Może ona jeszcze zdąży na wykład.

Maybe she will still make it to the lecture.

Breakdown of Może ona jeszcze zdąży na wykład.

• ona: she
• na: to
• zdążyć: to make it
• wykład: the lecture
• jeszcze: still
• może: maybe

Questions & Answers about Może ona jeszcze zdąży na wykład.

Does może here mean “maybe” or “she can”?

It means maybe/perhaps. You can tell because it’s followed by a finite verb (zdąży) rather than an infinitive. When może means “can/may” (3rd person of móc), it normally takes an infinitive, e.g. Ona może jeszcze zdążyć na wykład = “She can/may still manage to make it to the lecture.” In your sentence, Może ona jeszcze zdąży…, the initial Może is the particle “maybe.”

Why include the pronoun ona? Could it be omitted?

Polish usually drops subject pronouns. Może jeszcze zdąży na wykład is perfectly natural. Adding ona can:

• clarify the gender/person if context is unclear,
• add emphasis or contrast (e.g., “Maybe SHE will still make it (as opposed to someone else)”).

Is the word order Może ona jeszcze zdąży… the only correct one?

No. Polish word order is flexible. All are possible, with subtle differences in focus:

• Może jeszcze zdąży na wykład. (neutral, very natural)
• Może ona jeszcze zdąży na wykład. (slight emphasis on “she”)
• Może jeszcze ona zdąży na wykład. (contrastive focus on “she”)
• Może jeszcze na wykład zdąży. (focus on “to the lecture”) All convey the same basic idea.

What does jeszcze add here?

Jeszcze means still/yet. It signals there’s still time or a remaining chance: “Maybe she will still make it.” Without jeszcze (Może ona zdąży…), you lose that “still/yet” nuance. Placement is flexible: Może jeszcze zdąży…, Może ona jeszcze zdąży…, etc.

Is zdąży present or future?

Formally it looks like a present tense form, but because zdążyć is perfective, zdąży refers to the future: “she will manage/make it.” Perfective verbs don’t describe ongoing present actions; their “present” forms have future meaning.

Why not use the imperfective zdążać?

In this punctual “make it on time” sense, Polish strongly prefers the perfective zdążyć (achievement of a deadline). Zdążać is rare here and tends to mean “be on one’s way” or “tend/lead toward” in other contexts, not the neat achievement of being on time. So zdążyć is the natural choice.

What exactly does zdążyć mean?

It means to manage to do something before a deadline or make it in time. With na + accusative it’s often “catch/make it to” a scheduled thing:

• zdążyć na autobus/pociąg = make/catch the bus/train
• zdążyć na wykład = make it to the lecture (on time) It implies punctuality, unlike just “arrive.”

Why is it na wykład, not do wykładu?

Polish uses:

• na + accusative for movement toward events/activities (na koncert, na spotkanie, na wykład),
• na + locative for being at them: na wykładzie = “at the lecture,”
• do + genitive for movement toward places: do pracy, do szkoły. So zdążyć na wykład is the idiomatic choice.

What case is wykład here?

Accusative singular. With motion toward a destination, na takes the accusative. Wykład is a masculine inanimate noun; its accusative equals the nominative in form: wykład.

Could I say Ona może jeszcze zdążyć na wykład and mean the same?

Not exactly.

• Może ona jeszcze zdąży… = Maybe she’ll still make it (epistemic probability).
• Ona może jeszcze zdążyć… = She can/may be able to still make it (ability/permission).
  Both are natural, but the nuance differs.

Do I need a comma after Może?

No. When może is a sentence-initial particle meaning “maybe,” you do not put a comma after it: Może ona jeszcze zdąży…
You would use commas only around inserted phrases, e.g., Może, jeśli się pospieszy, zdąży…

Does zdążyć na wykład imply being on time, or just getting there at all?

It strongly implies being on time (making the scheduled start). If you only mean “get there (at some point),” use a neutral motion verb like dotrzeć/przyjść: Może ona jeszcze dotrze/przyjdzie na wykład (no guarantee of punctuality).

How would I make it negative: “Maybe she won’t make it to the lecture”?

• Może ona nie zdąży na wykład. = Maybe she won’t make it.
  If you want the “no longer/anymore” nuance, use już:
• Może ona już nie zdąży na wykład. = Maybe she won’t make it anymore.

Are there alternatives to Może like “perhaps” or “probably”?

Yes:

• Być może ona jeszcze zdąży na wykład. (perhaps; a bit more formal)
• Chyba ona jeszcze zdąży na wykład. (probably/I suppose; stronger confidence, slightly different nuance)

How do you pronounce the sentence?

Approximate guide:

• Może = MO-zhe (zh as in “vision”)
• ona = OH-na
• jeszcze = YESH-cheh (sh-ch cluster)
• zdąży = z-DON-zhih (the ą is nasal, like “on”)
• na = nah
• wykład = VIH-kwat (Polish y is a hard “i”; final d devoices to a t) Stress is usually on the penultimate syllable of each word: MOże, Ona, JESZcze, ZDĄży, NA, WYkład.