Relationships & Marriage: Grammar (AQA GCSE Polish): Revision Note

• To talk about the topic of 'Relationships', you need to know some important grammar - reflexive verbs and pronouns and modal verbs

• Look at these grammar points in more detail

Reflexive verbs (się)

Dobrze dogaduję się z moją mamą, ale często kłócę się z moim tatą.

• Reflexive verbs are verbs which refer to oneself or each other, e.g. ja dogaduję (z) means 'I get on (with)' and kłócić się (z) means 'to argue (with)'

• They are very useful for talking about relationships - there are lots of reflexive verbs in the vocabulary list you have just seen

• If an infinitive includes się , it is a reflexive verb

• Się is a reflexive pronoun - we need to change both the verb and the reflexive pronoun to match the subject

• We often do not use a reflexive pronoun in English translations

• Polish has only one reflexive pronoun: się

  • It never changes (no gender, no number, no person)

  • It attaches to the verb and creates a reflexive verb

  • It can mean myself/yourself/oneself or each other

  • In Polish, “się” is one word with many functions: reflexive, reciprocal, impersonal, or simply part of the verb

    • It has several different functions and can do many jobs

Reflexive verbs

• Reflexive verbs – the action goes back to the person doing it. Here “się” means the action is done to yourself.

  • myć się → to wash oneself

  • ubierać się → to get dressed

  • czesać się → to comb oneself

Reciprocal verbs

• Reciprocal verbs – people do something to each other. Here “się” means mutually.

  • kłócić się → to argue (with each other)

  • spotykać się → to meet (each other)

  • przytulać się → to hug (each other)

Impersonal constructions

• Impersonal constructions – no clear subject. Here “się” creates a general, impersonal meaning.

  • Mówi się, że… → It is said that…

  • Tu dobrze się mieszka. → It’s nice to live here

  • Książka dobrze się sprzedaje. → The book sells well

• Verbs that simply require “się”

• These verbs always use “się”, but it doesn’t mean “oneself”

• Here it is just part of the verb

  • bać się → to be afraid

  • udać się → to succeed

  • wydawać się → to seem

Here is a full example of the reflexive verb dogaduję się (z kimś) - 'to get on well (with)':

• Here are some other useful reflexive verbs for this topic:

Modal verbs

Chciałbym się kiedyś ożenić, ale nie chcę mieć dzieci.

• Modal verbs express ideas such as ability, permission, obligation or desire - they show how someone relates to an action rather than simply describing it

• They are particularly useful in this topic for talking about relationships and future plans, responsibilities

• In Polish, modal verbs are used with an infinitive, which stays in its basic form (usually ending in ‑ć)

• Here are the six modal verbs you need to know:

• Here are the present tense forms of the two most useful modal verbs for this topic:

• An infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb

  • In Polish, it usually answers the question „co robić?” (what to do?)

• In English, the infinitive often includes to (to eat, to celebrate). In Polish, it usually ends in -ć, for example robić or lubić