W weekend spotykamy się z kuzynem i kuzynką na obiedzie u babci.

Questions & Answers about W weekend spotykamy się z kuzynem i kuzynką na obiedzie u babci.

Why is spotykamy się in the present tense if the sentence is about a future plan?

In Polish, the present tense of an imperfective verb is often used to talk about future arrangements, especially when there is a time expression like w weekend (on/over the weekend).

  • W weekend spotykamy się…
    literally: On the weekend we meet…
    but in context = We’re meeting… / We will be meeting… (this weekend)

This is similar to English:

  • We meet them on Saturday = We’re meeting them on Saturday.

So:

  • spotykamy się (present, imperfective) + w weekend (future time)
    → natural way to talk about a planned future meeting.
Why do we say spotykamy się and not just spotykamy?

The reflexive pronoun się is essential here.

  • spotykać się z kimś = to meet (up) with someone / to get together with someone (mutual, arranged).
  • spotykać kogoś (without się) = to meet someone, encounter someone (regularly), often not so mutual-sounding, more like “to see someone (as part of your life)”.

Examples:

  • Często spotykamy się z przyjaciółmi.
    We often meet up with friends.
  • Często spotykam tego sąsiada w sklepie.
    I often bump into that neighbor in the shop. (no się)

In your sentence, it’s a mutual meeting, so you must say:

  • spotykamy się z kuzynem i kuzynką
    not: spotykamy z kuzynem i kuzynką (ungrammatical).
What case are z kuzynem and z kuzynką, and why are they in that case?

z kuzynem and z kuzynką are in the instrumental case.

When z means “with”, it normally takes the instrumental:

  • z kim? z czym? (with whom? with what?)

So:

  • kuzyn (cousin, m.) → z kuzynem (instr. sg.)
  • kuzynka (cousin, f.) → z kuzynką (instr. sg.)

This is the standard pattern:

  • z mamą (with mom), z kolegą (with a (male) colleague), z siostrą (with (my) sister).
Why do kuzynem and kuzynką have different endings?

They have different endings because they are different genders, and the instrumental case endings depend on gender:

  • kuzyn – masculine noun

    • Nominative: kuzyn
    • Instrumental: kuzynem (‑em)
  • kuzynka – feminine noun

    • Nominative: kuzynka
    • Instrumental: kuzynką (‑ą)

Typical instrumental singular endings:

  • Masculine: ‑em (kolega → kolegą; nauczyciel → nauczycielem)
  • Feminine: ‑ą (siostra → siostrą; babcia → babcią)
Do we need to repeat z before kuzynką? Could we say z kuzynem i z kuzynką?

Both are grammatically correct:

  • z kuzynem i kuzynką
  • z kuzynem i z kuzynką

In practice:

  • z kuzynem i kuzynką is more common and sounds natural and smooth.
  • z kuzynem i z kuzynką can add a tiny bit of emphasis on each person separately, but often it just sounds slightly heavier.

Polish frequently lets one preposition govern a whole list:

  • z mamą, tatą i bratem (with mom, dad and brother).
What case is w weekend, and why doesn’t weekend change its form here?

w weekend uses the accusative case, but for inanimate masculine nouns (like weekend), the accusative form = the nominative form, so you see no visible change.

Why accusative?
With expressions of time like “on Monday, in May, at 5 o’clock” etc., Polish very often uses preposition + accusative:

  • w poniedziałek (on Monday – accusative)
  • w przyszły piątek (this coming Friday – accusative)
  • w weekend (on/over the weekend – accusative)

You might also hear w weekendzie (locative), but:

  • w weekend is more common and more colloquial, especially in modern speech.
  • w weekendzie can sound more old-fashioned or regional; it’s correct but less frequent.

So w weekend is what you’ll usually say.

Why is it na obiedzie and not na obiad?

Both exist, but they mean different things:

  • na obiedzielocative case, means at (the) lunch / during lunch, i.e. location / situation
    We’re meeting (while we are) at lunch / at Grandma’s for lunch.

  • na obiadaccusative case, means for lunch in the sense of direction / goal
    We’re going (to someone) for lunch.

