Breakdown of Nie możesz zawsze polegać na innych, musisz zrobić to sam!
to
this
nie
no / not
zawsze
always
móc
to be able to
musieć
to have to
zrobić
to do / to make (someone something)
inny
other
sam
alone / himself (emphatic) / pure / nothing but
polegać na
to rely on
Questions & Answers about Nie możesz zawsze polegać na innych, musisz zrobić to sam!
Why is the word sam used here, and what if I am talking to a woman?
Why is the word for "others" written as innych?
The verb polegać (to rely) pairs with the preposition na (on), and together they require the Locative case. Innych is the plural Locative form of the word inny (other/different).
Why does the first part use the imperfective verb polegać but the second part uses the perfective verb zrobić?
Polegać (to rely) is imperfective because it describes an ongoing, general habit, which is reinforced by the word zawsze (always). On the other hand, zrobić (to do) is perfective because the speaker is telling you to complete a specific, one-time action and get it done.
Both polegać and zrobić are in their infinitive (dictionary) forms. Why?
They both follow conjugated modal verbs: możesz (you can) and musisz (you must). Just like in English, when you use a modal verb, the main action verb that follows it stays in the infinitive form.
Learn Nie możesz zawsze polegać na innych, musisz zrobić to sam and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free