Starting and Finishing Nouns
To talk about beginning or ending an event, use zaczynać (to start) and kończyć (to finish) directly with nouns like dyżur (shift) or kurs (course).
| At what time do you start your shift at the hospital? | O której godzinie zaczynasz dyżur w szpitalu? |
| The teacher finishes this difficult course in two months. | Nauczyciel kończy ten trudny kurs za dwa miesiące. |
The Imperfective Infinitive Rule
When you start or finish doing an action, follow the phasal verb (zaczynać or kończyć) with an infinitive.
This second verb must always be in the imperfective aspect. This is because you are starting or finishing the ongoing process of an activity.
| The doctor finishes his shift at half past seven and starts to rest. | Lekarz kończy dyżur wpół do ósmej i zaczyna odpoczywać. |
| Ewa is finishing ironing the clothes and starting to pack her suitcase. | Ewa kończy prasować ubrania i zaczyna pakować walizkę. |
| Your husband starts washing the dishes very late every day. | Twój mąż codziennie zaczyna zmywać naczynia bardzo późno. |
Perfective Phasal Verbs
The verbs for starting and finishing also have perfective forms: zacząć and skończyć. Use these when the act of starting or finishing is a single, completed point in time.
Even if the phasal verb is perfective, the action verb that follows it must stay imperfective.
| When will you finish washing the dishes? | Kiedy skończycie zmywać naczynia? |
| Ewa, you should start ironing your clothes. | Ewo, powinnaś zacząć prasować swoje ubrania. |
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