Breakdown of W zeszłym tygodniu byłem w kinie.
ja
I
być
to be
w
in
kino
the cinema
w zeszłym tygodniu
last week
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Questions & Answers about W zeszłym tygodniu byłem w kinie.
What does W zeszłym tygodniu mean and why is it in that form?
W zeszłym tygodniu literally means “in last week,” i.e. “last week.” It uses the preposition w (“in”) plus zeszły (“last” as an adjective) in the masculine locative singular (zeszłym) and tydzień (“week”) in the locative singular (tygodniu). In Polish, many time expressions with w take the locative case.
Why is the verb byłem used here and how is the past tense of być formed?
Byłem is the first person singular masculine past form of być (“to be”). The past tense of most Polish verbs is formed by adding personal endings to the verb stem plus a past-tense marker. Być is irregular:
- ja byłem
- ty byłeś
- on/ona/ono był/była/było
… and so on. A feminine speaker would say byłam instead of byłem.
Why is it byłem and not just był?
Był is the third person singular masculine past form (“he was”). Because the speaker is talking about themselves in the first person, they must use byłem (“I was”).
Why do we say w kinie instead of using another case?
The preposition w meaning “in/at” when denoting location takes the locative case. Kino (“cinema”) in the locative singular becomes kinie, so w kinie means “in the cinema” or “at the movies.”
How would this sentence change if a woman said it?
A female speaker uses the feminine past ending for być. So it becomes W zeszłym tygodniu byłam w kinie.
Can I change the word order in this sentence?
Yes. Polish has fairly flexible word order. You could also say:
- Byłem w kinie w zeszłym tygodniu.
Both versions mean the same, but starting with W zeszłym tygodniu emphasizes the time, while starting with Byłem emphasizes the action.
How do I pronounce zszłym in zeszłym?
Zeszłym is pronounced roughly as [ˈzɛʂ.wɨm]:
- z as in zebra
- esz like yesh without the “y” sound
- ł like English w
- ym pronounced “im” but with a very short i
Why isn’t there an article before kino?
Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an in English. You simply say w kinie for “in the cinema” or “in a cinema.”
Could I say Byłem w filmie instead?
No. Film in Polish means “movie” itself, not the place. Byłem w kinie means you were at the movie theater. If you said byłem w filmie, it would awkwardly mean “I was inside the movie,” which doesn’t make sense.