Lekarz mówi, że nie powinniśmy długo chorować, jeśli bierzemy lekarstwo.

The doctor says that we should not be ill for long if we are taking the medicine.

Breakdown of Lekarz mówi, że nie powinniśmy długo chorować, jeśli bierzemy lekarstwo.

• nie: not
• długo: long
• że: that
• jeśli: if

Questions & Answers about Lekarz mówi, że nie powinniśmy długo chorować, jeśli bierzemy lekarstwo.

Why is there a comma before że?

In Polish, you almost always put a comma before że when it introduces a subordinate clause.

• Lekarz mówi, że … = The doctor says that …
  The whole part starting with że is a clause dependent on mówi (“says”), so it must be separated by a comma.
  Unlike in English (where the comma before “that” is usually wrong), in Polish this comma is correct and required here.

What exactly does że mean here? Is it the same as English “that”?

Yes. że is a conjunction and here it works very much like English “that” in reported speech:

• Lekarz mówi, że … = The doctor says that …

You cannot normally omit że the way you can often omit “that” in English (“The doctor says we shouldn’t…”). In everyday Polish speech people sometimes drop it in very informal phrases, but in standard language you keep it.

Why is the negation nie before powinniśmy and not before chorować?