Compare:

  • Jesteśmy na obiedzie u babci.
    We are at lunch at Grandma’s (house).

  • Idziemy do babci na obiad.
    We’re going to Grandma’s for lunch.

In your sentence:

  • spotykamy się … na obiedzie
    focuses on where / in what situation you’re meeting: at the lunch.
Why is it u babci and not u babcia or do babci?
  1. Case and form:

    • The preposition u (at someone’s place) takes the genitive case.
    • babcia (grandma) – genitive singular: babci
      So you must say u babci, not u babcia.
  2. Meaning difference:

    • u babci = at Grandma’s place (location)
    • do babci = to Grandma’s (place) (movement / direction)

So:

  • na obiedzie u babci = at lunch at Grandma’s (house).
  • Idziemy do babci na obiad. = We’re going to Grandma’s for lunch.
Why is there no word for “we” (like my) in the sentence?

In Polish, subject pronouns (ja, ty, on, my, wy, oni/one) are often dropped because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

  • spotykamy się → the ending ‑my tells you it’s “we”.
  • Adding my (my spotykamy się…) is usually only for emphasis or contrast:
    • My spotykamy się z kuzynem, a oni zostają w domu.
      We are the ones meeting with the cousin, and they are staying at home.

So in neutral sentences, you normally omit the pronoun:

  • Spotykamy się z kuzynem… = We’re meeting with (our) cousin…
Could we change the word order? For example: Spotykamy się w weekend z kuzynem i kuzynką na obiedzie u babci?

Yes. Polish word order is fairly flexible, especially in spoken language, as long as the grammar (cases, prepositions, endings) is correct.

All of these are possible and natural:

  • W weekend spotykamy się z kuzynem i kuzynką na obiedzie u babci.
  • Spotykamy się w weekend z kuzynem i kuzynką na obiedzie u babci.
  • W weekend u babci spotykamy się z kuzynem i kuzynką na obiedzie.

Differences are mostly about rhythm and emphasis, not about basic meaning.
The original version (W weekend spotykamy się…) is a very neutral, common pattern:

  • [Time] + [Verb] + [With whom] + [Where].
What’s the difference between spotykamy się and spotkamy się?

They differ in aspect and nuance:

  • spotykać się (imperfective) → spotykamy się

    • Focus on the process, a plan, or a habit.
    • Can mean we are meeting (this time) or we (usually) meet.
  • spotkać się (perfective) → spotkamy się (future)

    • Focus on the completed event, a single concrete meeting.
    • Clearly future: we will (have a) meet(ing), we’ll meet.

Both can work with w weekend, but:

  • W weekend spotkamy się z kuzynem…
    sounds like a specific one-time future event, slightly more “single occasion”.
  • W weekend spotykamy się z kuzynem…
    sounds like either a planned meeting or even a typical weekend habit, depending on context.

In casual speech, for a planned meeting, both are common, with a subtle difference in feel rather than meaning.

How would I say “cousin” in Polish if I don’t want to say whether it’s male or female?

Polish always marks gender for “cousin” in the normal words:

  • kuzyn – male cousin
  • kuzynka – female cousin

If you really need to be vague, people normally rely on context or say something like:

  • jeden z kuzynów (one of my cousins – but masculine plural form).
  • z kuzynostwem (with the cousins as a group – collective, but not for one person).

For one specific cousin, you usually have to choose kuzyn or kuzynka once the gender is known.

How would I say “Every weekend we meet with our cousins for lunch at Grandma’s” using this pattern?

You can adapt the sentence like this:

  • W weekendy spotykamy się z kuzynami na obiedzie u babci.
    = On weekends / Every weekend we meet with (our) cousins for lunch at Grandma’s.

Alternatives:

  • Co weekend spotykamy się z kuzynami na obiedzie u babci.
    Every weekend we meet with (our) cousins for lunch at Grandma’s.

Notes:

  • w weekendy or co weekend – express regularity.
  • kuzyni / kuzynami – plural of kuzyn (mixed or all-male group).
    Instrumental plural: z kuzynami.
    (If the group is all female, you could say z kuzynkami.)
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