Breakdown of Nie denerwuj się, przecież jeszcze mamy pięć minut do końca przerwy.
Questions & Answers about Nie denerwuj się, przecież jeszcze mamy pięć minut do końca przerwy.
Why is it Nie denerwuj się and not Nie denerwujesz się?
Because denerwuj is the imperative form: it means don’t get upset / don’t worry / don’t be nervous as a command or request.
- denerwujesz się = you are getting upset / you get upset
- denerwuj się = get upset!
- nie denerwuj się = don’t get upset!
So the speaker is telling someone not to do something, which is why Polish uses the imperative.
What does się do in denerwuj się?
Się makes the verb reflexive here. The basic verb denerwować can mean to annoy / to upset someone:
- To mnie denerwuje = That annoys me
But denerwować się means to get upset / to become nervous / to worry:
- Denerwuję się = I’m getting upset / I’m nervous / I’m worried
So Nie denerwuj się is not literally don’t annoy, but don’t upset yourself / don’t get upset.
In Polish, a lot of emotional-state verbs use się in this way.
Does Nie denerwuj się mean don’t be angry, don’t worry, or don’t be nervous?
It can overlap with all of those depending on context, but here it most naturally means something like:
- Don’t worry
- Don’t get upset
- Don’t be so stressed
The verb denerwować się often suggests emotional agitation, stress, irritation, or nervousness. In this sentence, because the speaker adds we still have five minutes left, the idea is probably don’t worry / don’t panic.
What does przecież mean here?
Przecież is a very common Polish particle that adds the sense of:
- after all
- come on
- but
- you know
- obviously / as you know
In this sentence, it softens and supports the speaker’s point:
- Nie denerwuj się, przecież jeszcze mamy pięć minut...
- Don’t worry, we still have five minutes, after all.
It often reminds the listener of something that should already be clear or remembered.
What does jeszcze mean in this sentence?
Why does Polish say mamy pięć minut — literally we have five minutes?
Because Polish commonly expresses remaining time with mieć (to have), just like English often does:
- Mamy pięć minut = We have five minutes
- In context: We still have five minutes left
It sounds very natural in Polish. You do not need a separate word for left here, because the phrase do końca przerwy already shows that these five minutes remain until the break ends.
Why is it pięć minut and not pięć minuty?
Because after 5 and above, Polish nouns usually go into the genitive plural.
- jedna minuta = one minute
- dwie / trzy / cztery minuty = two / three / four minutes
- pięć minut = five minutes
So:
- 1 → nominative singular
- 2–4 → nominative plural-like form
- 5+ → genitive plural
That is why the sentence uses pięć minut.
Why is it do końca przerwy?
Because do takes the genitive case and means to / until / up to in expressions of limit or endpoint.
The phrase means:
- do końca = until the end
- przerwy = of the break
So:
- do końca przerwy = until the end of the break
Case changes:
- koniec → końca (genitive singular)
- przerwa → przerwy (genitive singular)
This is a very common pattern:
- do domu = to home
- do rana = until morning
- do końca dnia = until the end of the day
Could the sentence be translated literally as Don’t upset yourself, after all we still have five minutes until the end of the break?
Yes, that is close to the literal structure, but it sounds less natural in English.
A more natural English version would be something like:
- Don’t worry, we still have five minutes left before the break ends.
- Don’t get upset, we still have five minutes left of the break.
So the Polish structure is straightforward, but good English translation usually smooths it out a bit.
Is the word order fixed in this sentence?
No, Polish word order is fairly flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others.
The original:
Possible alternatives:
- Nie denerwuj się, jeszcze mamy przecież pięć minut do końca przerwy.
- Przecież jeszcze mamy pięć minut do końca przerwy, nie denerwuj się.
The original sounds very natural because:
- first comes the calming command
- then comes the explanation
- przecież appears early, which gives the sentence that reassuring come on / after all tone
So the word order is not completely fixed, but the chosen order is idiomatic and expressive.
Why is there a comma after Nie denerwuj się?
Because the sentence has two parts:
The first part is an imperative clause, and the second gives the reason or explanation. In Polish, a comma is normally used to separate such clauses.
So the punctuation matches the natural pause in speech:
- Don’t worry, after all we still have five minutes left.
Could a different verb be used instead of denerwować się?
Yes. Depending on the exact feeling, Polish might also use:
- Nie martw się = Don’t worry
- Nie stresuj się = Don’t stress out
- Nie przejmuj się = Don’t let it bother you / don’t worry about it
Compared with these:
- denerwować się suggests agitation, nerves, irritation, or emotional tension
- martwić się focuses more on worry
- stresować się focuses more on stress
- przejmować się focuses on taking something too much to heart
In this sentence, Nie denerwuj się sounds very natural and conversational.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PolishMaster Polish — from Nie denerwuj się, przecież jeszcze mamy pięć minut do końca przerwy to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions