Breakdown of Wciąż czekam na odpowiedź.
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
czekać
to wait
odpowiedź
answer
wciąż
still (not yet ended)
Questions & Answers about Wciąż czekam na odpowiedź.
Why use wciąż instead of jeszcze to say "still"?
Both words can translate to "still," but wciąż (along with the synonym nadal) specifically emphasizes a continuous, ongoing state or action. Jeszcze is broader and often points to something that hasn't happened yet but is expected to. Here, the speaker is stressing that the waiting has been going on continuously without interruption.
Why do we say czekam na instead of czekam dla for "waiting for"?
In Polish, the verb czekać (to wait) must always be followed by the preposition na when you are waiting for a specific thing or person. While dla does translate to "for" in the sense of doing something for someone's benefit (like buying a gift for a friend), it is never used with verbs of waiting.
What case is the word odpowiedź in here, and why hasn't the ending changed?
It is in the accusative case, which is required by the preposition na when indicating the target of your waiting. Odpowiedź is a feminine noun, but because it ends in a consonant rather than an -a, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form.
Could I use the perfective verb poczekam instead of czekam?