Learn Hardcore Polish: Czy to wyjście prowadzi prosto na główny plac? - Does this exit lead straight to the main square?

Czy marks a neutral yes/no question. You can omit it and just use rising intonation: To wyjście prowadzi prosto na główny plac? Using czy is a bit more formal/explicit, but both are correct.

Do I need to change the word order to ask a yes/no question in Polish?

No. Polish does not invert the subject and verb in yes/no questions. The statement word order stays the same; you add czy (optional) or use intonation.

Why is it to wyjście and not ten wyjście?

Because wyjście is a neuter noun, and the demonstrative must match the gender:

masculine: ten plac (this square)
feminine: ta ulica (this street)
neuter: to wyjście (this exit)

What case is główny plac in, and why?

Accusative. With motion/toward meaning, na takes the accusative (na + ACC): na główny plac. For location (no motion), na takes the locative (na + LOC): na głównym placu (on the main square).

Why isn’t it głównego placu here?

In the accusative, masculine inanimate nouns and their adjectives look like the nominative. Plac is masculine inanimate, so the adjective stays główny. Compare:

masculine animate accusative: Widzę głównego psa (I see the main dog)
masculine inanimate accusative: Widzę główny plac (I see the main square)

Why na and not do?

na + ACC is used for movement onto/open areas, events, institutions: na plac, na rynek, na stadion, na uniwersytet.
do + GEN means movement into/enclosed spaces: do sklepu, do domu. For an open square, na plac is the default. Do placu is possible in some contexts but sounds less natural here.

Could I say na rynek instead of na główny plac?

Yes, if you mean the town’s central market square. Many Polish towns have a rynek that functions as the main square: Czy to wyjście prowadzi prosto na rynek? Note that some places use the proper name Rynek Główny (capitalized), e.g., in Kraków.

What exactly does prosto mean here? Is it “simply”?

Here prosto means “straight” or “directly,” as in “straight onto.” It does not mean “simply.” Near-synonyms:

wprost (straight, directly; a bit more emphatic/literary)
bezpośrednio (directly, with no intermediate step)

Can I move prosto elsewhere in the sentence?

Adverbs are flexible, but the most natural place is right before the destination phrase: prowadzi prosto na... You might hear Czy to wyjście prosto prowadzi na..., which is understandable but less idiomatic.

Why prowadzi and not a future like doprowadzi?

Prowadzi (imperfective, present) states a general property: “this exit leads...” If you’re asking whether using it on this occasion will get you there, you can use a perfective future: Czy to wyjście doprowadzi nas prosto na główny plac? (“Will this exit get us straight to the main square?”)

Can inanimate things like an exit really “lead” in Polish?

Yes. Using prowadzić with inanimate subjects is natural: Droga prowadzi do wioski (The road leads to the village), Ten korytarz prowadzi na perony (This corridor leads to the platforms).

Could I use wychodzić na instead of prowadzić na?

Sometimes. [coś] wychodzi na [miejsce] means it “opens onto/faces” something and is common with windows/doors: Te drzwi wychodzą na balkon. With wyjście, prowadzić na is more neutral and widely applicable.

What’s the difference between to wyjście and tamto wyjście?

to wyjście = this exit (near me/us or the one we’re pointing at)
tamto wyjście = that exit (over there, farther away)

Polish has no articles. How do I convey “the main square” vs “a main square”?

Context does the job. Główny plac will usually be understood as “the main square (of this town/complex).” If you need to be explicit, you can add a demonstrative: ten główny plac (that specific main square).

Is there a more concise way to ask this?

Yes:

To wyjście na główny plac? (ellipsis, very colloquial)
Tędy prosto na główny plac? (Tędy = this way)

How would I answer briefly?

Yes: Tak, prowadzi. or Tak, prosto na plac.
No: Nie, nie prowadzi. You can add a correction: Nie, prowadzi na parking.

Any pronunciation tips for wyjście?

wyj- like “vee” + a soft “y” sound, then ś is a soft “sh,” and cie is like “chyeh.” Roughly: “VEE-ys-chyeh.” The letters ś and ci indicate soft consonants.

Is plac główny also correct?

As a generic description, Poles normally put the adjective first: główny plac. Post-nominal adjectives appear in many proper names (e.g., Rynek Główny in Kraków), but in everyday descriptions główny plac is preferred.

What if I want to ask “Does this exit lead straight onto the main square or to the parking lot?”

Use czy … czy … for alternatives: Czy to wyjście prowadzi prosto na główny plac, czy na parking?