Word
Czy możesz podać mi ten kubek z wodą?
Meaning
Can you hand me that mug with water?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Czy możesz podać mi ten kubek z wodą?
What does czy do at the beginning of the sentence?
Czy is a particle used to mark a yes/no question.
So:
- Możesz podać mi ten kubek z wodą. = You can pass me that mug with water.
- Czy możesz podać mi ten kubek z wodą? = Can you pass me that mug with water?
In everyday speech, Polish speakers often omit czy and just use rising intonation:
- Możesz podać mi ten kubek z wodą?
That is still perfectly natural.
Why is it możesz?
Możesz is the 2nd person singular form of móc (to be able to / can).
It matches an informal you:
- ja mogę = I can
- ty możesz = you can
- on/ona może = he/she can
So Czy możesz... ? means Can you... ? when speaking to one person informally.
If you wanted to be more formal, you would usually say:
- Czy może Pan podać mi ten kubek z wodą? = speaking formally to a man
- Czy może Pani podać mi ten kubek z wodą? = speaking formally to a woman
Why is podać in the infinitive?