Breakdown of On nigdy nie przestaje mówić.
on
he / it (m)
nie
no / not
mówić
to speak
nigdy
never
przestawać
to cease
Questions & Answers about On nigdy nie przestaje mówić.
Why do we use the imperfective form przestaje here instead of the perfective przestanie?
Because of the word nigdy (never). It shows that 'not stopping' is a general, ongoing habit rather than a completed action. Therefore, we need the present tense of the imperfective verb przestawać (to stop habitually), which is przestaje. The perfective form przestanie would mean 'he will stop' as a one-time future event.
Why is the second verb mówić (imperfective) and not powiedzieć (perfective)?
In Polish, phasal verbs (verbs that describe starting, finishing, or stopping an action) must always be followed by an imperfective infinitive. Because you are stopping the ongoing process of talking, you must use the imperfective mówić.
I see nigdy nie in the sentence. Why is there a double negative?
Polish requires a double negative. Whenever you use a negative word like nigdy (never), nikt (nobody), or nic (nothing), you must also put nie right before the verb. Literally, the Polish sentence says 'He never does not stop talking'.
The infinitive is przestawać. Why is the form here przestaje instead of something like 'przestawaje'?
Verbs ending in -awać have a special pattern in the present tense. The -aw- part drops out and changes to -aj- before you add the endings. So, przestawać becomes przestaję (I stop), przestajesz (you stop), and przestaje (he/she/it stops).
Learn On nigdy nie przestaje mówić and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free