Learn Hardcore Polish: Nalewam gorącą herbatę do kubka.

Polish usually drops subject pronouns. The verb ending -am marks 1st person singular in the present tense, so Nalewam already means “I pour / I am pouring.” You add Ja only for emphasis: Ja nalewam… (“I, not someone else, am pouring…”).

What tense and aspect is Nalewam?

Present tense, imperfective aspect. It can mean an action happening now or a habitual action (e.g., “I am pouring…” or “I pour (usually)…”).

How do I say “I will pour” and “I poured”?

Use the perfective verb nalać:

Future: Naleję [herbaty] do kubka. (“I will pour [some tea] into the mug.”)
Past (masc./fem.): Nalałem / Nalałam [herbaty] do kubka. For ongoing/habitual past, use imperfective: Nalewałem / Nalewałam…

Why is it gorącą herbatę and not gorąca herbata?

Because it’s a direct object in the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -ę in the accusative (herbata → herbatę), and the adjective agrees: gorąca → gorącą.

Could it be gorącej herbaty instead of gorącą herbatę?

Yes. With liquids, Polish often uses the genitive to mean “some (amount of)” the substance: Nalewam gorącej herbaty do kubka. Both accusative (herbatę) and genitive (herbaty) are used; genitive emphasizes an unspecified quantity.

Why do kubka and not do kubek or do kubku?

The preposition do (“to/into”) takes the genitive case, and the genitive of kubek is kubka. Kubku is locative (used after w: “in the mug”), not genitive.

Why does kubek become kubka? Where did the e go?

Many masculine nouns with -ek drop the e in oblique cases (so‑called “mobile e”): kubek → kubka (gen.), kubkiem (instr.), o kubku (loc.).

Can I use w kubek or w kubku instead of do kubka?

w + acc. (e.g., w kubek) can mean “into,” but with pouring into a container, do is the idiomatic choice.
w + loc. (w kubku) means a static location: “in the mug.” So say Nalewam … do kubka by default.

What’s the difference between nalewać, nalać, lać, and wlewać?

nalewać (impf.) / nalać (pf.): pour/serve into a vessel, often a measured portion (drinks).
lać: to pour in general (also “it’s pouring (rain)”).
wlewać (impf.): to pour something into something; a bit more about the motion than serving. Also useful: dolewać (add more), przelewać (pour from one container to another), rozlewać (spill).

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Do kubka nalewam gorącą herbatę?

Polish word order is flexible. All are fine, with different emphasis:

Nalewam gorącą herbatę do kubka. (neutral)
Do kubka nalewam gorącą herbatę. (focus on the destination)
Gorącą herbatę nalewam do kubka. (focus on what is being poured)

How do I negate it?

Use nie and (normally) switch the direct object to genitive:

Nie nalewam gorącej herbaty do kubka. (“I’m not pouring hot tea into the mug.”)

Where is the stress in the words?

Polish stress is almost always on the penultimate syllable:

Na-LE-wam
go-RĄ-cą
her-BA-tę
KUB-ka

How do you pronounce gorącą?

c = “ts”
ą is a nasal “o”; at word end it often sounds like “om.” Approximate: “go-RON-tson” (often “go-RON-tsom”).

How do you pronounce herbatę, and what is ę?

ę is a nasal “e.” At word end it’s often just a slightly nasalized “e.” Pronounce roughly: “her-BA-teh” (with a faint nasal quality on the final vowel).

Why are there no articles like “a/the” for “tea” or “mug”?

Polish has no articles. Nalewam gorącą herbatę do kubka can mean “I’m pouring hot tea into a mug/the mug” depending on context.

Can the adjective go after the noun, like herbatę gorącą?

It’s possible but marked (poetic/emphatic or contrastive). The default is adjective before noun: gorącą herbatę.

What are the present-tense forms of nalewać?

ja: nalewam
ty: nalewasz
on/ona/ono: nalewa
my: nalewamy
wy: nalewacie
oni/one: nalewają

Does Nalewam mean “right now” or “in general”?

Either. Context or adverbs clarify:

Now: Teraz nalewam… / Właśnie nalewam…
Habit: Zawsze nalewam… / Często nalewam…