Breakdown of On by ciągle fantazjował u lekarza.
on
he / it (m)
lekarz
doctor
u
at, at the place of
by
would (free conditional particle: można by, trzeba by)
ciągle
constantly, continually
fantazjować
to fantasize
Questions & Answers about On by ciągle fantazjował u lekarza.
Why is "by" placed right after "On" instead of being attached to the verb as "fantazjowałby"?
In Polish, the conditional particle by is mobile. While you can attach it to the end of the verb (On ciągle fantazjowałby), it is very common in spoken Polish to move it earlier in the sentence. It usually attaches to the first stressed word. Here, placing it after On sounds natural and slightly emphasizes that he is the one who would constantly do this.
Does fantazjował just mean he is daydreaming in the waiting room?
It could mean daydreaming, but in a medical context (u lekarza), fantazjować often means "making things up" or "confabulating." It implies he would invent symptoms or tell tall tales rather than giving the doctor straight answers.
Why use the conditional by here if this describes something he actually did constantly in the past?
Just like in English ("He would constantly fantasize"), Polish can use the conditional mood to describe a habitual, repetitive action in the past. It is often used to talk about someone's typical behavior or quirks, especially if the speaker finds them a bit annoying or remarkable.
Quick refresher: why do we use lekarza here instead of the basic word lekarz?
The preposition u, which here translates to "at the doctor's [office]," always requires the genitive case. Because lekarz (doctor) is a masculine animate noun, its genitive form takes the -a ending, resulting in u lekarza.
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