Przepraszam, czy może Pani zmienić kanał? Ten program wcale mnie nie interesuje.

excuse me

Breakdown of Przepraszam, czy może Pani zmienić kanał? Ten program wcale mnie nie interesuje.

• nie: not
• czy: question marker
• ten: this

Questions & Answers about Przepraszam, czy może Pani zmienić kanał? Ten program wcale mnie nie interesuje.

Why is Pani capitalized?

In polite direct address, Polish often capitalizes Pan, Pani, Państwo, and related forms, especially in writing. Here Pani means you when speaking politely to a woman, similar to addressing someone as ma’am.

So in this sentence, czy może Pani... means could you... said politely to a woman.

In less formal writing, you may sometimes see lowercase, but uppercase is very common when showing respect.

Why does the sentence use Pani instead of a normal word for you?

Polish has a formal and informal distinction.

• ty = informal you, used with friends, family, children, etc.
• Pan = formal you to a man
• Pani = formal you to a woman

So czy może Pani zmienić kanał? is a polite request to a woman.
If you were speaking informally to one person, you might say:

• Czy możesz zmienić kanał?

What exactly does czy może Pani mean?