Musimy dojść do ratusza na czas.

We must get to the town hall on time.

Breakdown of Musimy dojść do ratusza na czas.

• do: to
• musieć: must
• my: we
• ratusz: the town hall
• na czas: on time
• dojść: to get to

Questions & Answers about Musimy dojść do ratusza na czas.

What nuance does the verb dojść add compared with iść, dotrzeć, or dojechać?

• dojść = to reach/arrive on foot (perfective, result-focused).
• iść = to go/walk (imperfective, ongoing action, no arrival implied).
• dotrzeć = to reach/arrive (neutral as to how you travel; perfective).
• dojechać = to get there by vehicle (perfective). In this sentence, dojść suggests you’ll be walking and emphasizes the outcome: actually getting there.

Why is it do ratusza and not do ratuszu or just ratusz?

The preposition do always takes the genitive. The noun ratusz (town hall) declines:

• Nominative: ratusz
• Genitive: ratusza (used after do → do ratusza)
• Locative: ratuszu (used after location preps like w → w ratuszu) So do ratusza is correct because of the genitive after do.

Can I say na ratusz instead of do ratusza?

Generally no. Na ratusz would mean onto the building (e.g., onto the roof/facade). To mean “to the town hall (as a destination, usually to go inside),” use do ratusza. If you mean “up to/near the town hall,” you could say pod ratusz.

What exactly does na czas mean? Are there synonyms?

Na czas means “on time” (punctual, neither late nor early). Close options:

• punktualnie = punctually
• o czasie = on time (often used with transport: Pociąg przyjechał o czasie)
• w porę = in time (before it’s too late; slightly different nuance)

Why use perfective dojść with musimy? Could I use dochodzić?

With musimy, you pick aspect based on meaning:

• Musimy dojść… (perfective) focuses on the result: we must end up there (once).
• Musimy dochodzić… (imperfective) suggests a repeated/habitual requirement: we have to keep arriving on foot on time (e.g., every day). For a single upcoming obligation with a deadline, perfective dojść is natural.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Polish word order is flexible and used for emphasis:

• Neutral: Musimy dojść do ratusza na czas.
• Emphasis on destination: Do ratusza musimy dojść na czas.
• Emphasis on punctuality: Na czas musimy dojść do ratusza. All are grammatical; choose based on what you want to highlight.

What if we’re going by car or bus?

Use a verb that matches the means of transport:

• Musimy dojechać do ratusza na czas. (by vehicle)
• If you don’t want to specify how: Musimy dotrzeć do ratusza na czas.

How do I pronounce the tricky bits like dojść and czas?

• dojść ≈ “doyshch” (j = English y; ś/ć are soft sh/ch; the final ść sounds like a compact “shch”). In fast speech, dojść do often sounds like “doyshdoh.”
• ratusza ≈ “rah-TOO-shah” (stress is always on the second-to-last syllable).
• czas ≈ “chahs” (Polish cz is like English “ch” in “church,” a bit harder).

Do I need to say my (“we”) as a subject?

No. Polish is pro-drop; Musimy already encodes “we.” You can add My musimy… only for emphasis or contrast.

How do I say “by 10” vs “for 10” in this context?

• “By 10 (at the latest)”: do 10:00 (e.g., Musimy być w ratuszu do 10:00.)
• “For 10 (scheduled at 10)”: na 10:00 (e.g., Musimy dotrzeć do ratusza na 10:00.)
• “Before 10”: przed 10:00.

Is ratusz the same as urząd miasta?

Not exactly. Ratusz is the town/city hall building. Urząd miasta is the city administration/office (which may be located in the ratusz, but not always). Your sentence talks about the building as a destination.

Does Nie musimy dojść… mean “We must not…”?

No. Nie musimy = “we don’t have to.” To express prohibition, use Nie wolno nam… (“we must not/it’s forbidden”) or Nie możemy… (“we can’t/are not allowed to”).

I keep mixing up dojść and dość. Are they related?

They’re different:

• dojść = to reach/arrive (on foot).
• dość = enough/sufficient (also an adverb meaning “quite/fairly”). They differ in both meaning and pronunciation; dojść has that “-jść” cluster, while dość ends with a soft “ść.”

What are natural alternatives to say the same thing?

• Musimy dotrzeć do ratusza na czas. (neutral about transport)
• Musimy dojechać do ratusza na czas. (by vehicle)
• Musimy być w ratuszu na czas. (focus on being there)
• With “make it in time”: Musimy zdążyć do ratusza (optionally add a deadline: …do 10:00; adding na czas here can be redundant).