# Perfective and imperfective verbs in infinitive



## piyopiyo

Hello,

I started to understand a bit the difference between perfective and imperfective verbs when conjugated... now I'm wondering if there is a rule about their use in infinitive after modal verbs..



Thank you!

Bruno


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## LilianaB

Could you provide some examples, please


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## piyopiyo

For example
I have to buy something
I can read a book in polish

I was wondering if there is a rule, that says in these situation I have to use always perfective or imperfective form, or if one has to choose the form according to the situation.

Bruno


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## LilianaB

I think one has to choose one according to the situation, but I don't hold any degrees in Polish. The grammarians may tell you something else. It just depends whether the action is completed or continuous. Musze cos kupic.
Moge przeczytrac ksiazke, or moge czytac ksiazke. The former would mean that I can read a book and finish it, whereas the latter that I can be simply involved in the process of reading a book.


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

I've never heard of the term modal verbs used in Polish. But from what I remember from beginners German, the modal verbs were können, mögen, müssen, wollen and sollen... By that extention could we say that Polish modal verbs are móc, lubieć, musieć, chcieć and powinien (no infinitive form)?


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## piyopiyo

Hello Liliana,

thanks, that's what I wanted to know.. then it still depends on the situation.. 

POLSKA, sorry if I used an improper term for polish grammar, but those are exactly the verbs I meant 

Thank you

Bruno


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

Piyopiyo, I don't know if you used an improper grammar term. Those verb might be called that. I never studied Polish as a foreigner, only learned it as my native language. So sometimes I don't know the name of a grammatical concept and must apply knowledge form other foreign languages I've studied.


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## BezierCurve

Hi piyopiyo. The aspect (perfective or imperfective) depends indeed on the situation - what's in your focus, the result of the action (perfective) or performing the action itself (imperfective)? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as it seems. I think we've already had a similar thread, will try to search for it later. I also remember we were discussing an example with "reading a book" there, trying to pinpoint the differences in meaning for both aspects...


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## Ben Jamin

piyopiyo said:


> For example
> I have to buy something
> I can read a book in polish
> 
> I was wondering if there is a rule, that says in these situation I have to use always perfective or imperfective form, or if one has to choose the form according to the situation.
> 
> Bruno



The rule is: you can use *both* perfective and imperfective verbs after words like chcieć, musieć, potrafić, and so on. You use perfective and imperfective verbs in agreement with the action you describe with the verb:
Chcę malować akwarele: (imperfective verb, singular noun): I want to paint watercolour pictures. (without defining how many pictures you want to paint, just to have it as your hobby)
Chcę namalować akwarelę: (perfective verb, singular noun). “I want to paint a watercolour picture” or ). “I want to paint the watercolour picture”. You have to define if you want to express a completed action, or a non completed or habitual one.

The difference between Polish and English is that in Polish you must choose between a perfective and an imperfective verb, while you may remain vague about the definiteness of the noun, but in English it is the other way round: you must choose between a definite and indefinite noun, but you may remain vague about the perfectiveness of the verb.


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## piyopiyo

Hello BezierCurve,

yes I've read many threads on the topic, so don't bother looking for them, thank you! 
What I was wondering now was if the same rules apply to the verb used in the infinitive form, and apparently they do! 

POLSKA, I have the same problem when asked about Italian rules.. it's a totally different approach when we study a language as grown up 

Bruno


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## piyopiyo

Thank you Ben Jamin,

great example!

I just guess you wanted to write "imperfective verb, *plural *noun" 

Bruno


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## majlo

By the way, BenJamin, I don't think your example with the definite article works. I think we would need to specify the watercolor picture somehow. For example, "tę akwarelę". What do you think?

I've never come across modal verbs in Polish grammar, but I think we can call them like that. After all they do express modalities like obligation, duty, etc.


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## Ben Jamin

Może z tym ma owa jem to nie był najlepszy przykład, ale np w 'zamknij drzwi' nie używamy zaimka wskazujacego, ale z reguły chodzi o konkretne drzwi. Po angielsku musimy powiedzieć 'close the door'.


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## kknd

Ben Jamin said:


> Może z tym ma owa jem to nie był najlepszy przykład, ale np w 'zamknij drzwi' nie używamy zaimka wskazujacego, ale z reguły chodzi o konkretne drzwi. Po angielsku musimy powiedzieć 'close the door'.


przy okazji: jakiś czas temu zauważyłem, że zamiast wskazywania konkretu _the_→_ten/ta/to_, czasem lepiej wskazywać niepewność/nieokreślenie _a_→_jakiś/pewny_ itp. tu oczywiście raczej nie znajdzie to zastosowania…


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## majlo

Kknd, mógłbyś podać jakiś przykład?


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## kknd

majlo said:


> Kknd, mógłbyś podać jakiś przykład?


hmm… to nic nieoczywistego: mając kontekst, np. wspólną obecność mnie i mojego rozmówcy w pokoju, zdanie „would you mind closing the door?” można (należałoby!?) przetłumaczyć jako „mógłbyś zamknąć drzwi?”. co do przedimka nieokreślonego przykładem mogło by być zdanie „i just met such a nice woman” (niestety nie wiem, czy to akuratny przykład): „spotkałam taką miłą panią.”; może lepsze będzie „two days ago, out of the blue, a kind man gave me a bouquet of flowers.” tłumaczone np. „dwa dni temu, zupełnie niespodzianie, pewien miły pan dał mi bukiet kwiatów.”


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