Po przeczytaniu maila od teściowej od razu zadzwoniłam do teścia.

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Breakdown of Po przeczytaniu maila od teściowej od razu zadzwoniłam do teścia.

• do: to
• po: after
• od razu: immediately

Questions & Answers about Po przeczytaniu maila od teściowej od razu zadzwoniłam do teścia.

Why is it po przeczytaniu? How does that mean after reading?

This is a very common Polish pattern:

• po
  • verbal noun in the locative
• it means after doing something

Here:

• przeczytać = to read / to read through
• przeczytanie = the reading / reading
• po przeczytaniu = after reading

So Po przeczytaniu maila... literally works like After the reading of the email..., but in natural English we say After reading the email...

This structure is very common in Polish:

• po przyjściu do domu = after coming home
• po obejrzeniu filmu = after watching the film
• po skończeniu pracy = after finishing work

Why is it maila, not mail?

Because maila is in the genitive singular.

That happens here because przeczytaniu comes from the verbal noun przeczytanie, and verbal nouns in Polish often take their object in the genitive:

• przeczytać mail = to read an email
• przeczytanie maila = reading an email
• po przeczytaniu maila = after reading an email

So the case changes because the verb has been turned into a noun-like form.

Also, mail is a borrowed word, and in everyday Polish maila is a very normal form. You may also see e-maila.