Transporting by Vehicle
Just like other Polish verbs of motion, transporting goods or people in a vehicle requires choosing between two verbs based on the frequency and direction of the trip: wieźć and wozić.
Unidirectional: Wieźć
Use wieźć when a vehicle (or a person driving it) is transporting a load right now, in one specific direction.
The present tense conjugation of wieźć features a vowel shift in the stem (o vs. e):
| Pronoun | Wieźć |
|---|---|
| ja | wiozę |
| ty | wieziesz |
| on/ona/ono | wiezie |
| my | wieziemy |
| wy | wieziecie |
| oni/one | wiozą |
| Someone is transporting these goods to the store right now. | Ktoś teraz wiezie ten towar do sklepu. |
| This truck is transporting fuel to the station. | Ta ciężarówka wiezie paliwo na stację. |
| The ambulance is transporting a patient to the hospital. | Karetka wiezie pacjenta do szpitala. |
Multidirectional: Wozić
Use wozić for habitual, repeated, or general transportation. This is the verb you use when talking about regular delivery routes, what a vehicle is designed to carry, or someone's profession as a driver.
The present tense conjugation of wozić has a consonant shift (z to ż) in the ja and oni/one forms:
| Pronoun | Wozić |
|---|---|
| ja | wożę |
| ty | wozisz |
| on/ona/ono | wozi |
| my | wozimy |
| wy | wozicie |
| oni/one | wożą |
| On Sundays, trucks do not transport goods to the warehouse. | W niedzielę ciężarówki nie wożą towaru do magazynu. |
| This driver transports fuel. | Ten kierowca wozi paliwo. |
| She most often transports the child in a stroller. | Ona najczęściej wozi dziecko w wózku. |
Past Tense of Wieźć
In the past tense, wieźć has stem changes depending on gender. For example, a man says wiozłem (I was transporting), while a woman says wiozłam.
| My husband went on foot, and I was transporting the shopping in the trunk. | Mąż szedł pieszo, a ja wiozłam zakupy w bagażniku. |