Breakdown of Nawet jeśli boli cię noga, to nie jest poważna kontuzja.
to
this
być
to be
nie
no / not
cię
you (sg.)
jeśli
if
noga
leg, foot
boleć
to hurt, to ache
poważny
serious
nawet
even
kontuzja
injury
Questions & Answers about Nawet jeśli boli cię noga, to nie jest poważna kontuzja.
Why does this sentence use nawet jeśli instead of nawet gdyby?
We use nawet jeśli because we are talking about a real, possible situation (the leg might actually hurt right now), so it is followed by the indicative verb boli. If we used nawet gdyby, it would make the situation hypothetical ("Even if your leg were to hurt..."), and we would need the conditional mood: nawet gdyby bolała cię noga.
Why is it boli cię noga instead of "twoja noga boli"?
While twoja noga boli is grammatically understood, it sounds unnatural. Polish almost always prefers a structure using the verb boleć (to ache/hurt) + the accusative pronoun of the person feeling the pain (cię) + the body part in the nominative case (noga). Literally, it translates to "the leg hurts you".
Does kontuzja mean "contusion" (a bruise)?
Not quite. While they share the same origin, kontuzja is a classic "false friend". In Polish, it is a much broader term meaning an "injury" (especially a physical or sports injury, like a sprain or a torn ligament). A simple bruise would be a siniak.
What is the exact role of to in the second half of the sentence?
Here, to acts as the demonstrative pronoun subject of the second clause, meaning "it" or "this" (as in "this is not a serious injury"). Because it directly follows the comma after a conditional clause, it also helps smoothly link the two ideas together, much like inserting "then" in English.
Learn Nawet jeśli boli cię noga, to nie jest poważna kontuzja and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free