Breakdown of Moja siostra chce iść na zakupy, ale nie ma czasu.
mieć
to have
nie
no / not
chcieć
to want
ale
but
iść
to go
siostra
sister
mój
my
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
czas
time
zakupy
shopping
Questions & Answers about Moja siostra chce iść na zakupy, ale nie ma czasu.
Why is the verb iść in its dictionary form here?
Because it follows the verb chcieć (to want). Just like in English ("wants to go"), when you use a modal verb like chcieć, móc (can), or musieć (must), the second verb is always in the infinitive (the dictionary form). Here, chce means "she wants" and iść means "to go".
Why is the word for time czasu instead of just czas?
This happens because of the word nie (not). In Polish, when a verb like "to have" is negated (nie ma - does not have), the object that follows must change its ending. This is a special rule called the Genitive case. So, czas becomes czasu.
What does na zakupy literally mean?
The word zakupy means "purchases" or "shopping", and na means "on" or "for". So literally, it means "for purchases". The whole phrase iść na zakupy is the standard Polish way to say "to go shopping".
What is the "I" form of the verb chce?
The infinitive is chcieć (to want). For "I want", you say chcę (ending with the nasal letter ę). Here, the sentence uses chce (ending in a normal e), which is the "he/she/it" form, matching Moja siostra (My sister).
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