Breakdown of Jeśli skończymy projekt przed terminem, szefowa da nam premię zamiast kolejnych nadgodzin.
przed
before
my
we
jeśli
if
skończyć
to finish
Questions & Answers about Jeśli skończymy projekt przed terminem, szefowa da nam premię zamiast kolejnych nadgodzin.
Why is skończymy used after jeśli? It looks like present tense, but the meaning is future.
In Polish, after jeśli (if), you normally do not use a special future tense the way English does. Instead, Polish often uses a present-form verb with future meaning, especially when the verb is perfective.
- skończymy = grammatically a present-form verb
- but because skończyć is perfective, it refers to a completed future action
- so jeśli skończymy projekt means if we finish the project
This is very natural in Polish:
- Jeśli przyjdziesz, porozmawiamy. = If you come, we’ll talk.
- Jeśli zdążę, zadzwonię. = If I make it in time, I’ll call.
What is the difference between skończyć and kończyć here?
This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Polish.
- skończyć = perfective → to finish, to bring something to completion
- kończyć = imperfective → to be finishing, to finish in a general/repeated/process sense
In this sentence, the idea is completing the project before the deadline, so skończyć is the right choice.
Compare:
- Jeśli skończymy projekt... = If we finish the project...
(a completed result) - Jeśli kończymy projekt... = this sounds odd here, and would suggest an ongoing or habitual idea rather than a one-time completed result