Breakdown of Chcę oszczędzać pieniądze, aby podróżować po świecie.
ja
I
podróżować
to travel
aby
in order to
chcieć
to want
pieniądze
the money
oszczędzać
to save
po
around
świat
the world
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Chcę oszczędzać pieniądze, aby podróżować po świecie.
What does Chcę mean in this sentence?
Chcę is the first-person singular present tense of the verb chcieć (to want). So Chcę means I want.
Why is oszczędzać in the infinitive form here?
In Polish, when you use chcieć (to want) to say you want to do something, the main verb takes the infinitive. So chcę oszczędzać literally means I want to save. You always pair chcę with an infinitive (e.g., chcę jeść, chcę spać).
Why is pieniądze in this form, and what case is it?
Pieniądze is the accusative plural of pieniądz (money). It’s in the accusative because it’s the direct object of oszczędzać (to save). Note that for inanimate nouns of certain declensions, the nominative and accusative plural look identical: pieniądze.
Why is there a comma before aby, and what function does aby serve?
The comma separates the main clause from the purpose clause. Aby introduces a subordinate clause of purpose, equivalent to English “so that” or “in order to.” It answers the question why: “I want to save money so that I can travel around the world.”
What is the difference between aby and żeby?
Both aby and żeby introduce purpose clauses, but:
- aby is slightly more formal or literary.
- żeby is more colloquial and frequently used in everyday speech. In this sentence, you could also say żeby podróżować po świecie with no change in meaning.
Why is podróżować also in the infinitive?
Because it’s inside the purpose clause introduced by aby. After aby (or żeby), the verb describing the intended action is always in the infinitive: aby podróżować (so as to travel).
Why do we say po świecie instead of na świecie?
- po świecie with the preposition po plus the locative case (świat → świecie) expresses movement around or throughout a space: “to travel around the world.”
- na świecie (on/in the world) is used in static contexts (e.g., najlepszy na świecie – the best in the world).
So for the idea of journeying through different places, Polish uses po świecie (sometimes extended as po całym świecie).