Learning Polish can be a fascinating journey, especially when you dive into the intricacies of its grammar. One of the essential aspects of mastering Polish is understanding how to express actions and states in different time frames: the future (przyszłość) and the past (przeszłość). In this article, we will explore the differences between these two tenses, how to form them, and provide you with essential vocabulary and example sentences to help you on your way.

Understanding the Future Tense in Polish

The future tense in Polish can be a bit more complex than in English because it has two forms: the simple future and the compound future.

Simple Future Tense

The simple future tense in Polish is used for actions that will happen in the future and is formed by conjugating the verb itself. This form is often used with perfective verbs.

pisać – to write
Będę pisać list jutro.
I will write a letter tomorrow.

zrobić – to do, to make
Zrobię to zadanie później.
I will do this task later.

pojechać – to go (by vehicle)
Pojedziemy na wakacje w przyszłym miesiącu.
We will go on vacation next month.

Compound Future Tense

The compound future tense is used with imperfective verbs and consists of the future form of the verb “to be” (będę, będziesz, będzie, będziemy, będziecie, będą) and the infinitive or the third person singular of the main verb.

czytać – to read
Będę czytać tę książkę.
I will be reading this book.

uczyć się – to learn, to study
Będziesz się uczyć nowego języka.
You will be learning a new language.

oglądać – to watch
Będziemy oglądać film wieczorem.
We will be watching a movie in the evening.

Understanding the Past Tense in Polish

The past tense in Polish is more straightforward in comparison to the future tense. It is formed by combining the stem of the verb with specific endings that correspond to the subject’s gender and number.

Masculine Singular

być – to be
Byłem zmęczony po pracy.
I was tired after work.

iść – to go (on foot)
Poszedł do sklepu.
He went to the store.

zrobić – to do, to make
Zrobił obiad dla rodziny.
He made dinner for the family.

Feminine Singular

być – to be
Byłam szczęśliwa wczoraj.
I was happy yesterday.

iść – to go (on foot)
Poszła do szkoły.
She went to school.

zrobić – to do, to make
Zrobiła zakupy rano.
She did the shopping in the morning.

Neuter Singular

być – to be
Było zimno w nocy.
It was cold at night.

iść – to go (on foot)
Poszło do przedszkola.
It went to kindergarten.

zrobić – to do, to make
Zrobiło zadanie domowe.
It did the homework.

Plural

być – to be
Byliśmy na koncercie.
We were at the concert.

iść – to go (on foot)
Poszli do kina.
They (masculine or mixed gender) went to the cinema.

zrobić – to do, to make
Zrobili ciasto na deser.
They (masculine or mixed gender) made a cake for dessert.

być – to be
Byłyśmy zmęczone po treningu.
We (feminine) were tired after the training.

iść – to go (on foot)
Poszły do parku.
They (feminine) went to the park.

zrobić – to do, to make
Zrobiły porządki w domu.
They (feminine) did the house cleaning.

Common Vocabulary in Future and Past Contexts

To help you better understand and use the future and past tenses in Polish, here are some common verbs and phrases with their definitions and example sentences.

kupować – to buy (imperfective)
Będę kupować warzywa na rynku.
I will be buying vegetables at the market.

kupić – to buy (perfective)
Kupiłem nowy telefon.
I bought a new phone.

jeść – to eat (imperfective)
Będziemy jeść obiad o szóstej.
We will be eating dinner at six.

zjeść – to eat (perfective)
Zjedliśmy wszystko.
We ate everything.

pić – to drink (imperfective)
Będziesz pić kawę rano.
You will be drinking coffee in the morning.

wypić – to drink (perfective)
Wypiłem herbatę.
I drank the tea.

czytać – to read (imperfective)
Będę czytać gazetę.
I will be reading the newspaper.

przeczytać – to read (perfective)
Przeczytałem książkę.
I read the book.

odwiedzać – to visit (imperfective)
Będziemy odwiedzać rodzinę w weekend.
We will be visiting family on the weekend.

odwiedzić – to visit (perfective)
Odwiedziłem babcię wczoraj.
I visited my grandmother yesterday.

oglądać – to watch (imperfective)
Będę oglądać telewizję wieczorem.
I will be watching TV in the evening.

obejrzeć – to watch (perfective)
Obejrzałem film wczoraj.
I watched a movie yesterday.

Using Time Expressions with Future and Past Tenses

Time expressions can help clarify when an action takes place. Here are some useful time expressions for both future and past contexts.

jutro – tomorrow
Jutro będę pracować w biurze.
Tomorrow I will work in the office.

wczoraj – yesterday
Wczoraj poszliśmy na spacer.
Yesterday we went for a walk.

za tydzień – in a week
Za tydzień będziemy w górach.
In a week we will be in the mountains.

tydzień temu – a week ago
Tydzień temu odwiedziliśmy muzeum.
A week ago we visited the museum.

w przyszłym roku – next year
W przyszłym roku pojadę do Francji.
Next year I will go to France.

w zeszłym roku – last year
W zeszłym roku zaczęłam nową pracę.
Last year I started a new job.

za chwilę – in a moment
Za chwilę będę gotowy.
I will be ready in a moment.

przed chwilą – a moment ago
Przed chwilą skończyłem pracę.
I finished work a moment ago.

Practice Makes Perfect

Understanding the differences between the future and past tenses in Polish and practicing the conjugations and vocabulary will help you become more fluent and confident in using the language. Here are a few tips to help you practice:

1. **Create Flashcards**: Make flashcards with the verbs and their conjugations in both future and past tenses. Use the example sentences to help you remember the context.

2. **Write Sentences**: Practice writing sentences using the future and past tenses. Try to incorporate new vocabulary and time expressions.

3. **Speak Out Loud**: Practice speaking the sentences out loud. This will help you get used to the pronunciation and the flow of the language.

4. **Language Exchange**: Find a language exchange partner or join a Polish language group where you can practice speaking with others.

5. **Use Language Apps**: Utilize language learning apps that focus on Polish grammar and vocabulary to reinforce your learning.

By consistently practicing and immersing yourself in the language, you will improve your ability to use the future and past tenses in Polish effectively. Good luck with your studies, and remember that every step you take brings you closer to mastering the beautiful Polish language!