Breakdown of Oddamy kaucję, jeżeli będziesz przestrzegać zasad.
być
to be
oddać
to give back / to cast (a vote)
jeżeli
if
kaucja
deposit
przestrzegać
to follow / to obey
zasada
rule
Questions & Answers about Oddamy kaucję, jeżeli będziesz przestrzegać zasad.
Why does Polish use the future tense będziesz przestrzegać when the English translation says "if you follow" in the present tense?
In Polish, if the action in a conditional clause (like jeżeli) or a temporal clause (like dopóki) refers to the future, you must actually use a future tense. English often defaults to the present tense for this ("if you follow", "as long as you follow"), but Polish requires the future because the action hasn't happened yet.
Why is the word for rules (zasad) in the genitive case here?
The verb przestrzegać (to follow, obey, or adhere to) is one of the Polish verbs that always requires its object to be in the genitive case, rather than the more common accusative. Since it's plural, the nominative zasady becomes the genitive zasad.
Why do we use the imperfective future (będziesz przestrzegać) instead of a perfective verb for following the rules?
Following rules is an ongoing, continuous process rather than a single, completed event. Because it focuses on the duration or habit of obeying, we use the imperfective future (formed with będziesz plus the infinitive). In contrast, returning the deposit is a one-time completed action, so oddamy is perfective.
Can I use jeśli instead of jeżeli in this sentence?
Yes, in almost all contexts, including this sentence, jeżeli and jeśli are interchangeable ways to say "if". Jeżeli sounds slightly more formal and is often preferred at the very beginning of a sentence, but using jeśli here would be perfectly correct.
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