Po pracy idziemy do cukierni, bo mam ochotę na pączka.

After work we are going to the pastry shop, because I feel like having a doughnut.

Breakdown of Po pracy idziemy do cukierni, bo mam ochotę na pączka.

• ja: I
• iść: to go
• do: to
• bo: because

Questions & Answers about Po pracy idziemy do cukierni, bo mam ochotę na pączka.

What case is pracy, and why do we say po pracy?

Pracy is in the locative singular.

The preposition po often takes the locative when it means after. So:

• praca = work
• po pracy = after work

This is a very common pattern:

• po obiedzie = after lunch
• po szkole = after school
• po filmie = after the movie

So po pracy is just the normal way to say after work.

Why is it idziemy if the action happens after work? Shouldn’t Polish use a future tense?

Polish often uses the present tense of an imperfective verb to talk about a planned or expected future action, especially when the context already makes the time clear.

So Po pracy idziemy do cukierni sounds like:

• After work, we’re going to the pastry shop
• After work, we’re going to head to the pastry shop

It feels natural and conversational.

You could also say Po pracy pójdziemy do cukierni, which is more explicitly future:

• pójdziemy = we will go

Very roughly:

• idziemy = we’re going / we’re planning to go
• pójdziemy = we will go