Breakdown of Zapłać dzisiaj, w przeciwnym razie stracisz zniżkę.
dzisiaj
today
zapłacić
to pay (perfective)
zniżka
the discount
stracić
to lose (a job, money, time — not misplace, which is zgubić) (perfective of tracić)
w przeciwnym razie
otherwise (if not)
Questions & Answers about Zapłać dzisiaj, w przeciwnym razie stracisz zniżkę.
"Zapłać" is the command for "pay". What is the infinitive, and why does it look so different?
The infinitive is zapłacić (to pay, perfective). To form the command for many verbs ending in -cić, you drop the ending and the final consonant softens to -ć, giving us zapłać.
Let's break down the phrase "w przeciwnym razie". What does it literally mean?
Literally, it means "in the opposite case". Przeciwnym is the adjective "opposite", and razie comes from raz (time, case, or instance). Because the phrase uses the preposition w (in) to describe a situation, both words are in the locative case.
Why doesn't "stracisz" (you will lose) use a future helper word like "będziesz"?
Stracić is a perfective verb, meaning it focuses on the completed result of an action. In Polish, when you conjugate a perfective verb using present tense endings, it automatically creates the future tense. You only use helper words like będziesz with imperfective verbs!
Could I use "zgubisz" instead of "stracisz" to say "you will lose"?
No, because they are used for different types of losing. You use zgubić when you physically misplace an object, like keys or a phone. You use stracić for abstract things, like a discount (zniżka), money, time, or an opportunity.
Why is the word for discount written here as "zniżkę" instead of "zniżka"?
Zniżka is the dictionary form. Because the discount is the direct object receiving the action of being lost, it takes the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, this means changing the ending to -ę.
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