Breakdown of Przyniosłem paszport, aby urząd stanu cywilnego przyjął wniosek.
paszport
passport
przynieść
to bring
wniosek
application
aby
in order to (formal variant of żeby)
Questions & Answers about Przyniosłem paszport, aby urząd stanu cywilnego przyjął wniosek.
Why is przyjął in the past tense if the translation says "accepts"?
When using purpose conjunctions like aby (or żeby and by), you must look at the subjects of the two clauses. Here, the first subject is "I" (przyniosłem) and the second subject is the office (urząd). Because the subjects are different, Polish grammar requires the verb in the aby clause to take the past tense form, even though it describes a future or intended action.
Could I just use żeby instead of aby in this sentence?
Absolutely. aby is just a more formal equivalent of żeby. It operates under the exact same grammatical rules. You will frequently encounter aby in written Polish, official documents, or when talking about formal institutions like an urząd (government office), which makes it a perfect fit for this sentence's context.
What does urząd stanu cywilnego literally mean?
It translates to "office of civil status." Urząd is a formal government office or bureau. Stanu cywilnego is the genitive form of stan cywilny (civil status). This is the standard Polish term for the civil registry office, commonly abbreviated as USC, where births, marriages, and deaths are officially recorded.
Why does wniosek look like it's in the nominative case when it's the object being accepted?