Learn Hardcore Polish: Chciałabym potwierdzić, że wolny termin w środę nadal mamy. - I would like to confirm that we still have a free time slot on Wednesday.

It’s the conditional “I would like,” used by a female speaker. A male speaker would say Chciałbym. Using the conditional here makes the request polite and soft. It’s written as one word (not “chciał bym/chciała bym”).

Is this phrasing polite and suitable for emails or phone calls?

Yes. Starting with Chciałabym… (or Chciałbym…) is a standard polite opener. Even more formal options include:

Uprzejmie proszę o potwierdzenie…
Addressing formally: Czy mają Państwo… (formal “you”).

Why is there a comma before że?

Polish requires a comma before że when introducing a subordinate clause. So the comma is obligatory: …, że …

Should it be że or czy after potwierdzić?

że = “that,” used when you state/confirm something as a fact: Chciałabym potwierdzić, że …
czy = “whether/if,” used when you seek verification: Chciałabym potwierdzić, czy mamy nadal wolny termin w środę. If you’re asking them to verify, czy fits better; if you’re stating what’s being confirmed, use że.

Why does the sentence end with mamy? Can I change the word order?

Polish word order is flexible and often used for emphasis. Ending with mamy places focus on “we still have (it).” Alternatives are fine, for example:

Chciałabym potwierdzić, że nadal mamy wolny termin w środę.
Chciałabym potwierdzić, że mamy nadal wolny termin w środę. All are grammatical; the differences are subtle nuances of emphasis.

Could I simply say że nadal mamy wolny termin w środę instead?

Yes. że nadal mamy wolny termin w środę is very natural and arguably a bit smoother. The placement of nadal (before or after mamy) is flexible.

Why is it w środę and not w środa?

Because time expressions with days of the week use the accusative after w. środa (Wednesday) becomes środę (accusative). Compare:

Location: w
- locative (e.g., w szkole – “in school”).
Time (day/date/month): w
- accusative (e.g., w środę, w poniedziałek, w maju).

Should it be w środę or na środę?

Both occur:

w środę = the slot/meeting is on Wednesday.
na środę = the slot is for Wednesday (common in scheduling talk). For appointments, wolny termin na środę is extremely idiomatic, and wolny termin w środę is also widely used.

Why use mamy (“we have”) instead of jest (“there is”)?

With appointments, providers typically say mamy wolny termin (“we have a free slot”), highlighting availability they control. jest is possible (e.g., termin … jest nadal wolny/dostępny), but mamy is the go-to in service contexts.

Can I drop że and say Chciałabym potwierdzić wolny termin w środę?

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly. That version means “I would like to confirm the Wednesday slot” (i.e., proceed with confirming it), not “confirm that we still have a slot.” Use że (or czy) if you’re reporting/asking about the fact.

Why is potwierdzić (perfective) used and not potwierdzać (imperfective)?

You intend a single, completed act of confirming, so the perfective potwierdzić is natural. Potwierdzać would imply an ongoing/repeated action (“to be confirming regularly”), which doesn’t fit here.

Is nadal the best translation of “still”? What about wciąż, ciągle, or dalej?

nadal: neutral and clear “still” (good in formal/neutral contexts).
wciąż: close to “still,” also common and natural.
ciągle: often “constantly/continually”; can mean “still,” but may sound like “all the time.”
dalej: colloquial “still/further”; also means “further/continue,” so it’s more context‑dependent. In a scheduling email, nadal or wciąż is safest.

Is wolny termin the right collocation? Why not wolny czas?

Yes, wolny termin is the standard for an available appointment slot. wolny czas means “free time” (leisure) and is not used for booking availability. Other natural options:

mamy dostępny termin
termin jest wolny/dostępny For doctors you’ll also see wizyta (e.g., wolny termin na wizytę).

Why wolny termin (not wolnego terminu)? What case is termin in?

It’s the direct object of mamy, so it’s in the accusative. For masculine inanimate nouns like termin, the accusative equals the nominative: wolny termin. The genitive wolnego terminu appears after negation: Nie mamy wolnego terminu w środę.

How would I turn this into a direct question to the provider?

Examples:

Informal plural (you all): Czy macie nadal wolny termin w środę?
Formal to staff: Czy mają Państwo nadal wolny termin w środę?
Internal (within your team): Czy nadal mamy wolny termin w środę?

Any quick pronunciation or stress tips?

Stress is penultimate: chcia-ŁA-bym; W ŚRO-dę; TER-min.
ch = a hard “h” (like German “Bach”).
ś is a soft “sh” (lighter than English “sh”).
Final -ę in środę is often pronounced like a plain “e” in casual speech.