Breakdown of Proszę przeczytać ten raport jeszcze raz.
proszę
please
ten
this
raport
the report
przeczytać
to read
Questions & Answers about Proszę przeczytać ten raport jeszcze raz.
Why is the sentence using proszę przeczytać instead of a direct imperative like przeczytaj?
Proszę + infinitive is a very common polite way to give an instruction in Polish. It is softer and more formal than the plain imperative.
- Proszę przeczytać ten raport jeszcze raz. = Please read this report again.
- Przeczytaj ten raport jeszcze raz. = Read this report again.
The second version is fine with friends, family, or when speaking less formally, but proszę przeczytać is better in professional, official, or polite situations.
Why is it przeczytać and not czytać?
This is about aspect, which is very important in Polish verbs.
- czytać = to read, focusing on the process, habit, or ongoing action
- przeczytać = to read through / to finish reading, focusing on completion
In this sentence, the speaker wants the report to be read all the way through, so przeczytać is the natural choice.
Compare:
- Proszę czytać raport. = Please be reading the report / Please read the report (process-focused, less natural here)
- Proszę przeczytać raport. = Please read the report through / finish reading it
Because this is a request to complete the task, przeczytać fits best.
What exactly does proszę mean here?