Breakdown of Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok.
Questions & Answers about Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok.
Why are dostanę and zostanę translated as future, even though they look like present-tense forms?
In Polish, perfective verbs use forms that look like the present tense, but they actually refer to the future.
- dostać = a perfective verb, meaning to receive / to get
- zostać = a perfective verb, here meaning to stay / remain
So:
- dostanę = I will get
- zostanę = I will stay
Polish does not normally use perfective verbs for a true present meaning. A perfective action is seen as a completed whole, so its present-form endings usually point to the future.
Why is there no word for I in the sentence?
Polish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.
- dostanę already means I will get
- zostanę already means I will stay
The ending -ę tells you the subject is I.
So ja is not needed unless you want emphasis, contrast, or clarification.
For example:
- Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok. = neutral
- Jeśli ja dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę... = more emphatic, like if I get a raise...
Why is it podwyżkę and not podwyżka?
Because podwyżkę is in the accusative case, which is used here for the direct object of dostać.
- nominative: podwyżka = a raise
- accusative: podwyżkę = a raise as the thing being received
Since the sentence says get a raise, Polish uses the accusative:
- dostać podwyżkę = to get a raise
This is very common with verbs that take a direct object.
Why is it w tej firmie?
Because the preposition w here means in and requires the locative case when talking about location.
So:
- ta firma = nominative, this company
- w tej firmie = locative, in this company
Both words change:
- ta → tej
- firma → firmie
This is a standard pattern after w when it means location.
Why does zostać mean stay here? I thought it meant become.
That is a very common question. Zostać can mean different things depending on the structure.
zostać + noun/adjective/instrumental
= to become- Został lekarzem. = He became a doctor.
zostać w + place / context
= to stay / remain- Zostanę w domu. = I’ll stay at home.
- Zostanę w tej firmie. = I’ll stay in this company.
So in your sentence, because it is zostanę w tej firmie, the meaning is clearly I will stay / remain in this company.
Why is jeszcze rok used instead of something like jeszcze jeden rok?
Jeszcze rok is a natural, concise way to say for another year or one more year.
- jeszcze rok = very natural
- jeszcze jeden rok = also possible, but more explicit and often more emphatic
In many time expressions, Polish uses the accusative without a preposition:
- czekać godzinę = to wait an hour
- pracować cały dzień = to work all day
- zostać jeszcze rok = to stay another year
So rok here functions as a duration expression.
Could I say przez jeszcze rok here?
Usually, no. Przez is not the most natural choice here.
For duration, Polish often just uses the accusative directly:
- zostanę jeszcze rok = natural
You might sometimes see na rok or przez rok in other contexts, but they do not always mean exactly the same thing.
- jeszcze rok = another year, one more year
- na rok = for a year, often with the idea of a set period
- przez rok = for a year, often describing something lasting throughout that year
In this sentence, jeszcze rok is the best and most idiomatic choice.
What is the role of jeśli? Could I use gdy or jak instead?
Jeśli means if and introduces a condition.
- Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę... = If I get a raise, I’ll stay...
You may also hear:
- gdy = when or sometimes if in certain contexts
- jak = sometimes when/if in colloquial speech
But jeśli is the clearest and most standard word for a real condition.
So for a learner, jeśli is the safest choice here.
Why is there a comma in the sentence?
Because Polish normally uses a comma to separate a subordinate clause from the main clause.
Here:
- Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę = subordinate conditional clause
- zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok = main clause
So the comma is required:
- Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok.
This is standard Polish punctuation.
Can the word order be changed?
Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English, because cases and verb endings carry a lot of grammatical information.
The original sentence is neutral and natural:
- Jeśli dostanę podwyżkę, zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok.
But you could also say:
- Zostanę w tej firmie jeszcze rok, jeśli dostanę podwyżkę.
That means the same thing, though the emphasis shifts slightly. The second version puts the result first and the condition second.
You can also move parts around for focus, but some orders sound more natural than others.
What aspect are the verbs, and why is that important here?
Both main verbs are perfective:
- dostać = perfective
- zostać = perfective
Perfective verbs present an action as a complete event:
- dostać podwyżkę = to receive a raise as a single completed event
- zostać jeszcze rok = to decide to remain for that whole additional year
This fits the meaning well, because the sentence is about a specific future condition and a specific future result.
If you used imperfective verbs, the meaning would change or sound odd in this context.
What are the imperfective partners of dostać and zostać?
The usual imperfective partners are:
- dostawać ↔ dostać
- zostawać ↔ zostać
Very roughly:
- dostawać = to be getting / to get repeatedly / habitually
dostać = to get once, successfully, as a completed event
- zostawać = to be staying / to remain / to be left / repeated or ongoing sense
- zostać = to stay / remain as a completed decision or bounded event
In your sentence, perfective is preferred because both actions are seen as specific future events.
Why is it w tej firmie, not w tej firmy?
Because after w meaning in, the noun must be in the locative case, not the genitive.
For firma, the singular locative form is:
- firmie
So:
- w tej firmie = in this company
The form firmy would be used in other cases, such as genitive or nominative plural, but not here.
Is firma better translated as company or firm?
Usually company is the most natural English translation in this sentence.
Although firma can correspond to firm, in everyday English company is often more neutral and common.
So:
- w tej firmie = in this company
That is why the sentence is typically translated that way.
Would będę ever be used instead of zostanę here?
Not with the same meaning.
- będę w tej firmie means more literally I will be in this company
- zostanę w tej firmie means I will stay / remain in this company
So zostanę is the correct choice if the idea is continuing to work there instead of leaving.
Also, będę zostawać would not fit this meaning naturally.
Could the sentence also mean I’ll remain at this company for another year?
Yes. That is a very good translation.
Zostać here can be understood as:
- stay
- remain
And jeszcze rok can be:
- for another year
- one more year
So natural English versions include:
- If I get a raise, I’ll stay at this company for another year.
- If I get a raise, I’ll remain at this company for another year.
Both match the Polish well.
Why is rok unchanged, even though time expressions often seem to vary?
Here rok is in the accusative singular, and for this masculine inanimate noun, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular.
So:
- nominative: rok
- accusative: rok
That is why there is no visible change, even though grammatically it is functioning as an accusative duration expression.
This is common with many masculine inanimate nouns in Polish.
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