Breakdown of Chodzimy tam często, a ja dzisiaj płacę.
tam
there
ja
I
dzisiaj
today
często
often
a
and / whereas (contrast)
chodzić
to walk
płacić
to pay
Questions & Answers about Chodzimy tam często, a ja dzisiaj płacę.
Why does płacić become płacę instead of płacię for the 'I' form?
In this verb group, verbs ending in -cić undergo a spelling and sound change in the 'I' form (as well as the 'they' form). The soft ć sound hardens to a regular c, so instead of adding -ię like you do for lubić (lubię), it becomes płacę. In the 'you' form, the soft sound remains: płacisz.
What is the easiest way to form the 'we' version of a verb like chodzimy?
For verbs in the -ę / -isz and -ę / -ysz groups, like chodzić (to go/walk), you can simply take the dictionary form, drop the final -ć, and add -my. So, chodzi- plus -my gives you chodzimy.
Why is the word ja included if the verb płacę already means 'I pay'?
You are completely right that Polish normally drops pronouns like ja (I) or my (we) because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. Including ja here adds emphasis and contrast: We go there often, but I am the one paying today.
The English translation says 'and', but the Polish sentence uses a. Could I use i instead?
You could, but a is much more natural here. While i simply adds two things together, a is a conjunction used to show a slight shift in topic or a mild contrast (often meaning 'but' or 'while'). It links the fact that the whole group goes there with the contrast that only one specific person is paying.
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