Proszę o przedłużenie.

Here proszę comes from the verb prosić = to ask / to request.

So Proszę o przedłużenie literally means something like I am asking for an extension.

A useful thing to know is that proszę is a very common Polish word and can mean different things depending on context, for example:

• please
• here you are
• go ahead
• I ask / I am requesting

In this sentence, because it is followed by o + noun, it clearly means I am asking for.

Because Polish normally uses the pattern:

prosić o + accusative = to ask for + something

So:

• prosić o pomoc = to ask for help
• prosić o informację = to ask for information
• prosić o przedłużenie = to ask for an extension

You should learn prosić o as a set phrase.

It is in the accusative, because the preposition o after prosić o requires the accusative.

However, przedłużenie is a neuter noun, and for this type of noun the nominative and accusative singular look the same.

So:

• nominative: przedłużenie
• accusative: przedłużenie

That is why there is no visible ending change here.

Przedłużenie means extension, prolongation, or sometimes renewal, depending on context.

It can be used for things like:

• przedłużenie terminu = an extension of a deadline
• przedłużenie umowy = a contract extension / renewal
• przedłużenie wizy = a visa extension
• przedłużenie pobytu = an extension of a stay

By itself, przedłużenie does not say what is being extended, so the context has to make that clear.

Because Polish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The form proszę already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• Proszę o przedłużenie = I am asking for an extension
• Ja proszę o przedłużenie also works, but ja is usually added only for emphasis or contrast.

This is very normal in Polish.

Yes, it is polite, neutral, and fairly formal.

It sounds suitable in places like:

• an office
• a hotel
• an immigration desk
• a customer service situation
• an email or formal request

It is not rude, but it is also not especially soft or indirect. If you want to sound even more polite, you could say:

• Chciałbym prosić o przedłużenie. = I would like to ask for an extension.
• Czy mógłbym prosić o przedłużenie? = Could I ask for an extension?

They are related, but not the same.

• Proszę o przedłużenie. = I am asking for an extension.
• Proszę przedłużyć. = Please extend it.

The first one focuses on the thing being requested: an extension.
The second one directly asks someone to perform the action of extending.

So the sentence you were given is a request for a noun (extension), not an imperative command.

It can be natural on its own if the context is already obvious.

For example, if you are at a visa office, hotel reception, or discussing a deadline, people may already know what you mean.

But very often Polish speakers would make it more specific, for example:

• Proszę o przedłużenie terminu. = I am asking for a deadline extension.
• Proszę o przedłużenie umowy. = I am asking for a contract renewal/extension.
• Proszę o przedłużenie pobytu. = I am asking to extend my stay.

So the sentence is correct by itself, but in real life a noun after przedłużenie is often added.

Not exactly.

In English, please is just a politeness word.
In this sentence, proszę is actually the verb I ask / I request.

So a more literal translation is:

• I ask for an extension
• I am requesting an extension

In natural English, that may become:

• I’d like an extension
• I would like to request an extension
• I’m asking for an extension

So although English may use please in some translations, grammatically Polish is doing something a bit different here.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

PRO-sheh o pshed-woo-ZHEH-nyeh

A few helpful points:

• sz sounds like sh
• ę at the end of proszę is often pronounced close to eh in normal speech
• rz in przedłużenie sounds like the zh in measure
• ł sounds like English w
• nie at the end sounds like nye

Polish pronunciation is more regular than English spelling, but clusters like prz can take some practice.

The noun przedłużenie comes from the verb przedłużyć = to extend / to prolong.

So the relationship is:

• przedłużyć = to extend
• przedłużenie = extension

This is a very common pattern in Polish, where a noun is built from a verb.

For example:

• zdecydować = to decide
• zdecydowanie = decision / decisiveness depending on context

So if you know przedłużyć, it is easier to recognize przedłużenie.

Usually, no, not in the same situations.

• przedłużenie usually means extension / renewal / prolongation in practical contexts such as time, deadlines, contracts, visas, stays
• wydłużenie usually means lengthening in a more literal or physical sense, or sometimes making something longer in duration

For example:

• przedłużenie umowy = contract extension
• przedłużenie terminu = deadline extension
• wydłużenie spódnicy = lengthening a skirt
• wydłużenie czasu pracy maszyny = lengthening the machine’s operating time

So in most everyday bureaucratic or administrative contexts, przedłużenie is the word you want.

Yes, you can, and it may sound a bit more like I would like to ask for / I’ll ask for depending on context.

But there is a nuance:

• Proszę o przedłużenie is a straightforward formal request
• Poproszę o przedłużenie can sound slightly more like a service-style request, similar to I’ll have / I’d like

In many situations, Proszę o przedłużenie is the safer and more neutral formal phrasing.

This sentence is a good model for a very common structure:

Proszę o + accusative noun

For example:

• Proszę o pomoc. = I am asking for help.
• Proszę o odpowiedź. = I am asking for a reply.
• Proszę o informację. = I am asking for information.
• Proszę o wyjaśnienie. = I am asking for an explanation.
• Proszę o kontakt. = I am asking for contact.

So if you remember Proszę o..., you can build many polite formal requests in Polish.