Breakdown of W sobotę muszę wyczyścić akwarium.
ja
I
musieć
to have to
w sobotę
on Saturday
akwarium
the aquarium
Questions & Answers about W sobotę muszę wyczyścić akwarium.
Why is it w sobotę and not w sobota?
Because after w when talking about time in expressions like on Saturday, Polish uses the accusative case.
- sobota = nominative dictionary form
- w sobotę = accusative, meaning on Saturday
This is a very common pattern:
- w poniedziałek = on Monday
- we wtorek = on Tuesday
- w środę = on Wednesday
- w czwartek = on Thursday
- w piątek = on Friday
- w sobotę = on Saturday
- w niedzielę = on Sunday
Notice that not all weekdays change in the same way, so it is best to learn them as whole expressions.
What exactly does muszę mean, and what is its base form?
Muszę means I must or I have to.
Its base form is musieć = to have to / must.
This is the 1st person singular form, so:
- muszę = I must
- musisz = you must
- musi = he/she/it must
In this sentence, muszę is followed by an infinitive:
- muszę wyczyścić = I have to clean
That is a very common structure in Polish:
- muszę pracować = I have to work
- muszę zadzwonić = I have to call
Why is the verb wyczyścić and not just czyścić?