Managing to Do Something
In Polish, to express managing or succeeding at a task, use an impersonal construction literally translating to "it manages itself to me."
The core verbs are udawać się (imperfective) and udać się (perfective). Because the subject is an impersonal "it," the verb is always in the third-person singular.
Specify who is succeeding using the Dative case (e.g., mi, nam, jej, mu), followed by an infinitive. For habitual or ongoing success, use the present tense udaje się.
| Usually I manage to open this safe. | Zwykle udaje mi się otworzyć ten sejf. |
Future Success
To talk about a one-time future success, use the perfective future form uda się.
| We will manage to escape from this room. | Uda nam się uciec z tego pokoju. |
You can also use a że (that) clause to express hopes or thoughts about succeeding.
| I hope that we will manage to match these symbols. | Mam nadzieję, że uda nam się dopasować te symbole. |
Past Success
For a completed past success, use the perfective past tense form udało się. As an impersonal verb, it always takes the neuter singular ending -ło.
| He managed to open the safe and find another clue. | Udało mu się otworzyć sejf i znaleźć kolejną wskazówkę. |
Beating the Clock
In an escape room, you must keep an eye on the time as it counts down.
| The clock is counting down the seconds, we have less and less time! | Zegar odlicza sekundy, mamy coraz mniej czasu! |
If you run out of time and fail a task, simply add nie before the verb.
| I didn't manage to see what is on the ceiling before they escaped. | Nie udało mi się zobaczyć, co jest na suficie, zanim uciekli. |
