"I would like" – Chciałbym & Chciałabym
In English, we say "I would like" to state desires or make polite requests. Polish uses the conditional mood of the verb chcieć (to want) for this.
Because these forms are built on past-tense structures, they change depending on the gender of the speaker:
- If you are a man, use chciałbym.
- If you are a woman, use chciałabym.
To express what you would like to do, simply follow this word with an infinitive verb (such as zarezerwować - to book, or przymierzyć - to try on).
| I would like to book a table for Friday. | Chciałbym zarezerwować stolik na piątek. |
| I would like to book this big room. | Chciałabym zarezerwować ten duży pokój. |
| I would like to try on this suit with a new shirt. | Chciałbym przymierzyć ten garnitur z nową koszulą. |
Making Appointments and Requests
You can pair chciałbym or chciałabym with any infinitive to fit the situation. Two very useful verbs for requests are umówić się (to make an appointment) and poprosić o (to ask for).
| I would like to arrange a meeting with your boss. | Chciałbym umówić się na spotkanie z twoim szefem. |
| I would like to make an appointment for Monday at two. | Chciałabym umówić się na wizytę w poniedziałek o drugiej. |
| I would like to ask for a knife and a fork. | Chciałbym poprosić o nóż i widelec. |
| I would like to ask for the bill for lunch. | Chciałabym poprosić o rachunek za obiad. |
"Can I..." and "Can we..."
Another polite way to request something is to ask a question using Czy mogę... (Can I...) or Czy możemy... (Can we...).
Just like with chciałbym / chciałabym, follow these phrases with an infinitive verb, such as poprosić (to ask) or dostać (to get).
| Can I ask for a clean plate? | Czy mogę poprosić o czysty talerz? |
| Can we get a discount on the tickets? | Czy możemy dostać zniżkę na bilety? |