Resolutions and Bad Habits
When you want to change your life for the better, you might make a New Year's resolution (postanowienie noworoczne) to quit a harmful addiction (szkodliwy nałóg).
| I have a good New Year's resolution. | Mam dobre postanowienie noworoczne. |
| I know this harmful addiction well. | Dobrze znam ten szkodliwy nałóg. |
Stopping an Action
To say someone stops doing an action, use przestać (perfective, for a completed stop) or przestawać (imperfective, for an ongoing or repeated stopping process).
When you state what is being stopped, the second verb must always be an imperfective infinitive. This makes sense—you can only interrupt an action that is ongoing, continuous, or habitual.
| I have to stop smoking. | Muszę przestać palić. |
| He never stops talking. | On nigdy nie przestaje mówić. |
Quitting Bad Habits
Apply this structure to any habit you want to break, like wasting time, eating sweets, or swearing.
| We want to stop wasting time. | Chcemy przestać marnować czas. |
| You have to stop eating sweets. | Musisz przestać jeść słodycze. |
| I want to stop swearing at work. | Chcę przestać przeklinać w pracy. |
Commands to Stop
Use the imperative form przestań (informal singular "stop!") to command someone to quit what they are doing right now. This also takes the imperfective infinitive.
| Stop being late! | Przestań się spóźniać! |