Bridging Clauses with "to"
In English, we can often connect a preposition directly to a clause (e.g., "consists in designers using..."). In Polish, you cannot attach a preposition directly to conjunctions like że (that) or żeby (so that / to).
Instead, you must insert the pronoun to (this/it) as a bridge before the clause, declining it according to the grammatical case required by the main verb's preposition.
Locative prepositions
Verbs like polegać na (to consist in), zależeć na (to care about), and zapomnieć o (to forget about) require the locative case. The locative of to is tym.
| This fashion trend consists in designers using old fabrics. | Ten trend w modzie polega na tym, że projektanci używają starych tkanin. |
| It is important to the designers that the new collection is perfect. | Projektantom zależy na tym, żeby nowa kolekcja była idealna. |
| Mr. and Mrs. Nowak forgot that the collection show is tomorrow. | Państwo Nowakowie zapomnieli o tym, że pokaz kolekcji jest jutro. |
Accusative prepositions
The verb czekać na (to wait for) requires the accusative case. The accusative of to is simply to. When waiting for someone else to do something, use żeby.
| The models are waiting for the show to finally begin. | Modelki czekają na to, żeby pokaz wreszcie się zaczął. |
Genitive prepositions
Verbs pairing with do (to/for) and z (from/out of) require the genitive case. The genitive of to is tego.
| We strive for our style to be modern. | Dążymy do tego, żeby nasz styl był nowoczesny. |
| People got used to fashion changing quickly. | Ludzie przyzwyczaili się do tego, że moda szybko się zmienia. |
| The high price of the fabric stems from it being ecological. | Wysoka cena tkaniny wynika z tego, że jest ekologiczna. |
Verbs Taking a Case Directly
Sometimes a verb takes a specific case without a preposition. The rule remains the same: decline to into that required case. For example, martwić się (to worry) takes the instrumental case (tym).
| Mrs. Kowalska is worried that this trend is returning. | Pani Kowalska martwi się tym, że ten trend wraca. |