Learn Hardcore Polish: Ona chyba woli siedzieć osobno, nie przy naszym stole. - She probably prefers to sit separately, not at our table.

Chyba means “probably / I guess,” expressing a cautious inference, not certainty. It’s softer than stating a fact and suggests you’re reading cues rather than knowing.

Rough strength: moderate probability (say, 60–70%).
Close alternatives:
- raczej = “rather, more likely” (often contrasts with another option).
- pewnie = “surely/probably” (can sound stronger; colloquially often just “probably”).
- może = “maybe/perhaps” (pure possibility, not an inference).

Why use woli and not something like preferuje?

Woli is from the very common verb woleć “to prefer,” perfect for everyday speech. Preferuje (from preferować) is understandable but more formal/loanword-y. In casual conversation, woleć sounds more natural.

Why is it woli siedzieć, with an infinitive? Could it be woli siedzi?

After woleć, Polish uses an infinitive to express what someone prefers to do: woli + infinitive (here, siedzieć). Saying woli siedzi is ungrammatical.

siedzieć = “to be sitting” (state).
You’d use siadać/usiąść for the act of sitting down (see next Q).

Why siedzieć and not siadać or usiąść?

siedzieć = to be in the state of sitting (general preference for being seated somewhere).
siadać (imperfective) / usiąść (perfective) = the action of sitting down.
If you meant an immediate, single action now, you could say: Ona woli usiąść osobno (“she would prefer to sit down separately (now)”), but for a general or current-state preference, siedzieć is best.

What does osobno mean here? Could I use sama or oddzielnie instead?

osobno = “separately,” i.e., not with us (she might still sit with other people).
sama = “alone/by herself,” i.e., without anyone else. Different nuance.
oddzielnie ≈ near-synonym of osobno; both are fine.
If you want to stress “separate from us,” you can also say osobno od nas.

What case is used after przy in przy naszym stole, and why is it stole not stół?

Przy takes the locative case.

stół (nominative) → stole (locative singular).
The adjective/pronoun agrees in case: nasz → naszym (locative masculine).
So: przy naszym stole = “at our table.” Not “naszego stołu” (that’s genitive).

Can I change the word order around chyba and the subject? For example: Chyba ona woli… or Ona woli chyba…?

Yes, Polish word order is flexible, but nuance shifts:

Ona chyba woli… (natural, neutral emphasis).
Chyba ona woli… (puts contrastive focus on “she,” as in “it’s probably she who prefers…”).
Ona woli chyba… (makes “chyba” sound like an afterthought/hedge).
You can also drop the pronoun: Chyba woli… if the subject is clear from context.

Why is there a comma before nie przy naszym stole? Is it required?

It marks a contrastive afterthought/correction: “…separately, not at our table.” In Polish, commas often set off such appended clarifications. You could also make the contrast explicit: …, a nie przy naszym stole or …, tylko nie przy naszym stole. The comma is stylistically natural and recommended here.

What’s going on with nie in nie przy naszym stole? Is that a double negation?

No. Nie negates the prepositional phrase: “not at our table.” It’s not double negation; it just says the location she (probably) prefers to avoid. Note that nie stays separate from prepositions; you don’t fuse it (never write “nieprzy”).

Could this be phrased as a full “rather than” comparison?

Yes. You can make it explicit:

Ona chyba woli siedzieć osobno, a nie przy naszym stole.
Ona chyba woli siedzieć osobno niż przy naszym stole. Both sound natural; your sentence is a concise version of the same idea.

Why use przy for “at the table” and not na or do?

przy stole = “at the table” (sitting/being next to it; standard idiom).
na stole = “on the table” (on top of it!).
do stołu = “to(wards) the table” (motion, e.g., “come to the table”).
So for being seated at a table, przy is the normal choice.

Can I drop the subject pronoun ona?

Yes. Polish is a pro‑drop language. If context makes the subject clear, Chyba woli siedzieć… is perfectly fine. Keeping ona can add emphasis or clarify who you mean.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

ch in chyba = a hard “h” (like German “Bach”).
w = English “v.”
sie in siedzieć sounds like soft “sh-ye.”
Final -ć is a soft “ch” sound.
Main stress is always on the second-to-last syllable: o-NA CHY-ba WO-li SIE-dzieć o-SOB-no, NIE przy NA-szym STO-le.

What are the basic present-tense forms of woleć?

ja: wolę
ty: wolisz
on/ona/ono: woli
my: wolimy
wy: wolicie
oni/one: wolą

Are there more cautious/neutral ways to hedge than chyba?

Yes, for softer or more formal hedging:

Wydaje mi się, że… (“It seems to me that…”)
Mam wrażenie, że… (“I have the impression that…”)
Zdaje się, że… (“It appears that…”) All can introduce the same clause.

Does osobno mean she is alone?

Not necessarily. Osobno means “separately (from us).” She could sit with a different group. If you mean “alone,” use sama:

Ona woli siedzieć sama = she prefers to sit alone.