Ja mieszam zupę powoli w kuchni.

I am stirring the soup slowly in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Ja mieszam zupę powoli w kuchni.

• ja: I
• w: in
• kuchnia: the kitchen
• zupa: the soup
• powoli: slowly
• mieszać: to stir

Questions & Answers about Ja mieszam zupę powoli w kuchni.

Do I need to say Ja, or can I just say Mieszam zupę powoli w kuchni?

You can drop Ja. Polish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending (-am) already shows “I.” Keeping Ja adds emphasis or contrast: Ja mieszam… = “I (as opposed to someone else) am stirring…”

Why is it zupę and not zupa?

Because zupę is the accusative singular, used for a direct object. Zupa is nominative (the subject form). Feminine nouns ending in -a typically take -ę in the accusative: zupa → zupę, kawa → kawę, herbata → herbatę.

What case is kuchni, and why does w use it?

Kuchni is locative singular. After w meaning “in/inside” (static location), Polish uses the locative: w kuchni = “in the kitchen.” The base form is kuchnia; locative is kuchni.

How do I express motion “into/to the kitchen”?

Use do kuchni (“to the kitchen”) for motion toward a place: Idę do kuchni. Polish can use w with the accusative to mean “into,” but with rooms it’s uncommon; native speakers prefer do kuchni.

Where should powoli go? Are other word orders okay?

Polish word order is flexible. All of these are natural, with slight differences in emphasis:

• Powoli mieszam zupę w kuchni (emphasis on “slowly”)
• Mieszam zupę powoli w kuchni (neutral, keeps object near the verb)
• W kuchni powoli mieszam zupę (emphasis on location)
• Zupę powoli mieszam w kuchni (emphasis on the soup)

Can I say wolno or pomału instead of powoli?

Yes, but with caveats. Powoli is the safest, most neutral “slowly.” Wolno can mean “slowly,” but it also means “it is allowed,” so it can be ambiguous (e.g., Nie wolno = “It’s not allowed”). Pomału is colloquial/informal.

What about aspect—how is mieszam different from zamieszam or wymieszam?

Mieszam is imperfective: ongoing or habitual action (“I stir/I am stirring”). Perfectives describe a single, bounded event:

• Zamieszać = to give (a) stir (once) or start stirring; Zamieszam zupę = “I’ll give the soup a stir.”
• Wymieszać = to mix thoroughly to completion; Wymieszam zupę = “I’ll mix the soup (until it’s mixed).”

Does mieszam mean both “I stir” and “I am stirring”?

Yes. Polish present imperfective covers both simple and progressive meanings. Add adverbs if you need clarity: Teraz mieszam (“I’m stirring now”), Często mieszam (“I often stir”).

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

• mieszam: [ˈmjɛʂam]. mi/ie gives a soft “my-eh,” sz is a retroflex “sh” (harder than English sh).
• zupę: ę is a nasal “e.” Before a following p, it often sounds like “em,” so across the boundary zupę powoli can sound like “zupem powoli.”
• w kuchni: w is like English “v” but it devoices to [f] before voiceless k, so you’ll hear [f ˈkuxɲi].
• ch = , like the “ch” in German “Bach.”
• ni/ń in kuchni gives a palatal “ny” sound A careful full-sentence reading: [ja ˈmjɛʂam ˈzupɛ pɔˈvɔli f ˈkuxɲi].

Why is it sz in mieszam and not ś?

Sz ([ʂ]) and ś ([ɕ]) are different consonants: sz is a hard, retroflex “sh,” while ś is a soft, hissy “sh.” The verb is spelled with sz by etymology: mieszać → mieszam. Also note mie- makes the m slightly soft: [mʲe].

Where is the stress?

Polish stress is almost always on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable: mIEnszam? No—correct is miE-szam, ZU-pę, po-WO-li, KUCH-ni. In the full sentence, each word keeps its own penultimate stress.

Why are there no articles like “a” or “the”?

Polish has no articles. Zupę can mean “the soup” or “some soup” depending on context.

How do I add “with a spoon”?

Use the instrumental case: łyżka → łyżką. For example: Mieszam zupę łyżką w kuchni (“I’m stirring the soup with a spoon in the kitchen”).