Breakdown of Pracuję na pełny etat w banku.
pracować
to work
w
in / on (a day)
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
bank
bank
pełny etat
full-time (na pełny etat)
Questions & Answers about Pracuję na pełny etat w banku.
What does etat actually mean, and why do we say na pełny etat for full-time?
The word etat refers to a job position, a post, or a staff slot at a company. The set phrase na pełny etat literally means on a full position. It is the standard way to express working full-time in Polish.
Why is pełny etat in the accusative case here instead of the locative, since it follows the preposition na?
The preposition na takes the locative case when describing a physical location (like on a desk), but it takes the accusative case when describing a state, condition, or arrangement, such as the terms of your employment here.
Why is it w banku with an -u ending instead of the usual -ie for the locative case?
Masculine inanimate nouns typically take the -ie ending in the locative case, which triggers a consonant mutation. However, nouns ending in a velar consonant like -k, -g, or -ch (such as bank) take the -u ending instead to avoid awkward sound changes. Thus, we say w banku.
If na pełny etat means full-time, how would I change this sentence to say I work part-time?
You would say Pracuję na pół etatu, which literally translates to on half of a position. Notice that etat changes to etatu (the genitive case) because it follows the quantity word pół (half).
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