Breakdown of Ona potwierdziła, że planuje rozwód z mężem.
ona
she / it (f)
z
with
mąż
the husband
że
that
planować
to plan
potwierdzić
to confirm
rozwód
divorce
Questions & Answers about Ona potwierdziła, że planuje rozwód z mężem.
Why is planuje in the present tense when the English translation says 'was planning'?
In English, when we report speech in the past, we usually shift the following verbs into the past as well. Polish does not do this tense backshifting. You just use the tense the person originally spoke in. She likely said Planuję rozwód (I am planning a divorce). So, in reported speech, we just change the subject to a third person but keep the present tense: planuje.
Why does the word for husband, mąż, change to mężem here?
The preposition z (with) requires the instrumental case here. The basic dictionary form is mąż, but it undergoes a vowel shift where the ą changes to ę before adding the regular masculine instrumental ending -em, resulting in z mężem.
Is the comma before że strictly necessary?
Yes! In Polish, you must always put a comma before the conjunction że (that) when it connects two parts of a sentence. While English often drops the comma or even the word 'that' entirely, Polish requires both.
Could we use the imperfective form potwierdzała instead of potwierdziła in this sentence?
You could, but it would change the meaning. Potwierdziła is perfective, showing she confirmed it once as a completed action. If you used the imperfective potwierdzała, it would mean she was confirming it repeatedly or over a continuous period of time.
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