Powiedz mi szczerze, czy masz ochotę zostać w domu?

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Breakdown of Powiedz mi szczerze, czy masz ochotę zostać w domu?

• czy: question marker
• mi: me
• zostać: to stay

Questions & Answers about Powiedz mi szczerze, czy masz ochotę zostać w domu?

Why is it powiedz and not mów?

Powiedz is the imperative of powiedzieć (to say / to tell) and is usually used for a single, complete act: Tell me...

Mów is the imperative of mówić (to speak / to be saying / to tell in an ongoing sense). In this sentence, Polish prefers powiedz mi because the speaker is asking for one honest answer, not for ongoing speech.

So:

• Powiedz mi szczerze... = Tell me honestly...
• Mów mi szczerze... would sound less natural here

Why is it mi and not mnie?

Both mean me, but mi is the normal unstressed dative form and is very common in everyday Polish.

• Powiedz mi = Tell me
• mnie is used more for emphasis, contrast, or after some prepositions

So:

• Powiedz mi szczerze = neutral, natural
• Powiedz mnie szczerze = incorrect

If you wanted emphasis, you might say something like:

• Powiedz mnie? — no, still wrong here
• Powiedz mnie to — also wrong

The correct emphatic version would usually still keep dative structure, for example:

• Powiedz to mnie, nie jemu. = Tell it to me, not to him.

But in this sentence, mi is exactly what you want.

What does szczerze mean here, and why is it an adverb?