the nuance or emphasis may shift slightly.
Why is the preposition do followed by mojej rodziny, and what case is that?
The preposition do always requires the genitive case in Polish. rodzina (“family”) in genitive singular becomes rodziny, and the possessive adjective moja also changes to genitive: mojej. So do mojej rodziny = “to my family.”
Could we rephrase it as Muszę wysłać list mojej rodzinie? If so, is there a difference?
Yes. Instead of using do + genitive, you can use the dative case directly:
Muszę wysłać list mojej rodzinie.
Both sentences mean “I have to send a letter to my family,” but one uses do + genitive, the other uses the dative form mojej rodzinie.
Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in this Polish sentence?
Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles. Context and word endings carry information about specificity or generality, so you simply say list for “(a/the) letter.”
How do I pronounce Muszę wysłać dzisiaj list do mojej rodziny?
Approximate phonetic transcription:
MU-sheh vih-SWA-ch JEE-syeye leest doh MO-yehy roh-JIH-nih
Or in IPA: [ˈmuʂɛ vɨˈswat͡ɕ ˈd͡ʑiɕaj list dɔ ˈmɔjɛj rɔˈd͡ʐɨnɨ]
What is the style or tone of this sentence? Is it formal or informal?
This sentence is neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Polish, in informal or semi-formal contexts. It simply states a personal obligation without being overly casual or stiff.