Word
Jeśli królik znowu ucieknie, będziemy go szukać na podwórku za domem.
Meaning
If the rabbit runs away again, we will look for it in the yard behind the house.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Jeśli królik znowu ucieknie, będziemy go szukać na podwórku za domem.
być
to be
dom
the house
na
in
znowu
again
Questions & Answers about Jeśli królik znowu ucieknie, będziemy go szukać na podwórku za domem.
Why does the sentence start with Jeśli? Does Polish use the same kind of if-clause as English?
Yes. Jeśli means if and introduces a condition, just like in English.
So:
- Jeśli królik znowu ucieknie = If the rabbit runs away again
- będziemy go szukać... = we will look for him...
A useful difference from English is that Polish does not change the word order the way English sometimes does. There is no equivalent of English-style inversion or special auxiliary movement. Polish simply keeps a normal clause after jeśli.
You can also reverse the clauses:
- Będziemy go szukać na podwórku za domem, jeśli królik znowu ucieknie.
Both versions are natural.
Why is królik in the basic form?
Because królik is the subject of ucieknie.
In this clause:
- królik = the rabbit
- ucieknie = will run away / escapes
Subjects normally appear in the nominative case, which is the dictionary form. So królik stays królik.
Why is it ucieknie and not będzie uciekać?