Word
Nie czekaj na mnie, wrócę późno.
Meaning
Do not wait for me, I will be back late.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Nie czekaj na mnie, wrócę późno.
nie
no / not
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
mnie
me
późno
late
Questions & Answers about Nie czekaj na mnie, wrócę późno.
Why do we use the imperfective verb czekaj when the instruction is about a specific, one-time event?
In Polish, negative commands (telling someone NOT to do something) almost always use the imperfective aspect. That is why you see nie czekaj here instead of a perfective form, even though it refers to this one specific evening.
Why is the preposition na used here for the English word for? Couldn't we use dla?
The verb czekać (to wait) requires the preposition na plus the accusative case to express who or what you are waiting for. If you used dla mnie, it would mean wait on my behalf (like holding my spot in a queue) rather than wait for my arrival.
Which case is mnie in na mnie?
It is in the accusative case, which is required by the phrase czekać na. When a pronoun follows a preposition in Polish, you must use its longer, emphasized form. That is why the full form mnie is used here.
Why does the second part use wrócę instead of będę wracać?
Wrócę is a perfective verb in the future tense, focusing on the completed result: the actual moment you get back. If you used the imperfective będę wracać, it would mean I will be in the process of returning (like currently driving home), which doesn't fit the message that your final arrival will be late.