In Polish, you can describe states like difficulty, permission, or regret using impersonal predicates—unconjugated words like trudno (hard/difficult), wolno (allowed), and szkoda (a pity).
To specify who experiences the state, use a pronoun in the Dative case.
| English | Dative pronoun |
|---|---|
| (for) me | mi |
| (for) you | ci |
| (for) him | mu |
| (for) us | nam |
| (for) them | im |
Place the Dative pronoun immediately after the predicate:
| It's hard for me to talk about this emigration. | Trudno mi mówić o tej emigracji. |
| Separation is a problem, and it's hard for them to accept it. | Rozłąka to problem i trudno im go zaakceptować. |
Szkoda expresses regret or sorrow:
| Are you sorry to give up this good job? | Szkoda ci zrezygnować z tej dobrej pracy? |
These predicates can be followed by an infinitive verb, or by a clause starting with że (that):
| We are sorry that you are leaving. | Szkoda nam, że wyjeżdżacie. |
Warto (it is worthwhile) is another common impersonal predicate. It is usually followed directly by an infinitive and rarely takes a Dative pronoun:
| It is worth returning to the homeland to rest. | Warto wrócić do ojczyzny, żeby odpocząć. |
| I don't know if it's worth giving up on our plan. | Nie wiem, czy warto zrezygnować z naszego planu. |
Relocation Challenges
When talking about leaving your homeland (ojczyzna), you will often use the verb tęsknić (to miss). It pairs with the preposition za (for) to express what or who you are missing.
| If we left, I would miss the homeland. | Gdybyśmy wyjechali, tęskniłbym za ojczyzną. |
You can combine these concepts to describe the emotional and practical challenges of moving abroad:
| It is hard for him because the barrier is big, but it is worth living there. | Trudno mu, bo bariera jest duża, ale warto tam żyć. |