Breakdown of Chciałbym poprosić o nóż i widelec.
i
and
nóż
knife
widelec
the fork
chciałbym
I would like (m) / chciałabym (f)
poprosić
to ask for / to request
o
for (asking for something)
Questions & Answers about Chciałbym poprosić o nóż i widelec.
Why does the speaker use chciałbym here instead of chciałabym?
Because the speaker is a man. In Polish, the word for "I would like" changes depending on your gender. A male speaker says chciałbym, while a female speaker says chciałabym.
Why is there an o after poprosić?
In Polish, when you ask for an object, you use the verb poprosić (or prosić) followed by the word o. It works a lot like "ask for" in English. The object you are asking for then takes the accusative case.
If the objects are in the accusative case, why do nóż and widelec look exactly like their basic dictionary forms?
Because they are inanimate masculine nouns (objects, not people or animals). In Polish, masculine inanimate nouns do not change their endings in the accusative case, so they look identical to their basic dictionary forms.
Could I say chciałbym prosić o... instead of poprosić?
You can, but poprosić is much more common for a simple request. Poprosić is the completed (perfective) form of the verb, focusing on the single action of making the request right now. Prosić is ongoing, so using it can sound a bit like "I would like to be asking".
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