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Questions & Answers about Czy pani rozumie?
Why does this sentence use rozumie (she understands) instead of a "you" verb form?
In Polish, formal address uses the third-person singular (he/she/it) form of the verb. Even though you are talking directly to the woman, grammatically you are asking "Does the lady understand?". Because of this, we use rozumie instead of the everyday, informal "you" form (rozumiesz).
Does pani mean "lady", "Mrs.", or "you"?
It can mean all of them depending on the context! When speaking directly to a woman in a formal setting (like at a bank, or to a stranger on the street), pani takes the place of "you" to show respect and keep a polite distance.
How would I ask this exact same question to a man?
You would replace pani with pan (sir / formal "you" for a man). The verb stays exactly the same, because both use the third-person singular form. So you would ask: Czy pan rozumie?
Do we always need Czy to make it a question? Could I just ask Pani rozumie?
You can just ask Pani rozumie? and raise your tone of voice at the end; people will understand it is a question. However, adding the question word Czy at the beginning is the standard, clearest, and most polite way to ask a "yes/no" question in Polish.