Learn Hardcore Polish: Czy Pani lubi herbatę?

With it: Czy Pani lubi herbatę? = “Do you like tea?”
Without it (just intonation): Lubi Pani herbatę? — also perfectly natural in speech.
Inside sentences, czy can mean “whether”: Nie wiem, czy Pani lubi herbatę.
It also links alternatives in questions: kawa czy herbata?

Why is Pani capitalized? Do I have to capitalize it?

Capitalizing courtesy pronouns (Pan, Pani, Państwo, Ty) is common in letters, emails, forms, and signs as a mark of respect. In ordinary prose (e.g., novels, news), they’re often lowercase. So you’ll see both Pani and pani; pick one style and be consistent. Capitalization doesn’t change meaning.

What exactly does Pani mean?

Pani is the polite way to address a woman (“ma’am/Ms.”). It does not show marital status. It’s the formal equivalent of “you” when speaking to a female adult you don’t know well or want to address respectfully.

Why is it lubi and not lubisz if it means “you like”?

With Pan/Pani you use third-person verb forms, even though you’re addressing “you.”

Informal you (ty): lubisz
Polite you (Pani/Pan): lubi
I: lubię

What case is herbatę, and why does it end in -ę?

Herbatę is the accusative singular of herbata (a feminine noun). Many feminine nouns in -a change to -ę in the accusative singular. The verb lubić takes a direct object in the accusative, hence herbatę.

How does this change in the negative?

Under negation, Polish often switches a direct object from accusative to genitive:

Affirmative: Lubię herbatę.
Negative: Nie lubię herbaty. So a natural negative answer is: Nie, nie lubię herbaty.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Polish word order is flexible, especially with czy:

Czy Pani lubi herbatę? (neutral)
Czy lubi Pani herbatę? (also very common)
Without czy: Lubi Pani herbatę?
For emphasis you can front the object: Herbatę Pani lubi? (focus on “tea”)

How do I ask the same thing informally?

Use the informal “you” (ty) and the 2nd-person verb:

Lubisz herbatę? You can add czy if you like: Czy lubisz herbatę?

How do I ask a man or a group?

To a man: Czy Pan lubi herbatę?
To a mixed/unspecified group: Czy Państwo lubią herbatę?
To women only: Czy Panie lubią herbatę?
To men only: Czy Panowie lubią herbatę?

How do I pronounce it?

Czy: roughly “ch” as in “church” but retroflex; the y is like a hard “i” [ɨ].
Pani: “PA-nee,” with a soft “n” (like “ny” in “canyon”).
herbatę: “her-BAH-teh,” with final ę nasalized; at the end of a word it often sounds close to plain “e.”

What short answers sound natural?

Positive: Tak, lubię. / Tak, bardzo lubię. / Uwielbiam.
Negative: Nie, nie lubię (herbaty). You can add the object back if needed for clarity: Tak, lubię herbatę.

Does this sentence mean “Would you like some tea?” (an offer)?

No. It asks about preference (“Do you like tea?”). To offer tea, say:

Czy napije się Pani herbaty?
Czy chce Pani herbaty?
Simply: Herbaty? (very common when offering)

When should I use Pani instead of ty?

Use Pani with strangers, in professional contexts, with older people, or whenever you want to be polite/formal. Switch to ty only if the other person suggests it (e.g., Przejdźmy na ty?).

Why not Panią here?

Pani is nominative (the subject). Panią is the accusative/instrumental form, used when it’s the object or after certain prepositions:

Object: Widzę Panią. (“I see you, ma’am.”)
After “with”: Rozmawiam z Panią. (“I’m speaking with you, ma’am.”)

Are there other ways to say “like” in this context?

Yes, depending on nuance:

Uwielbiam herbatę. = “I love tea.”
Smakuje mi herbata. = “Tea tastes good to me / I like the taste of tea.”
Przepadam za herbatą. = “I’m crazy about tea.” (note za
- instrumental: herbatą) Avoid using podoba mi się for general liking of food/drinks; it’s more about something being pleasing to the senses/appearance.