Polski — verbs of motion (determinate / indeterminate)
Polish pairs each motion verb: one form for a single trip in one direction happening now (iść, jechać, lecieć, nieść), another for habitual, repeated or multidirectional motion (chodzić, jeździć, latać, nosić). Both are imperfective — the choice is about the manner of movement, not tense.
How it works
The determinate verb marks one trip, one direction, in progress: Idę do szkoły means "I'm walking to school (right now)." The indeterminate verb marks a habit or return trips: Chodzę do szkoły means "I go to school (I attend it)." Likewise Jadę do Warszawy (I'm on my way) versus Jeżdżę do Warszawy co tydzień (I go every week).
The four pairs
| Determinate (one trip, now) | Indeterminate (habit, repeated) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| iść | chodzić | to go / walk (on foot) |
| jechać | jeździć | to go (by vehicle) |
| lecieć | latać | to fly |
| nieść | nosić | to carry |
Good to know
Do not use the indeterminate verb for a single trip happening now. For "I'm going to the shop (right now)" say Idę do sklepu, not Chodzę do sklepu — the latter means "I go to the shop (regularly)." Note too that nosić also means "to wear" (Noszę okulary — I wear glasses), and that adding a prefix (przyjść, wyjechać) turns these into perfective verbs, a separate system.