Breakdown of Czy myjesz się wieczorem?
czy
[question particle]
myć się
to wash oneself
wieczorem
in the evening
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Questions & Answers about Czy myjesz się wieczorem?
Why is się needed in this sentence? Can I just say Czy myjesz wieczorem?
You need się because the verb myć (to wash) needs a target. If you leave out się (yourself), a Polish speaker will wait to hear what you are washing (like a car, a dog, or a plate). The combination myć się specifically means "to wash oneself".
Where exactly should I put się in a sentence?
The word się is somewhat flexible, but there are two main rules: never put it at the very beginning of a sentence, and try to avoid putting it at the very end if there are other words available. It usually sounds most natural directly after the verb, as in myjesz się.
What is the dictionary form (infinitive) of myjesz?
The basic dictionary form is myć (to wash). When conjugating short verbs that end in -yć, a j often appears in the present tense forms. This gives us ja myję (I wash) and ty myjesz (you wash).
Why does the word for evening (wieczór) change to wieczorem here?
To say in the evening, Polish changes the noun wieczór (evening) into a time phrase by changing its ending. This creates the form wieczorem. You will see this same "time of day" pattern with other words, like noc (night) becoming nocą (at night).