Czy potrafisz nalewać kawę tak, żeby nie rozlać?

Are you able to pour coffee so as not to spill?

Breakdown of Czy potrafisz nalewać kawę tak, żeby nie rozlać?

• kawa: the coffee
• nie: not
• żeby: so that
• czy: question marker

Questions & Answers about Czy potrafisz nalewać kawę tak, żeby nie rozlać?

What does Czy do here? Can I drop it?

Czy marks a yes/no question. It’s optional in everyday speech: Potrafisz nalewać kawę tak, żeby nie rozlać? is also correct and sounds a bit more casual. With czy, the question is slightly more formal or careful, and in writing it often reads more natural.

What’s the difference between potrafisz, umiesz, and możesz?

• potrafić = to be capable of accomplishing something (often a skill or task).
• umieć = to know how to do something (learned skill).
  In many contexts they overlap: Czy potrafisz/umiesz nalewać kawę…? both sound fine.
• możesz = can you (are you able, or will you do it). It often sounds like a request: Czy możesz nalać kawy…? = Could you pour some coffee…?

Why is it nalewać (imperfective) rather than nalać (perfective)?

Aspect choice changes the nuance:

• nalewać focuses on the process or a general skill: can you pour (in general) without spilling?
• nalać focuses on a single successful completion: Czy potrafisz nalać kawy tak, żeby jej nie rozlać? = Can you pour a coffee (this time) without spilling?
  Both are possible; the original sentence asks about the ability as a process.

Why is it nie rozlać and not ?