Formal purpose clauses: aby and by
When writing official correspondence, submitting a petition (podanie), or dealing with the civil registry (urząd stanu cywilnego), you will need formal equivalents of the word żeby (so that, in order to). In written and professional Polish, these are aby and by.
Just like żeby, when the subject of both halves of the sentence is the same, you can simply follow aby or by directly with an infinitive verb.
| I ask for a copy in order to prove my origin. | Proszę o odpis, aby udowodnić pochodzenie. |
| I submitted the petition in order to receive citizenship. | Złożyłem podanie, by otrzymać obywatelstwo. |
| I filled in the required form in order to get a passport. | Uzupełniłem wymagany formularz, aby dostać paszport. |
Personal endings for specific subjects
If the purpose clause introduces a new subject—or if you want to emphasize exactly who is performing the action—you must attach a personal ending to aby or by. The verb that follows in the subordinate clause must be in its past tense (l-participle) form.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| Ja | abym / bym |
| Ty | abyś / byś |
| On/Ona/Ono | aby / by |
| My | abyśmy / byśmy |
| Wy | abyście / byście |
| Oni/One | aby / by |
| I brought the passport so that the civil registry office accepts the application. | Przyniosłem paszport, aby urząd stanu cywilnego przyjął wniosek. |
| You must show the original so that we check the document. | Musi pan pokazać oryginał, abyśmy sprawdzili dokument. |
You will frequently see these personal forms used even when the subject remains the same in both clauses, particularly when paired with modal verbs like móc (to be able to).
| I am waiting for this certificate so that I can go abroad. | Czekam na ten akt, abym mógł wyjechać za granicę. |
Formal requests and demands
In addition to expressing purpose, aby and by are essential for making formal requests. You will use them to connect clauses after verbs like prosić (to request/ask) or żądać (to demand) to specify exactly what you want a clerk or office to do.
| I demand that the office issue me a copy of the certificate. | Żądam, aby urząd wydał mi odpis aktu. |
| I request that the clerk promptly sign this certificate. | Proszę, aby urzędnik niezwłocznie podpisał ten akt. |