Breakdown of Moje dziecko zawsze czeka na niespodziankę.
dziecko
child
zawsze
always
mój
my
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
czekać
to wait
niespodzianka
surprise
Questions & Answers about Moje dziecko zawsze czeka na niespodziankę.
Why does the Polish sentence use na? Doesn't na usually mean "on"?
While na is frequently used to mean "on" for locations, the verb czekać (to wait) specifically pairs with the preposition na to mean "to wait for". In Polish, you do not use dla (for) when waiting; you always use czekać na.
Why does the word for surprise end in -ę (niespodziankę)?
The base dictionary word is niespodzianka, which is a feminine noun. The phrase czekać na requires the noun that follows it to take the Accusative case. For feminine nouns that end in -a, the Accusative ending changes to -ę.
Why is it moje dziecko instead of mój dziecko?
The word dziecko (child) ends in -o, which makes it a neuter noun in Polish. Words like "my" have to match the gender of the noun they describe, so we must use the neuter form moje rather than the masculine mój or the feminine moja.
How do I know to use czeka instead of czekać?
Czekać is the infinitive form (meaning "to wait"). Because the subject is moje dziecko (my child), which counts as a third-person "it", we must conjugate the verb to match. For regular verbs ending in -ać, the "he/she/it" form is made simply by dropping the -ć, leaving us with czeka.
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