Breakdown of Zapraszam cię na obiad.
obiad
dinner / lunch (midday meal)
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
cię
you (sg.)
zapraszać
to invite
Questions & Answers about Zapraszam cię na obiad.
Why do we use cię instead of ciebie for "you"?
cię is the short form of the pronoun "you" in the accusative case. Polish uses these short forms in the middle of a sentence when the pronoun isn't being emphasized. You would only use the long form, ciebie, if you wanted to stress "I am inviting you (and not someone else)" or if the pronoun came immediately after a preposition.
Can I put cię at the beginning and say "Cię zapraszam na obiad"?
No, because cię is a "weak" or short pronoun. A strict rule in Polish is that these short pronouns cannot start a sentence. They need to lean on a stronger word, which is why cię comes right after the verb zapraszam here.
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
The word for "I" (ja) is left out, which is standard in Polish. The verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The -am at the end of zapraszam specifically means "I invite" or "I am inviting".
Why does the sentence use na for "to" lunch? Doesn't na mean "on"?