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Questions & Answers about Proszę nie wchodzić teraz.
What exactly does bold Proszę bold do here—does it mean “please” or “I ask”?
It’s the 1st‑person singular of bold prosić bold (to ask), but in this fixed pattern it functions as polite “please”/“I request.” In everyday use it’s equivalent to English “please.” Note: bold Poproszę bold is different; it’s used when ordering/asking to be given something (e.g., “I’ll have…”).
Why is the verb in the infinitive bold wchodzić bold instead of an imperative form?
Polish often uses bold Proszę + infinitive bold for a polite, impersonal request. It avoids directly addressing the person as “you,” so it sounds neutral/formal and works for one or more listeners.
How do I say this informally to one person or to several people?
- One person (informal): bold Nie wchodź teraz. bold (Optionally: bold Proszę, nie wchodź teraz. bold to soften.)
- Several people (informal plural): bold Nie wchodźcie teraz. bold
How do I address someone formally (Mr./Ms.)?
Use bold Niech pan/pani nie wchodzi teraz. bold For a group: bold Niech państwo nie wchodzą teraz. bold The original bold Proszę nie wchodzić teraz. bold is also perfectly polite/formal and commonly used.
Can I move bold teraz bold to another position?
Yes. bold Proszę teraz nie wchodzić. bold and bold Teraz proszę nie wchodzić. bold are both fine. Earlier placement puts a bit more emphasis on “now”; at the end it’s neutral. All are idiomatic.
Why is it bold wchodzić bold (imperfective) and not bold wejść bold (perfective)?
Negative imperatives/requests in Polish normally use the imperfective: bold Nie wchodź. bold / bold Proszę nie wchodzić. bold Positive permission/requests often take the perfective for a single, complete action: bold Proszę wejść. bold “Proszę nie wejść” is unidiomatic.
Is this sentence polite or could it sound rude?
It’s polite/neutral—standard for staff-to-visitor situations or signage. Tone and context matter: adding an exclamation mark (bold Proszę nie wchodzić teraz! bold) makes it firmer; dropping bold proszę bold (bold Nie wchodzić! bold) is much blunter.
Do I need a comma after bold Proszę bold?
Not in bold Proszę nie wchodzić teraz. bold because bold proszę bold directly governs the infinitive phrase. Use a comma if bold proszę bold is an interjection: bold Proszę, nie wchodź teraz. bold
How do I pronounce this, especially the cluster in bold wchodzić bold?
Approximation: bold Proszę bold = PRO-sheh (the final ę sounds like plain “e” here), bold nie bold = nyeh, bold wchodzić bold ≈ f-KHOH-jeech (w before voiceless ch becomes an f-like sound; ch is a guttural “kh”), bold teraz bold = TEH-ras.
How can I specify the place I’m asking them not to enter?
Add a complement:
- bold Proszę nie wchodzić do gabinetu. bold (into the office)
- bold Proszę nie wchodzić na scenę. bold (onto the stage) Use bold do + GEN bold for “into,” bold na + ACC bold for “onto.”
How do I say “Please don’t enter yet/anymore” rather than “now”?
- “yet”: bold Proszę jeszcze nie wchodzić. bold
- “anymore/from now on”: bold Proszę już nie wchodzić. bold
- “at the moment/right now”: bold Proszę nie wchodzić w tej chwili. bold
What’s the difference between bold wchodzić bold and bold przychodzić bold?
bold Wchodzić bold is “to enter/go in” (cross a threshold). bold Przychodzić bold is “to come/arrive (to someone/somewhere).” So bold Proszę nie wchodzić teraz. bold = don’t come in (to the room), while bold Proszę nie przychodzić teraz. bold = don’t come over now.
Does bold Proszę + infinitive bold change with gender or number?
No. It’s invariant and works for any addressee(s). If you switch to direct imperatives, you must mark number: bold Nie wchodź bold (sg.), bold Nie wchodźcie bold (pl.).
How do I make the message stronger or more official (like “Do not enter now”)?
- bold Nie wolno wchodzić teraz. bold (It’s not allowed to enter now.)
- bold Zakaz wstępu. bold (No entry.) These sound more like rules than polite requests.
Are there very polite/softer alternatives?
Yes, e.g. bold Przepraszam, czy mógłby pan/pani chwilę poczekać i nie wchodzić teraz? bold or bold Prosimy o niewchodzenie teraz. bold (signage: “We kindly ask you not to enter now.”)
Is bold wchodzić bold literally “to walk in,” and is it only for walking?
It’s built from bold w- bold (in/into) + bold chodzić bold (to walk), but bold wchodzić bold simply means “to enter,” regardless of whether you’re walking. Its perfective partner is bold wejść bold. Using diacritics (bold wchodzić, wejść bold) is important.