Proszę pani, czy ten królik może jeść ziarno codziennie?

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Breakdown of Proszę pani, czy ten królik może jeść ziarno codziennie?

• jeść: to eat
• czy: question marker
• ten: this

Questions & Answers about Proszę pani, czy ten królik może jeść ziarno codziennie?

What does Proszę pani mean here, and when do you use it?

Proszę pani is a polite way to address a woman, especially in formal situations. It is a bit like Excuse me, ma’am or Miss depending on context.

In this sentence, it sounds like the speaker is politely getting a woman’s attention before asking the question.

A few useful points:

• proszę can mean things like please, here you go, or be part of polite expressions
• pani means lady / Mrs / ma’am
• together, Proszę pani functions as a fixed polite phrase

You often hear:

• Proszę pani, gdzie jest łazienka? = Excuse me, ma’am, where is the bathroom?
• Proszę pana if you are speaking to a man

Why is it pani and not a special vocative form?

This is a very common question, because Polish often uses the vocative when addressing someone directly. But with pan and pani, modern Polish normally uses the nominative form when addressing someone:

• Proszę pani
• Proszę pana

So even though the person is being addressed directly, you do not change pani into a different case here.

What does czy do in this sentence?