Na obiad gotuję kaszę z warzywami i świeżymi ziołami.

For dinner I am cooking groats with vegetables and fresh herbs.

Breakdown of Na obiad gotuję kaszę z warzywami i świeżymi ziołami.

• ja: I
• i: and
• świeży: fresh
• gotować: to cook

Questions & Answers about Na obiad gotuję kaszę z warzywami i świeżymi ziołami.

Why does the sentence start with na obiad? What case is obiad in?

Na obiad means for lunch / for dinner (depending on how obiad is used in context or culture).

Here, obiad is in the accusative, but for this noun the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular: obiad.

Polish often uses na + accusative to mean something like for an occasion, purpose, or meal:

• na śniadanie = for breakfast
• na obiad = for lunch/dinner
• na kolację = for supper/dinner

So Na obiad gotuję... is very natural Polish for I’m cooking ... for lunch/dinner.

Why is it gotuję and not ja gotuję?

In Polish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• gotuję = I cook / I am cooking

The ending -ę tells you it is 1st person singular (I).

So:

• Gotuję = I cook / I’m cooking
• Ja gotuję = I cook / I’m cooking, but with extra emphasis on I

You would usually add ja only if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Ja gotuję, a ty sprzątasz. = I’m cooking, and you’re cleaning.