Questions & Answers about Jutro jedziemy w góry.
What tense is jedziemy here? It looks like present tense, but the sentence means something in the future.
Yes — jedziemy is grammatically present tense: we are going / we go.
But in Polish, just like in English, a present-tense form can be used for a planned future action when there is a time word such as jutro (tomorrow).
So:
- Jutro jedziemy w góry. = Tomorrow we’re going to the mountains.
This is very natural Polish.
Why is it jedziemy, not idziemy?
Because jechać / jeździć is used for going by some means of transport or for travel over a distance, while iść / chodzić is for going on foot.
So:
- idziemy = we’re going (walking)
- jedziemy = we’re going (by car, train, bus, etc.)
In a sentence like Jutro jedziemy w góry, Polish normally imagines travel to the mountains as a trip by vehicle, so jedziemy is the natural choice.
What exactly does the ending -my in jedziemy mean?