Breakdown of Musimy się spieszyć, w przeciwnym razie spóźnimy się na pociąg.
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
pociąg
train
musieć
to have to
spóźnić się
to be late
spieszyć się
to hurry
w przeciwnym razie
otherwise (if not)
Questions & Answers about Musimy się spieszyć, w przeciwnym razie spóźnimy się na pociąg.
Why does w przeciwnym razie mean "otherwise"?
Literally, it translates to "in the opposite case" or "in the contrary event". The word przeciwny means "opposite" and razie is the locative form of raz, which usually means "time" but here means "case" or "event". It is the standard Polish phrase for "otherwise".
How does spóźnimy się translate to "we will miss"? Doesn't it mean "we will be late"?
Yes, spóźnić się literally means "to be late". In Polish, you don't "miss" a train or bus; instead, you "are late for" it. So spóźnimy się na pociąg literally translates to "we will be late for the train".
Why is spóźnimy się formatted like a present tense verb if it means "we will miss" in the future?
It is actually in the future tense! The verb spóźnić się is perfective, meaning it describes a completed action. In Polish, when you conjugate a perfective verb with present tense endings, it automatically creates the future tense. That is why we do not need a future helper word like będziemy here.
Why do we use the preposition na before pociąg, and what case is it?
The verb spóźnić się pairs with the preposition na to indicate what you are late for, which always requires the accusative case. Because pociąg (train) is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form.
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