Learn Polish: Podobno kieszonkowiec kradnie bardzo dyskretnie na tej ulicy. - Supposedly, the pickpocket steals very discreetly on this street.

Podobno kieszonkowiec kradnie bardzo dyskretnie na tej ulicy.

Supposedly, the pickpocket steals very discreetly on this street.

Breakdown of Podobno kieszonkowiec kradnie bardzo dyskretnie na tej ulicy.

on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)

ulica

street

Questions & Answers about Podobno kieszonkowiec kradnie bardzo dyskretnie na tej ulicy.

How would I change this sentence to say "I saw the pickpocket stealing on this street" using our current lesson's grammar?

You would add a perception verb and the complementizer jak. Because you observed an ongoing action, you use jak instead of że to frame it. For example: Widziałem, jak kieszonkowiec kradnie na tej ulicy (you can also use the past tense kradł to match the main verb).

How is the word kieszonkowiec formed?

It comes from the noun kieszeń (pocket). The suffix -owiec is frequently used in Polish to create nouns for people based on their profession, traits, or what they are associated with. Literally, it translates to something like "pocket guy".

Why is the verb kradnie (steals) in the imperfective aspect here?

Because the sentence describes a general habit, ongoing behavior, or repeated action (he supposedly does this regularly). If you were talking about a single, completed theft (e.g., he stole a specific wallet), you would use a perfective form like ukradł.

As a quick refresher, why do we use na instead of w for "on this street"?