A question starts with czy — or just with intonation
A yes-no question starts with czy: Czy to daleko?, Czy macie wodę? English moves do or is to the front; Polish just adds this one word and keeps the order. For example: “Czy to daleko?” — Is it far? A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A yes-no question starts with czy: Czy to daleko?, Czy macie wodę?. English moves do or is to the front; Polish just adds this one word and keeps the order.
In speech czy is often dropped, and only the rising voice is left: To daleko?. That is normal, not sloppy. In writing czy is the safe choice.
Question words go first, and the rest keeps its order: Gdzie jest dworzec?, Skąd jesteś?, Ile to kosztuje?. English where covers two Polish words. Gdzie asks where something is; dokąd asks where someone is going: Dokąd idziesz?.
By example
- Czy to daleko?Is it far?
- Czy macie wodę?Do you have water?
- Dokąd idziesz?Where are you going?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
A question starts with czy — or just with intonation: how does it work in Polish?
A yes-no question starts with czy: Czy to daleko?, Czy macie wodę? English moves do or is to the front; Polish just adds this one word and keeps the order.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Czy to daleko?” — Is it far? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.