Learn Hardcore Polish: Skręćcie na następnym rogu, bo tam rowerzysta czeka na was. - Turn at the next corner, because the cyclist is waiting for you there.

skręćcie is the second-person plural imperative of the perfective verb skręcić (“to turn”). You use it when giving an instruction to a group. For one person you’d say skręć, and for a group skręćcie.

Why is the perfective skręcić used here instead of the imperfective skręcać?

The perfective aspect (skręcić) expresses a single, completed action (“make a turn”), which is natural when giving directions. The imperfective (skręcać) would imply an ongoing or repeated action (“be turning”), so it’s not used for one-off commands.

What case is na następnym rogu, and why does następny change to następnym?

After the preposition na indicating location, Polish uses the locative case. róg becomes rogu in the locative, and its adjective następny agrees in gender, number, and case → masculine singular locative = następnym. Thus na następnym rogu means “at/on the next corner.”

What’s the difference between na rogu and przy rogu? Are they interchangeable?

Both translate as “at/by the corner.” na rogu literally “on the corner,” przy rogu “by/near the corner.” In everyday speech they’re mostly interchangeable when giving directions, though na rogu is a bit more colloquial.

What does bo mean in this sentence, and is it formal or informal?

bo means “because” and introduces the reason. It’s neutral to informal; the more formal equivalent is ponieważ, but in spoken and written Polish bo is perfectly natural.

What role does tam play in bo tam rowerzysta czeka na was?

tam means “there” and pinpoints the location of the action. It emphasizes that the cyclist is waiting at that specific spot. You could move tam to the end (rowerzysta czeka na was tam), but placing it before the subject highlights the place right away.

Why is rowerzysta in the nominative case here?

Because rowerzysta (“cyclist”) is the subject of the verb czeka (“is waiting”). In Polish, subjects remain in the nominative case. If it were plural, you’d say rowerzyści czekają na was.

What case is na was, and why is the form was used instead of wy?

Here na meaning “waiting for” takes the accusative case. The nominative pronoun is wy (“you plural”), and its accusative form is was. Hence czeka na was = “(he’s) waiting for you.”

How do you know where to put the stress in words like skręćcie, następnym, rogu, and rowerzysta?

Polish stress almost always falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable:

SKRĘĆ-cie (two syllables) – stress on skręć
na-STĘP-nym – stress on stęp
RO-gu – stress on ro
ro-WER-zy-sta – stress on wer

Is word order flexible in tam rowerzysta czeka na was? Could you say rowerzysta czeka na was tam?

Yes. Polish allows fairly free word order for emphasis. You can say tam rowerzysta czeka na was, rowerzysta czeka na was tam, or even rowerzysta czeka tam na was. Each variation shifts the focus slightly (location, agent, or object), but all are grammatically correct.