Podaj mi proszę widelec i nóż.

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Breakdown of Podaj mi proszę widelec i nóż.

• proszę: please
• mi: me
• podać: to give

Questions & Answers about Podaj mi proszę widelec i nóż.

What does the word in bold, Podaj, mean and what form is it?

Podaj is the 2nd person singular imperative of the perfective verb podać (“to hand/pass to someone”). It’s a direct request/command: “pass/hand (over).”

Why is it mi and not mnie?

Mi is the unstressed, clitic dative pronoun “to me,” typically placed after the verb (e.g., Podaj mi). Mnie is the stressed form used for emphasis or after prepositions (e.g., dla mnie, do mnie). In a neutral request you say Podaj mi, not “Podaj mnie.”

Do I need commas around proszę?

When proszę functions like “please” inserted into the sentence, standard punctuation sets it off with commas: Podaj mi, proszę, widelec i nóż. In informal writing people often omit them, but with commas is preferred in formal text. You can also put it at the start: Proszę, podaj mi…

Is proszę required? How direct is the sentence without it?

Proszę softens the imperative. Podaj mi widelec i nóż (without proszę) is still common among family/friends but sounds more direct/blunt. With proszę it feels polite and neutral.

What’s the difference between podać, podawać, and dać?