The Past Tense of "móc" (Singular)
The modal verb móc (to be able to, can) is irregular in the past tense. Instead of keeping a single stem, it changes its vowel depending on the gender of the subject.
In the singular, watch for the vowel shift:
- Masculine subjects use ó in the stem.
- Feminine subjects use o in the stem.
| Person | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| ja (I) | mogłem | mogłam |
| ty (you) | mogłeś | mogłaś |
| on/ona (he/she) | mógł | mogła |
| Unfortunately he couldn't come, but he had an important reason. | Niestety nie mógł przyjść, ale miał ważny powód. |
| Anna couldn't make it in time because the train had a delay. | Anna nie mogła zdążyć, dlatego że pociąg miał opóźnienie. |
| Unfortunately I couldn't join the meeting yesterday. | Niestety nie mogłem wczoraj dołączyć do spotkania. |
| It's not my fault that I couldn't cancel this flight. | To nie moja wina, że nie mogłam odwołać tego lotu. |
Plural Forms of "móc"
In the plural, the stem vowel is always o, but the consonant changes depending on the group's gender.
- Virile forms (groups with at least one man) use a soft l
- i.
- Non-virile forms (groups without men) use a hard ł
- y.
| Person | Virile | Non-virile |
|---|---|---|
| my (we) | mogliśmy | mogłyśmy |
| wy (you all) | mogliście | mogłyście |
| oni/one (they) | mogli | mogły |
| We had a lot of work, that's why we couldn't leave the office. | Mieliśmy dużo pracy, dlatego nie mogliśmy wyjść z biura. |
| They had bad luck and couldn't join us. | Mieli pecha i nie mogli do nas dołączyć. |
| For what reason couldn't you cancel the appointment? | Z jakiego powodu nie mogłyście odwołać wizyty? |
Explaining and Making Excuses
When expressing past inability, you will frequently need to provide a reason or make an excuse. Notice how past tense forms of móc are paired with vocabulary for assigning blame (wina), citing bad luck (pech), or calling out a poor excuse (wymówka).
| She could not come, but it is only an excuse. | Ona nie mogła przyjść, ale to tylko wymówka. |
| It's a stupid excuse because you could have made it in time for the train. | To głupia wymówka, bo mogliście zdążyć na pociąg. |
| It was his fault, but he said that he had bad luck and couldn't help. | To była jego wina, ale mówił, że miał pecha i nie mógł pomóc. |
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