Breakdown of Nie chcę teraz zachorować.
nie
no / not
teraz
now
chcieć
to want
zachorować
to fall ill (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Nie chcę teraz zachorować.
Why do we use zachorować here instead of just chorować?
This is about verb aspect. Chorować means to be sick (an ongoing state). Zachorować is the perfective form, meaning to fall ill or get sick (a completed change of state). The speaker specifically means they do not want the event of getting sick to happen.
Why is zachorować in its dictionary form here?
It is in the infinitive because it follows the verb chcę (I want). Just like in English where we say I want to do something, in Polish, the second verb in a pair like this stays in its unconjugated infinitive form.
Could I change the word order and say Nie chcę zachorować teraz?
Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible. Both are correct, but putting teraz (now) before the main action zachorować puts a slight emphasis on the timing, meaning right now is a particularly bad time to fall ill.
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