Learn Hardcore Polish: Zapal świecę na stole, bo ekran telefonu jest zbyt jasny. - Light a candle on the table because the phone screen is too bright.

Zapal is the 2nd person singular imperative of the perfective verb zapalić – it means “light” (as in “light a candle”). Because it’s perfective, it focuses on the action being completed.

Why is świecę used here, and what case is it?

Świecę is the accusative singular of świeca (a feminine noun meaning “candle”). In Polish, direct objects of transitive verbs take the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -a change that ending to -ę in the accusative.

What case does na stole represent, and why is that case used?

Na stole is the locative case, used with prepositions like na when indicating location (“on the table”). The noun stół (table) becomes stole in the singular locative.

Why is there a comma before bo, and when would you choose ponieważ instead?

In Polish you normally separate clauses with a comma before conjunctions like bo (“because”). Bo is informal and very common in speech. In formal or written contexts you’d more often use ponieważ or gdyż without changing the comma rule.

How does ekran telefonu express “the phone’s screen”?

Polish shows possession by using the genitive case. The noun telefon in genitive singular is telefonu, so ekran telefonu literally means “screen of the phone,” i.e. “the phone’s screen.”

What does zbyt jasny mean, and why is zbyt placed before jasny?

Zbyt jasny means “too bright.” The adverb zbyt (“too”) always comes before the adjective it modifies. It intensifies jasny (“bright”) to indicate excess.

Why is jasny in its base (nominative) form here?

In the clause ekran telefonu jest zbyt jasny, jasny is a predicative adjective linked to the subject ekran by the verb jest (“is”). Both subject and adjective appear in the nominative singular masculine to agree grammatically.

What is the difference between zapalić and palić, and why use the perfective here?

Zapalić is perfective, meaning “to light” as a single completed action. Palić is imperfective, covering ongoing or habitual actions (“to burn,” “to smoke,” or “to be lighting”). The perfective zapalić is used in the imperative to command someone to carry out the lighting to completion.

How do you pronounce świecę na stole, especially the sounds ś and ć?

Ś is like the initial sound in the English word she, but softer (IPA /ɕ/). Ć resembles the initial sound in chew, also softened (IPA /t͡ɕ/). So świecę is roughly /ˈɕvʲɛt͡sɛ̃/ and stole is /ˈstɔlɛ/.