Jeśli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano, zostań w domu i zadzwoń do przychodni.

Questions & Answers about Jeśli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano, zostań w domu i zadzwoń do przychodni.

Why is będziesz kaszleć i kichać used here? Isn’t that a future tense?

Yes — it is the future tense.

In Polish, many imperfective verbs form the future with:

będę / będziesz / będzie... + infinitive

So:

  • będziesz kaszleć = you will be coughing / you will cough
  • będziesz kichać = you will be sneezing / you will sneeze

This structure is especially common when talking about an ongoing or repeated activity, which fits symptoms like coughing and sneezing.


Why are kaszleć and kichać in the infinitive after będziesz?

Because with imperfective verbs, Polish often builds the future with być in the future + the infinitive.

So:

  • będziesz kaszleć
  • będziesz kichać

That is a normal pattern.

There is also another possible future structure with some verbs:

  • będziesz kaszlał / będziesz kaszlała

That version shows the speaker’s gender. The infinitive version, będziesz kaszleć, avoids gender marking, so it is very convenient in general statements like this one.


Why is there no word for you in the sentence?

Because Polish usually omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

Here, będziesz, zostań, and zadzwoń all clearly refer to you.

So Polish normally says:

  • Jeśli nadal będziesz... not
  • Jeśli ty nadal będziesz...

Using ty is possible, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or emotion.


What exactly does nadal mean here?

Nadal means still.

So Jeśli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano... means:

If you are still coughing and sneezing tomorrow morning...

It suggests that the symptoms have already started and may continue.

A similar word is wciąż, which can often mean the same thing.


Why is jutro rano placed there? Could it go somewhere else?

Yes, Polish word order is fairly flexible, so jutro rano could be moved.

The sentence means the same overall:

  • Jeśli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano...
  • Jeśli jutro rano nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać...

Both are natural.

The version in your sentence puts jutro rano after the two verbs, which is completely fine. Polish often moves time expressions around for rhythm or emphasis more freely than English does.


Why are kaszleć and kichać imperfective?

Because the sentence refers to ongoing symptoms, not one completed action.

  • kaszleć = to cough, to be coughing
  • kichać = to sneeze, to be sneezing

These are the natural choices when you mean someone is continuing to have those symptoms.

Polish aspect is very important:

Here, ongoing/repeated action is exactly what is meant.


Why does the sentence use zostań and zadzwoń instead of forms with będziesz?

Because those are imperativescommands or instructions.

  • zostań = stay
  • zadzwoń = call / give a call

The sentence first gives a condition:

  • If you are still coughing and sneezing tomorrow morning...

Then it gives instructions:

  • stay home
  • call the clinic

That is why the second part switches to the imperative.


Why is it zostań w domu, not zostań do domu?

Because w domu means at home / in the house, which expresses location.

  • w domu = in/at home

Do domu means to home / homeward, and it is used with movement toward home:

  • Idź do domu = Go home

But here there is no movement. The meaning is remain at home, so Polish uses:

  • zostań w domu

What case is domu in?

In w domu, domu is in the locative case.

The basic form is:

  • dom = house / home

After w meaning in/at, Polish normally uses the locative:

  • w domu = in/at home

So this is a very useful pattern:

  • w szkole = at school
  • w pracy = at work
  • w domu = at home

Why is it zadzwoń do przychodni and not just zadzwoń przychodnię?

Because the verb dzwonić / zadzwonić normally takes do + genitive when you mean call someone/somewhere.

So Polish says literally:

  • call to the clinic

That gives:

  • zadzwoń do przychodni

This is different from English, where call usually takes a direct object.

Compare:

  • zadzwonić do lekarza = call the doctor
  • zadzwonić do mamy = call mom
  • zadzwonić do przychodni = call the clinic

What case is przychodni in?

It is the genitive singular of przychodnia.

Dictionary form:

  • przychodnia = clinic, medical center, outpatient clinic

After do, Polish usually uses the genitive:

  • do przychodni = to the clinic / to the medical center

So:

  • przychodniado przychodni

What does przychodnia mean exactly? Is it the same as hospital?

Not exactly.

Przychodnia is usually a clinic, medical center, or doctor’s office / outpatient facility. It is where you go for appointments, checkups, or basic treatment.

It is not the same as:

  • szpital = hospital

So zadzwoń do przychodni means call the clinic / medical center, not call the hospital.


Why is there a comma after jutro rano?

Because the sentence begins with a conditional clause introduced by Jeśli = if.

The first part is:

  • Jeśli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano

The second part is the main clause:

  • zostań w domu i zadzwoń do przychodni

In Polish, when a subordinate clause comes first, it is normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

So the comma here is standard punctuation.


Could the sentence start with Gdy or Jeżeli instead of Jeśli?

Yes, with some differences.

  • jeśli = if
  • jeżeli = if, slightly more formal or explicit
  • gdy = when / if, depending on context

In this sentence, jeśli is the most natural everyday choice.

You could also say:

  • Jeżeli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano...

That sounds fine, just a little more formal or careful.


Is this sentence formal or informal?

It is mostly neutral, but the verb forms show it is addressed to one person in the informal singular:

  • będziesz
  • zostań
  • zadzwoń

So it is suitable for speaking to:

  • a friend
  • a child
  • a family member
  • one person you address as ty

If you wanted a formal version for Pan/Pani, you would need different wording, for example:

  • Jeśli nadal będzie Pan / będzie Pani kaszleć i kichać jutro rano, proszę zostać w domu i zadzwonić do przychodni.

Why does Polish use i twice: once between the two symptoms and once between the two instructions?

Because i simply means and.

So the sentence has two coordinated pairs:

  1. kaszleć i kichać
    = to cough and sneeze

  2. zostań w domu i zadzwoń do przychodni
    = stay home and call the clinic

This is very normal and works just like English.


Could nadal be moved to another place in the sentence?

Yes. Polish allows some flexibility.

For example:

  • Jeśli nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać jutro rano...
  • Jeśli będziesz nadal kaszleć i kichać jutro rano...
  • Jeśli jutro rano nadal będziesz kaszleć i kichać...

All of these are understandable and natural enough. The differences are mostly about emphasis and rhythm, not basic meaning.

The original version is perfectly good and idiomatic.

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