Podaj mi sól, proszę.

Pass me the salt, please.

Breakdown of Podaj mi sól, proszę.

• proszę: please
• mi: me
• sól: the salt
• podać: to pass

Questions & Answers about Podaj mi sól, proszę.

What does the verb Podaj mean here? Could I say Daj instead?

• Podaj means “pass/hand (to someone),” typically across a table or short distance.
• Daj means “give,” which is broader and can sound a bit blunt in this context.
• At the table, Podaj mi sól is the most natural; Daj mi sól is understandable but less idiomatic.

Why is it mi and not mnie? Do they both mean “to me”?

• Both mean “to me” (dative), but mi is the normal unstressed form used after the verb: Podaj mi…
• mnie is the stressed form, used rarely here for strong contrast/emphasis (e.g., “to me, not him”). In everyday requests like this, stick with mi.

What cases are used, and why?

• mi is dative (indirect object: “to me”).
• sól is accusative (direct object of podaj).
• Feminine nouns like sól that don’t end in -a often have the same form in nominative and accusative; hence you still see sól.

Where does mi go in the sentence? Could I say “Podaj proszę mi sól”?

• Put mi right after the verb: Podaj mi sól, proszę.
• mi behaves like a clitic and prefers the “second position.”
• Podaj proszę mi sól sounds off; better: Podaj mi sól, proszę or Proszę, podaj mi sól.

Is the comma before proszę necessary?

• Yes, in writing it’s standard to set proszę off with a comma when it’s a politeness tag: Podaj mi sól, proszę.
• At the start: Proszę, podaj mi sól.
• In very casual messages people may skip commas, but the comma is recommended.

How do I say this politely to a stranger or waiter?

• To a stranger (formal singular): Proszę podać mi sól. or Czy mógłby Pan/Mogłaby Pani podać mi sól?
• To a server you can also say: Proszę o sól.
• Avoid Podaj with strangers; it’s the informal “you.”

What if I’m talking to more than one person?

• Use the plural imperative: Podajcie mi sól, proszę.

Could I make it a question like in English (“Will/Could you pass…”)? Is that politer?

• Yes: Czy możesz/podasz mi sól? (informal), Czy mógłbyś/mogłabyś podać mi sól? (more polite, informal).
• Formal: Czy mógłby Pan/Mogłaby Pani podać mi sól?
• Using a question often sounds softer.

What’s the difference between podać and podawać?

• podać (perfective) = a single, completed action; imperative: Podaj.
• podawać (imperfective) = ongoing/repeated action; imperative: Podawaj (“keep passing”), not appropriate for a one-off request at the table.

How is this pronounced?

• Podaj: PO-die (j = y in “yes”; -aj like “eye”).
• mi: mee.
• sól: sool (ó sounds like u; plain l, not ł).
• proszę: PRO-sheh (sz = sh). Final ę is usually just “eh” here, lightly or not at all nasal.

Any spelling gotchas?

• Keep the diacritics: sól (ó) and proszę (ę). Writing sol or prosze is incorrect in Polish.

Do I need something like “the” before sól?

• No. Polish has no articles. sól can mean “salt/the salt/some salt depending on context.

Can I drop mi and just say Podaj sól, proszę?

• Yes, people do that; the recipient is clear from context. Adding mi makes the grammar explicit and can feel a touch more careful.

Can I move proszę into the middle: Podaj mi, proszę, sól?

• Yes. Podaj mi, proszę, sól is fine and sounds polite. The commas mark proszę as a parenthetical politeness marker.