The post includes:
– information about conjunctions in Polish;
– examples of usage;
– a handout to download;
– online exercises;
To build a well-structured, complex sentence we need conjunctions. They are used to combine words, phrases or clauses and might be a bit problematic for beginner learners (doesn’t matter what language you’re learning). Even though you can check the meaning in a dictionary, it takes time and practice to use them correctly in sentences.
The graphic below shows the most common Polish conjunctions with examples of the usage. Some conjunctions have the same meaning but one is typical for the spoken language the other one (marked in red) for written Polish.
Note that the conjuction ‘czy’ is used both as ‘if’ and ‘or’ in negative sentences (or questions)
Chcę kawę albo herbatę. (I want a tea or coffee)
Chcesz kawę czy herbatę? (Would you like some tea or coffee?)
Nie chcę kawy czy herbaty, wolę sok! (I don’t want a tea or coffee, I prefer a juice)
Pójdę na spacer, jeśli będzie ładna pogoda (I’ll go for a walk if the weather is nice.)
Nie wiem, czy będzie ładna pogoda jutro. (I don’t know if the weather will be good tomorrow.)
Let’s put the theory into practice – complete the exercise