Breakdown of Jeśli zarwiesz noc, będziesz spać cały następny dzień.
być
to be
spać
to sleep
następny
next
cały
whole, entire
jeśli
if
dzień
day
noc
night
zarwać
to pull (an all-nighter)
Questions & Answers about Jeśli zarwiesz noc, będziesz spać cały następny dzień.
Why is cały następny dzień in the accusative case here without any preposition?
This is the bare accusative of continuous extent. When you want to say how long an action lasts, you simply put the time phrase in the accusative case without a preposition. It pairs perfectly with imperfective verbs that show an ongoing process.
What does zarwiesz literally mean in the phrase zarwiesz noc?
The verb zarwać literally means to break, tear, or cause to collapse. The phrase zarwać noc is a very common Polish idiom for pulling an all-nighter, picturing the night as something you have broken or interrupted by not sleeping.
Why do we use the imperfective future będziesz spać in the second half of the sentence instead of a perfective verb?
The second half focuses on the continuous, ongoing process of sleeping. Since the action stretches out over a period of time (indicated by the bare accusative cały następny dzień), an imperfective verb is required. In contrast, the first verb zarwiesz is perfective because pulling the all-nighter is viewed as a single, completed condition.
Could we add the preposition przez before cały następny dzień?
Yes, you could say przez cały następny dzień to mean 'throughout the whole next day'. Both are correct, but dropping the preposition and using just the bare accusative is a very natural, efficient way to express continuous duration in Polish.
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