Zaspałem i z tego powodu spóźniłem się do pracy.
I overslept and for that reason I was late for work.
Breakdown of Zaspałem i z tego powodu spóźniłem się do pracy.
i
and
praca
work
do
to
spóźnić się
to be late
zaspać
to oversleep
z tego powodu
for that reason
Questions & Answers about Zaspałem i z tego powodu spóźniłem się do pracy.
Why does the sentence use zaspałem instead of just spałem?
The base verb spać means to sleep. Adding the prefix za- creates the perfective verb zaspać, which specifically means to oversleep. Polish often uses prefixes to completely change a verb's meaning rather than just showing that an action is completed.
Why is tego powodu in the genitive case here?
The phrase uses the preposition z, which requires the genitive case when it means from or out of. The phrase z tego powodu literally translates to out of this reason, which is the most natural way to say for this reason in Polish.
Could I just say spóźniłem do pracy without the word się?
No, you need się. The verb spóźnić się (to be late) is reflexive. If you drop się, the verb means to delay or to make someone else late, rather than being late yourself.
In English we say late for work. Why does Polish use do instead of a preposition meaning for?
The verb spóźnić się uses different prepositions depending on what you are late to. You use do plus the genitive case for physical places and institutions, like do pracy (to work) or do szkoły (to school). You would use na plus the accusative case for events, like na spotkanie (for a meeting).
How would the sentence change if a woman were speaking?
The verbs in this sentence are in the first-person masculine past tense. A female speaker would change the -em endings to the feminine -am, resulting in: Zaspałam i z tego powodu spóźniłam się do pracy.
Learn Zaspałem i z tego powodu spóźniłem się do pracy and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free