Breakdown of Poszliśmy na peron, żeby ich przywitać.
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
ich
them (virile)
żeby
so that, in order to
pójść
to go (on foot)
Questions & Answers about Poszliśmy na peron, żeby ich przywitać.
How does the prefix przy- change the verb witać in this sentence?
The base verb witać means "to greet." As you are learning in this lesson, the prefix przy- adds the idea of arrival. So, przywitać specifically means "to welcome" or "to greet someone who has just arrived." It is a perfective verb, showing that the greeting is a single, completed goal.
Why use poszliśmy instead of szliśmy?
Szliśmy is imperfective and focuses on the ongoing process of walking ("we were walking"). Poszliśmy is perfective, emphasizing the completed journey ("we went"). Since going to the platform was a finished trip, we use poszliśmy.
Why do we say na peron instead of do peronu?
In Polish, you generally use do for going inside enclosed buildings, and na for open, flat spaces or certain public areas. A train platform (peron) is treated as an open space, so it takes na followed by the accusative case.
Why is the word for "them" ich here?
Ich is the accusative (direct object) form of oni, which is the masculine personal word for "they" (meaning the group includes at least one male). If the group they were welcoming consisted only of women or children, the sentence would use je instead.