What's the difference (verbs question)?

Guys.. I have some doubts on verbs... So i'll post here whenever i have doubts about it...
To begin with:

VERB TO READ (czytać/przeczytać)

czytam
czytasz
czyta
czytamy
czytacie
czytają

Good.... it was the present form... but in the past form i can use either CZYTAĆ or PRZECZYTAĆ!!!! how does it works???

For example: if i say JA CZYTAŁEM.... or JA PRZECZYTAŁEM.... What`s the difference between those???? And why i can't PREZCZYTAĆ in present??? (ja przeczytam)

Thanks for the help :)

PS: if that helps, my book says that czytać is imperfective, and przecytać is perfective... I don`t know the difference :)

Dzięki guys :))))

The difference is...
"czytałem" means you were reading the book but it is not said if you have finished it, whilst "przeczytalem" means you have finished reading the book. that is why you can't use it in present.
czytałem = I was reading
przeczytałem = I have read

Ohhhh I got it...

so if i have płaciłem and zapłaciłem... means: I was paying and I`ve paid????

płakałem/zapłakałem = i was crying/i`ve cried

right????? :) thanks Kioko

This is true. By the way, certain dialects of Polish have different verb conjugations from the standard language, much the same as in German or other languages I'm told!

Hahaha not really into the dialects yet Marek :)))) But thanks for the help

and you should start learning it ASAP, because most verbs in Polish exist in pairs perfective/imperfective :)

That will depend on the context.

Example 1:

Q: Co zrobiłes wczoraj?
A: Przeczytałem "Hamleta". ( we know the person read the whole play, stress is on the completion of an action)

Example 2:

Q: Co robiłes wczoraj?
A: Czytałem "Hamleta". ( we don't know if the the person read the whole play, stress is on the nature of action, not on result)

Example 3:

Q: Czy czytałes "Hamleta"? (stress is on the result, even though the verb is imperfective)
A: Pewnie, ze czytałem (I have read and I know its content since in this context the respondent will usually assume that the question is about whether he/she now knows the content of the play)

Example 3 has English equivalents. For instance:

Q: What books were you reading at school last month.
A: We were reading Hamlet, King Lear and a few others by Shakespeare.

Here, just like in Polish, there is no clear indication whether the books were read in their entirety, but the assumption will be that in fact they were.

I was reading is ja czytałem (without finishing the book or whatever you were reading) and ja przeczytałem would refer to something that you read through and finished.

I see :D Could you explain me or indicate some website to do so???? Didn't find any references :) Thanks


Got it Michał :) Thanks


Thanks to you too :)))) I understood the ways of asking, though i must know what's the difference between perfective/imperfective :) Thanks

if "pisałam" means "i was writing" and "napisałam" means "i've written" then how do we say "i wrote"?

Napisałem książkę - I wrote a book ( and finished writing it )
Pisałem książkę - I was writing a book (implying they were writing it but didn't finish)

Napisałam means I wrote. There isn't a big distinction between present perfect and past simple as there is in English.

aha! got it! thanx davey and seanus!

Exactly, well put!