If you look up a word like “to write” in a Polish dictionary, instead of one word, you’ll find two: pisać and napisać.

Why are there two words for the same action?

Welcome to Polish Verb Aspects.

In English, we use helper words to change the meaning of a verb (e.g., “I was writing” vs “I have written”).

In Polish, the verb itself changes to tell you if an action is finished or still going on.

It sounds difficult, but it’s actually quite logical once you see how it works.

I’m not going to bore you with heavy linguistic terms.

I’m going to break this down simply so you can start using them correctly right away.

What is a Verb Aspect?

In Polish, almost every verb comes in a pair. These pairs represent the Aspects:

1. Imperfective (niedokonany)
2. Perfective (dokonany)

Think of it like this:

• Imperfective is about the process. It’s like watching a video of someone doing something. You see them doing it, but you don’t necessarily see the end result.
• Perfective is about the result. It’s like taking a photo of the finished job. The action is done, completed, and ticked off the list.

Let’s look at them individually.

Imperfective Verbs (The “Video”)

The Imperfective aspect (niedokonany) is the form you will usually find first in dictionaries.

You use these verbs when:

1. The action is happening right now.
2. The action happens repeatedly (every day, often, usually).
3. You want to focus on the duration (how long it took).

You don’t care if the action was finished or not; you just care that it was happening.

Keywords to watch for: zawsze (always), często (often), codziennie (every day), długo (for a long time).

Here is an example using the verb czytać (to read - imperfective):

(Here, I focus on the fact that I spent the night reading. Did I finish the book? We don’t know, and it doesn’t matter.)

(This is a repetitive habit, so we use the imperfective kupować).

Perfective Verbs (The “Snapshot”)

The Perfective aspect (dokonany) is used when the action is completed.

You use these verbs when:

1. The action happened once and is finished.
2. The action will be finished in the future.
3. You focus on the result (e.g., you actually bought the thing, you finished the book).

Keywords to watch for: wczoraj (yesterday), nagle (suddenly), w końcu (finally), już (already).

Let’s look at the “completed” partner of czytać, which is przeczytać (to read completely/finish reading).

(Here, the book is finished. The action is complete. Snap!)

(The bread is in my bag. The transaction is done. Result achieved.)

The “Present Tense” Trap

This is the most important rule you need to remember, and it trips up many beginners.

Perfective verbs DO NOT have a Present Tense.

Think about it: you cannot be “currently finishing” something in a single instant. You are either doing it (Imperfective) or you have done it (Perfective).

If you take a Perfective verb and conjugate it like a normal present tense verb, it becomes the Future Tense.

Here is a table to visualize the difference:

Notice the Future Tense difference?

• Będę robić: I will be working on it (maybe I won’t finish).
• Zrobię: I will get it done (promise of completion).

(Using the perfective form napisać here means “I will definitely do it”, not just “I will be in the process of writing”.)

Common Verb Pairs Table

So, how do you know which is which?

Usually, Polish makes a Perfective verb by adding a prefix to the Imperfective one (like z-, na-, prze-, wy-). Sometimes, the middle of the word changes.

Here are the pairs you will use most often:

Note: Brać / Wziąć is one of the few pairs where the words look completely different. You just have to memorize that one!

Summary Checklist

If you are speaking and don’t know which one to pick, ask yourself these questions:

Use Imperfective if:

• It is happening right now.
• It happens often or every day.
• You want to say you were doing something (process).

Use Perfective if:

• You finished the action.
• It happened once and it’s over.
• You promise to complete it in the future.

It takes time to get used to this feeling.

When I was first learning English, I struggled with “I have done” vs “I did”. It’s the same struggle, just reversed!

My advice? Listen to Polish phrases and pay attention to when people use the prefix (like z- or na-). Eventually, it will start to sound natural to your ear.