Breakdown of Drukujemy etykiety dopiero jutro.
jutro
tomorrow
drukować
to print (imperfective)
dopiero
not until / only just
etykieta
label
Questions & Answers about Drukujemy etykiety dopiero jutro.
Why is there no negative word in the Polish sentence, even though the English translation says 'aren't printing'?
In English, we use a negative verb with 'until' ('aren't printing until...'). In Polish, dopiero does the heavy lifting. It means 'only as late as' or 'not until', carrying the idea that the action is happening later than expected. Because of this, you just use an affirmative verb: drukujemy (we are printing).
How does using dopiero here compare to using już?
They are exact opposites when talking about time! Dopiero jutro means 'not until tomorrow' (it is happening later than we might expect). If you swapped it to już jutro, it would mean 'already tomorrow' (it is happening sooner than expected).
Why are we using the present tense drukujemy for something happening jutro (tomorrow)?
Just like in English ('We are printing them tomorrow'), Polish often uses the present tense of imperfective verbs for scheduled or highly certain future events. You don't need a strict future tense structure because the time word (jutro) already makes the timeline clear.
What case is etykiety in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb drukujemy (what are we printing?). The singular noun is etykieta (a feminine noun). In the plural, the accusative form for inanimate objects is the same as the nominative plural, taking the -y ending here.