Breakdown of Pracuję po to, żeby mieć pieniądze na podróże.
mieć
to have
pracować
to work
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
pieniądze
money
podróż
journey
po to, żeby
in order to, so that
Questions & Answers about Pracuję po to, żeby mieć pieniądze na podróże.
Why use po to, żeby instead of just żeby?
Both mean "in order to," and you could easily just say Pracuję, żeby mieć... here. Adding po to makes the purpose much stronger and more emphatic, as if saying "I work specifically for the reason to have money..."
Why is it na podróże instead of dla podróży? Doesn't dla mean "for"?
English speakers often overuse dla! In Polish, dla is mostly used for people or recipients (like a gift "for" someone). When talking about spending money or saving up for a specific purpose or activity (like money "for" travel), you must use na followed by the accusative case.
What case is podróże in this sentence?
It is in the plural accusative case. The preposition na takes the accusative when it indicates a purpose or what money is being directed towards. The singular noun is podróż (a feminine noun that ends in a consonant), and its plural form is podróże.
Why is the verb mieć in the infinitive here?
When using żeby (or po to, żeby) to express a goal or purpose, you use the infinitive if the subject of both actions is the exact same person. Since the same person is working (pracuję) and will have the money (mieć), the second verb just stays in the infinitive.
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