Breakdown of Ten stary system nie jest sprawny, należy go ulepszyć.
być
to be
on
he / it (m)
nie
no / not
ten
this (m)
stary
old
system
the system
należy
one should, it is necessary to (impersonal, + infinitive)
sprawny
efficient (functional, working smoothly)
ulepszyć
to improve
Questions & Answers about Ten stary system nie jest sprawny, należy go ulepszyć.
How does the prefix u- work in the word ulepszyć?
The verb ulepszyć is formed by combining the prefix u- with lepszy, which is the comparative adjective meaning "better". In Polish, attaching the prefix u- to an adjective usually creates a perfective verb meaning "to make something [adjective]". So, ulepszyć literally means "to make better" or "to improve".
What is the imperfective equivalent of ulepszyć?
Because verbs formed from adjectives with u- are almost always perfective, you need a different suffix to make them imperfective. For ulepszyć, you change the ending to create ulepszać (to be improving).
Why is the pronoun go placed before the verb ulepszyć?
The pronoun go refers back to the masculine noun system. It is in the accusative case because it acts as the direct object of ulepszyć. While you could technically say "ulepszyć go", short Polish pronouns like go generally prefer not to be at the very end of a sentence or clause, so placing it right before the infinitive sounds much more natural.
Could I use trzeba instead of należy in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. Both należy and trzeba are impersonal verbs meaning "one should" or "it is necessary", and both are followed by an infinitive. Należy sounds a bit more formal or official, which pairs nicely with a technical word like system, whereas trzeba is the standard choice for casual everyday conversation.
Learn Ten stary system nie jest sprawny, należy go ulepszyć 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