Sentences without a subject
Three short words replace a whole modal verb and never change their form. Each is followed by a dictionary-form verb, and there is no I or you in the sentence — Polish says one can, one must.
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| one can, it is possible / allowed (+ infinitive) | można | one can, it is possible / allowed |
| one must, it is necessary (+ infinitive) | trzeba | one must, it is necessary |
| it is not allowed (+ infinitive) | nie wolno | it is not allowed |
| Can one eat here? | Czy tu można jeść? |
| One must work a lot. | Trzeba dużo pracować. |
| Sleeping here is not allowed! | Nie wolno tu spać! |
Asking permission
A bare Można? is may I? — at a door, with a chair, with a photo. The usual answer is proszę.
nie można vs nie wolno
Nie można says something is not possible or not done here; nie wolno is a rule or a ban:
| One cannot drink beer here. | Tu nie można pić piwa. |
| Drinking is not allowed here. | Tutaj nie wolno pić. |
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