Breakdown of Uważaj na gorący piekarnik, kiedy gotujesz obiad.
ty
you
gotować
to cook
obiad
the dinner (main meal)
kiedy
when
Questions & Answers about Uważaj na gorący piekarnik, kiedy gotujesz obiad.
Why is uważaj used here?
Uważaj is the imperative form, so it means be careful or watch out.
It comes from the verb uważać. In this sentence, the speaker is telling one person directly to be careful, so Polish uses the singular informal command:
- uważaj = be careful! / watch out!
Related forms:
- uważajcie = be careful! (to more than one person, or sometimes informal plural)
- niech pan/pani uważa = please be careful (formal)
So uważaj is the natural form if you are speaking to one person informally.
Why is there na after uważaj?
Because Polish commonly uses the pattern:
uważać na + accusative
This means to watch out for, to be careful of, or to be mindful of something.
So:
- uważaj na psa = watch out for the dog
- uważaj na schody = be careful on the stairs / watch out for the stairs
- uważaj na gorący piekarnik = watch out for the hot oven
This is just a fixed and very common Polish construction. Even though na often means on or onto, here it does not mean that literally.
Why is it gorący piekarnik and not some other ending?