Desires and commands with "żeby"
In Polish, when you want, demand, or tell someone else to do something, you connect the two parts of your sentence with the word żeby (that / so that).
Unlike in English, the verb following żeby takes a past tense form (specifically, the L-participle). Furthermore, the personal ending that indicates who should do the action attaches directly to żeby, leaving the verb itself in the 3rd-person past tense form. The verb must still match the gender and number of the person acting.
| Person | Form of żeby | Past tense verb example (masculine) |
|---|---|---|
| I | żebym | zrobił |
| You (singular) | żebyś | zrobił |
| He / She / It | żeby | zrobił / zrobiła / zrobiło |
| We | żebyśmy | zrobili |
| You (plural) | żebyście | zrobili |
| They | żeby | zrobili / zrobiły |
Let's see this in action at work with verbs like chcieć (to want) and żądać (to demand). Notice how the ending on żeby changes depending on who needs to complete the task.
| I want you (male) to correct this presentation immediately. | Chcę, żebyś natychmiast poprawił tę prezentację. |
| He wants you (female) to find the report among these documents. | On chce, żebyś znalazła raport wśród tych dokumentów. |
| The director demands that you (plural) reduce the budget for the department. | Dyrektor żąda, żebyście zmniejszyli budżet dla działu. |
Making requests and reporting commands
You use the exact same structure for making requests, asking favors, or telling someone what to do. You will frequently pair żeby with verbs like prosić (to ask) and powiedzieć (to tell), or the noun prośba (request).
| I have a request that you (male) prepare the presentation for tomorrow. | Mam prośbę, żebyś przygotował prezentację na jutro. |
| Tell him to come back here immediately! | Powiedz mu, żeby natychmiast tu wrócił! |
| I asked her not to send the presentation without a signature. | Prosiłem ją, żeby nie wysłała prezentacji bez podpisu. |
Formal requests with "pan" and "pani"
When addressing a colleague or client formally, you do not use the "you" endings on żeby. Instead, use the basic 3rd-person żeby followed by the formal pronoun (pan or pani) and the 3rd-person past tense verb.
| I ask that you (sir) approve this project. | Proszę, żeby pan zaakceptował ten projekt. |
| I have a request for you to correct this mistake immediately. | Mam prośbę, żeby pan natychmiast poprawił ten błąd. |