Ona potrafi mówić po polsku coraz lepiej.

she

Breakdown of Ona potrafi mówić po polsku coraz lepiej.

• mówić: to speak
• coraz lepiej: better and better
• po polsku: in Polish

Questions & Answers about Ona potrafi mówić po polsku coraz lepiej.

Why is ona included? Could the sentence just be Potrafi mówić po polsku coraz lepiej?

Yes. In Polish, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person:

• potrafi = he/she/it can / is able to

So Potrafi mówić po polsku coraz lepiej is a perfectly natural sentence.

Including ona adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity, for example if you are comparing her with someone else:

• Ona potrafi mówić po polsku coraz lepiej, ale on jeszcze nie.

So ona is not required, but it is not wrong either.

What does potrafi mean exactly?

Potrafi is the 3rd person singular form of potrafić.

It means to be able to, to know how to, or to have the skill to do something.

In this sentence, it suggests ability or skill:

• Ona potrafi mówić po polsku = She can speak Polish / She knows how to speak Polish

It often sounds a bit more like having learned ability than simple possibility.

Compare:

• potrafi = is able to, knows how to
• może = can, may, is allowed/is possible
• umie = knows how to, has learned how to

In many situations, potrafi and umie are quite close.