Nie chodź po trawniku, bo sąsiadka właśnie go podlewa.

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Breakdown of Nie chodź po trawniku, bo sąsiadka właśnie go podlewa.

• bo: because
• go: it
• chodzić: to walk

Questions & Answers about Nie chodź po trawniku, bo sąsiadka właśnie go podlewa.

Why is it Nie chodź and not Nie idź?

Both can translate as don’t go / don’t walk, but they are used a bit differently.

• chodzić is about walking around, moving on foot in a general or repeated way
• iść is more about going in one direction, one specific trip

With po trawniku, Polish very naturally uses chodzić po... for walking on/over/around a surface.

So:

• Nie chodź po trawniku = Don’t walk on the lawn
• Nie idź na trawnik = Don’t go onto the lawn

Both are possible in different situations, but the sentence you have is the most natural one for warning someone not to walk on the grass.

How do you form the negative command in this sentence?

Very simply: nie + the imperative form.

Here:

• chodź = walk / come / go (imperative, singular)
• nie chodź = don’t walk / don’t go

This is the normal way to make negative commands in Polish.

Related forms:

• chodź! = said to one person
• chodźcie! = said to more than one person
• chodźmy! = let’s go / let’s walk

Why is it po trawniku?