Learn Polish: Chcemy wypożyczyć samochód na weekend. - We want to hire a car for the weekend.

In Polish, the verb you use for renting depends on what you are renting. Wypożyczyć is used for short-term rentals from a business or institution, like cars, bikes, skis, or library books. Wynająć is used for longer-term rentals of property or space, like a flat or an office. Pożyczyć simply means to borrow from or lend to a person, like asking a friend for some cash or a pen.

Why is samochód in its dictionary form here? Doesn't the verb wypożyczyć require the accusative case?

It actually is in the accusative case! Samochód is an inanimate masculine noun. For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative case form is exactly the same as the nominative (dictionary) form. Learners sometimes accidentally add an -a to the end, but that is only for animate masculine nouns (like animals or people) and certain exceptions.

Why do we say na weekend instead of using the preposition dla?

When you are talking about an intended duration or block of time (like "for the weekend" or "for two days"), Polish uses the preposition na followed by the accusative case. English speakers often want to use dla because it translates to "for", but dla is strictly used for recipients or beneficiaries, like a gift "for" a friend.

Why is the perfective verb wypożyczyć used instead of the imperfective wypożyczać?