# I went to China in 2010.



## stelingo

Just want to check how to say the year in this sentence. I went to China in 2010.
Pojechałem do Chin w dwa tysiące dziesiątym roku. Am I also using the correct form of jechać? Thanks


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## BezierCurve

Yes, it is correct. "Pojechałem" is also correct, but only for masculine gender (which would be "pojechałam" for feminine and "pojechałom" for a purely theoretical 1st person neuter gender).


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## dreamlike

Should you ever come to Poland, don't be surprised if you hear "w dwutysięcznym ....". It's an extremely common mistake. Your version is the only one that is correct.


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## Ben Jamin

dreamlike said:


> Should you ever come to Poland, don't be surprised if you hear "w dwutysięcznym ....". It's an extremely common mistake. Your version is the only one that is correct.


This 'mistake' is becoming a new norm.


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## Ben Jamin

stelingo said:


> Just want to check how to say the year in this sentence. I went to China in 2010.
> Pojechałem do Chin w dwa tysiące dziesiątym roku. Am I also using the correct form of jechać? Thanks


The choice of the verb in Polish will depend on the circumstances of your journey.
In Polish the verbs used are often very specific. If you just only say or write ‘pojechałem’, then your message if very imprecise. 
‘Pojechałem’ is mostly used about short, local journeys *one way*, for example “I went to work”  (Pojechałem do pracy).
If you went to China in 2010, and still stay there, then you should say ‘wyjechałem do Chin w 2010’. If you just went for short tourist or business trip you should say ‘odwiedziłem Chiny w 2010’, or very informal ‘byłem w Chinach w 2010’, or formal ‘odbyłem podróż do Chin w 2010’.


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## dreamlike

Ben Jamin said:


> This 'mistake' is becoming a new norm.


To the point where you run the risk of being correct if you say it the right way. That's what happened to me once, but I kept my composure and politely disabused the person of his wrong notion


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## Ben Jamin

dreamlike said:


> To the point where you run the risk of being correct if you say it the right way. That's what happened to me once, but I kept my composure and politely disabused the person of his wrong notion



You meant " ... of being corrected .."?
Why do you use such words as "disabuse"? Are you an old schoolmaster?


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## dreamlike

Ben Jamin said:


> You meant " ... of being corrected .."?
> Why do you use such words as "disabuse"? Are you an old schoolmaster?


Of course I did. I was writing my post before I had my usual fix of coffee, hence the error. 

One doesn't have to be an old schoolmaster to use words like this. The word in question simply appeals to me and I have every right to use it, and people can make what they will of that.


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## stelingo

Ben Jamin said:


> The choice of the verb in Polish will depend on the circumstances of your journey.
> In Polish the verbs used are often very specific. If you just only say or write ‘pojechałem’, then your message if very imprecise.
> ‘Pojechałem’ is mostly used about short, local journeys *one way*, for example “I went to work”  (Pojechałem do pracy).
> If you went to China in 2010, and still stay there, then you should say ‘wyjechałem do Chin w 2010’. If you just went for short tourist or business trip you should say ‘odwiedziłem Chiny w 2010’, or very informal ‘byłem w Chinach w 2010’, or formal ‘odbyłem podróż do Chin w 2010’.



It was a short visit. So Pojechałem wouldn't be correct in this context? If I were still in China, in English I wouldn't say I went to China, but I came to China. Would you still use wyjechałem in Polish?


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## dreamlike

stelingo said:


> It was a short visit. So Pojechałem wouldn't be correct in this context? If I were still in China, in English I wouldn't say I went to China, but I came to China. Would you still use wyjechałem in Polish?


How long have you been to China and what was the purpose of your visit? Such information wouldn't go amiss


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## stelingo

I was there 3 weeks studying Chinese.


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## Ben Jamin

stelingo said:


> It was a short visit. So Pojechałem wouldn't be correct in this context? If I were still in China, in English I wouldn't say I went to China, but I came to China. Would you still use wyjechałem in Polish?


 Of course you would say I came, but the point was to show the ambiguity of the Polish verb, which a native speaker would have avoided. The major point being that 'pojechałem' is usually a one way trip.


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## LilianaB

Well, I personally think _pojechałem_ can also indicate just the fact that somebody went somewhere  -- in a very specific context. Ex.: Zaraz po wyzwoleniu pojechałem do Francji i wrociłem dopiero w 1960 roku. Zaraz po obiedzie pojechałem do centrum i wrócilem dopiero późnym wieczorem. Don't you think this is a proper use?


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## dreamlike

I sugggest that you don't use verbs such as "pojechałem" or "wyjechałem" altogether. You're better off with "W dwa tysiące dziesiątym (roku) byłem w Chinach". You could also add for how long you've been there. 

Liliana, I think your sentences are just fine, although in the first one I'd be far more likely to use "wyjechałem".


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## Ben Jamin

LilianaB said:


> Well, I personally think _pojechałem_ can also indicate just the fact that somebody went somewhere -- in a very specific context. Ex.: Zaraz po wyzwoleniu pojechałem do Francji i wrociłem dopiero w 1960 roku. Zaraz po obiedzie pojechałem do centrum i wrócilem dopiero późnym wieczorem. Don't you think this is a proper use?



"Zaraz po obiedzie pojechałem do centrum i wrócilem dopiero późnym wieczorem." is OK

"Zaraz po wyzwoleniu pojechałem do Francji i wrociłem dopiero w 1960 roku." I would say "_wyjechałem_", because you leave an enclosure (cross a border) leaving a country. It would be more idiomatic, but _pojechałem_ is not an error either.


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## tengounaduda

this was my first idea... and I am a Polish native speaker. I didn't know it is incorrect. I don't mind when it is incorrect.. but fthe form "w dwutysiecznym..." even if not 100% correct is very popular in Poland and in a common use, TV included.


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