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?