Ja idę z nim do parku.

I am going to the park with him.

Breakdown of Ja idę z nim do parku.

• ja: I
• iść: to go
• do: to
• park: the park
• z: with
• nim: it

Questions & Answers about Ja idę z nim do parku.

Why do we need Ja at the beginning? Can I just say Idę z nim do parku?

In Polish, the subject pronoun (ja, ty, on, etc.) is usually optional, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• Idę z nim do parku. – fully correct: I am going with him to the park.
• Ja idę z nim do parku. – also correct, but adds emphasis on I (for example, contrasting with someone else: I’m going with him, not you).

So yes, you can normally just say Idę z nim do parku. Use Ja if you want to stress the subject or make a contrast.

Does idę mean “I go” or “I am going”? How does Polish show the difference?

Polish does not have a separate continuous tense like English (I am going). The simple present form idę can cover both:

• Idę z nim do parku (teraz). – I am going with him to the park (now).
• Jutro idę z nim do parku. – I am going with him to the park tomorrow. (a planned future)

However, idę describes a single, concrete movement, not a habitual action. For habits you use a different verb (chodzić), e.g.:

• Chodzę z nim do parku w każdą sobotę. – I (usually) go with him to the park every Saturday.

So idę ≈ I’m going (now / on a particular occasion).

What is the difference between iść (idę) and chodzić (chodzę)?

Both are often translated as to go (on foot), but:

• iść (1sg: idę)

  • one-time, concrete movement, usually in progress or planned
  • I’m going / I will go (this time).
  • Idę do parku. – I’m going to the park (now / this occasion).

• chodzić (1sg: chodzę)

  • habitual, repeated, general ability or tendency
  • I (regularly) go / I walk.
  • Chodzę do parku codziennie. – I go to the park every day.

In your sentence, idę is correct because you are describing one particular going, not a routine.

Why is it z nim and not z on or z jego?

Because Polish pronouns change form (case) depending on their grammatical role.

• The basic (nominative) form is on – he (used as the subject).
• After the preposition z meaning with, Polish requires the instrumental case.
• The instrumental form of on is nim.

So:

• on – he (subject)
• z nim – with him (instrumental after z)

z on and z jego are grammatically incorrect in this meaning.

What case is nim, and why do we use it here?

nim is the instrumental (and also locative) singular form of the pronoun on (he).

When z means with, it takes the instrumental case:

• z kim? – with whom? → z nim – with him
• z czym? – with what?

So in Ja idę z nim do parku, nim is in the instrumental case because of the preposition z (with).

Does z always mean “with” and always take the instrumental case?

No. z has two main uses, with two different cases:

1. z = with → takes instrumental

   • Idę z nim do parku. – I’m going with him to the park.
   • Z kolegą mieszkam. – I live with a friend.

2. z = from / off / out of → takes genitive

   • Wracam z parku. – I’m coming from the park.
   • Spadł z krzesła. – He fell off the chair.
   • Z niego się śmieją. – They are laughing at/from him (genitive: niego).

In your sentence, z = with, so it uses instrumental: z nim.

Why is it do parku and not do park?

In Polish, prepositions determine which case the noun must take.

• do (to, into) requires the genitive case.
• The noun park (masculine, animate/inanimate) has genitive singular parku.

So:

• park – nominative (dictionary form)
• parku – genitive singular

Because do + genitive is obligatory:

• do parku – to the park
• do domu – to home
• do szkoły – to school

do park is ungrammatical.

Is parku genitive or locative here? They look the same.

For park, the genitive and locative singular forms are both parku. The form is the same, but the case is decided by the preposition:

• do → always genitive → do parku (to the park)
• w / na (in/at/on) → locative → w parku, na parku (the second is rare / odd; normally w parku)

So in do parku, it is genitive, because do always takes genitive, never locative.

Can I change the word order? For example, say Idę z nim do parku instead of Ja idę z nim do parku?

Yes. Polish word order is fairly flexible, especially compared with English.

All of these are grammatical:

• Idę z nim do parku. – neutral, common.
• Ja idę z nim do parku. – more emphasis on ja (I).
• Z nim idę do parku. – emphasis on z nim (It’s with him that I’m going to the park).
• Do parku idę z nim. – emphasis on do parku (It’s to the park that I’m going with him).

The basic, neutral version without special emphasis is:

• Idę z nim do parku.

Is there any difference in meaning between Idę z nim do parku and Idę do parku z nim?

Both are grammatically correct and mean essentially the same: I’m going with him to the park.

The difference is only a matter of information focus:

• Idę z nim do parku. – the standard, most natural order.
• Idę do parku z nim. – mildly emphasizes z nim (I’m going to the park – with him).

In normal conversation, they will usually be understood the same way; the emphasis difference is subtle and often depends on intonation.

Can idę refer to the future, or does it only describe what is happening right now?

idę can describe:

1. An action happening now:

   • Idę z nim do parku (teraz). – I’m going with him to the park (right now).

2. A near future arrangement:

   • Jutro idę z nim do parku. – I’m going with him to the park tomorrow.
     (similar to English I’m going to the park with him tomorrow.)

So the present tense in Polish often covers a planned future, especially with verbs of movement and with time expressions like jutro (tomorrow), za chwilę (in a moment), etc.

What is the difference between Ja idę do parku and Ja pójdę do parku?

Here you see the Polish concept of aspect (imperfective vs perfective):

• iść → idę (imperfective)

  • focus on the process of going
  • present or planned (ongoing/near future)
  • Ja idę do parku. – I’m going to the park (now / I’m just about to go).

• pójść → pójdę (perfective)

  • focus on one complete act of going, often in the future
  • Ja pójdę do parku. – I will go to the park (once / at some point).

You use idę when you’re in the process or it’s about to happen; pójdę when you’re talking about a future, single completed event.

Why is ja not always capitalized like English I?

In Polish, pronouns like ja (I), ty (you), on (he), etc. follow normal capitalization rules:

• They are not automatically capitalized.
• They are written with a capital letter only at the beginning of a sentence or for specific respectful forms in formal writing (e.g. Pan, Pani for you).

So:

• Ja idę z nim do parku. – capitalized Ja because it’s the first word of the sentence.
• In the middle of a sentence, it would be ja.

Unlike English, Polish does not always capitalize the word for I.

Could I say something like z niego idę do parku instead of z nim?

No, that would be wrong in this meaning.

• z nim – instrumental: with him (correct in your sentence).
• z niego – genitive: usually means from him / out of him / off him.

Examples:

• Idę z nim do parku. – I’m going with him to the park.
• Wracam z niego – typically I’m coming back from it/him (context-dependent, but not with him).

Because in your sentence z = with, you must use the instrumental: z nim, not z niego.