trzeba / można / warto
Impersonal Predicate Words
Polish uses 'impersonal predicates' like trzeba (must), można (can), warto (worth), należy (should), and wolno (allowed) to express general ideas. They never change their form in the present tense and are typically followed by an infinitive.
How It Works
These words, known as predykatywy, are essential for natural Polish speech. They allow you to state rules, suggestions, or possibilities generally.
1. Basic Usage:
Simply place the word before an infinitive. Note that trzeba can also be followed by a noun in the genitive case to express needing a thing (e.g., trzeba czasu - 'time is needed').
- Trzeba: General necessity ('One must', 'It is necessary').
- Można: General possibility or broad permission ('One can', 'It is possible').
- Wolno: Specific permission or rules ('It is allowed').
- Należy: Obligation or 'ought to' ('One should').
- Warto: Recommendation ('It is worth').
2. Specifying a Person:
If you want to say who is allowed to do something, you cannot use the nominative case. Instead, use the dative case (e.g., mi, ci, mu) with wolno (e.g., wolno mi - 'I am allowed'). Note that można, warto, and trzeba generally do not take a dative person in modern Polish. To specify who must do something, use a personal verb like musieć.
3. Tense and Mood:
Most of these words are invariable. To change the tense, add the 3rd-person neuter singular form of 'to be' (być):
- Past: trzeba było, można było, wolno było
- Future: trzeba będzie, można będzie, wolno będzie
- Conditional: trzeba byłoby (or short form trzeba by), można byłoby (or można by), warto byłoby (or warto by)
Należy is the impersonal 3rd-person form of the regular verb należeć. Note that when used impersonally with an infinitive, its meaning completely shifts from 'to belong' to obligation ('one should' or 'one must'). It changes its own form (Past: należało, Future: będzie należało, Conditional: należałoby - highly frequent for polite suggestions).
4. Negation and Nuance:
Adding nie changes the meaning significantly:
- Nie wolno: 'It is forbidden' (strict prohibition).
- Nie można: 'It is not possible' or 'It is not allowed' (common everyday prohibition).
- Nie trzeba: 'It is not necessary' (you don't have to).
- Nie należy: 'One shouldn't' or 'It is not proper to'.
- Nie warto: 'It is not worth it' or 'There is no point'.
Examples (6)
- Trzeba pić dużo wody.
One must drink a lot of water.
Word by Word: Necessary to-drink much water.
A general statement of necessity using 'trzeba' followed by an infinitive.
- Czy można tu wejść?
Is it possible to enter here? / May one enter?
Word by Word: Whether possible here to-enter?
Using 'można' to ask for permission or check possibility.
- Tutaj nie wolno palić.
Smoking is not allowed here.
Word by Word: Here not allowed to-smoke.
'Nie wolno' is the standard way to express a prohibition or rule.
- Warto zobaczyć ten film.
It is worth seeing this movie.
Word by Word: Worth to-see this film.
'Warto' is used to give a recommendation.
- Należy regularnie ćwiczyć.
One should exercise regularly.
Word by Word: Ought-to regularly to-exercise.
'Należy' expresses a moral obligation or a recommended course of action.
- Wolno mi tu zostać?
Am I allowed to stay here?
Word by Word: Allowed to-me here to-stay?
This shows the dative pronoun 'mi' (to me) used with 'wolno' to specify who has permission.
Common Mistakes
Using a nominative subject (Ja, Ty, etc.) with these words.
Ja trzeba iść.Muszę iść. / Trzeba iść.These words are impersonal and do not take a nominative subject. To specify a person for necessity, use a personal verb like 'musieć' (e.g., muszę iść), or use 'trzeba' for a general statement (e.g., trzeba iść).
Using 'nie trzeba' where you mean 'must not'.
Different MeaningNie trzeba tu palić.Nie wolno tu palić. / Nie można tu palić.Nie trzeba tu palić is a good sentence, but it means 'there is no need to smoke here'. To express a prohibition ('you must not smoke here'), use 'nie wolno' or 'nie można'.
Using a dative pronoun to mean 'worth it to me'.
Different MeaningWarto mi to kupić.Warto to kupić.Warto mi to kupić is grammatical, but mi is the one the thing is bought for: 'It is worth buying it for me'. 'Warto' itself takes no experiencer. To say 'worth it to me', use Dla mnie warto to kupić.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Learn Trzeba With An Infinitive, Można With An Infinitive, Warto With An Infinitive before Impersonal Predicate Words.
- trzeba + InfinitiveTrzeba with an Infinitive
Learn Trzeba With An Infinitive first because Impersonal Predicate Words uses or contrasts that pattern.
Level 2 - można + InfinitiveMożna with an Infinitive
Learn Można With An Infinitive first because Impersonal Predicate Words uses or contrasts that pattern.
Level 2 - warto + InfinitiveWarto with an Infinitive
Learn Warto With An Infinitive first because Impersonal Predicate Words uses or contrasts that pattern.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- Modal Verbs With Infinitives
These impersonal words function similarly to modal verbs as they both require an infinitive to complete the thought.
Level 2 - Dative Experiencers
When specifying who the necessity or possibility applies to, Polish uses the dative case, just like with other 'experiencer' constructions.
Level 3 - nieNegation with Nie
Negating these words changes their meaning, especially 'nie wolno' which indicates prohibition.
Level 1 - Neuter Singular Past
The past tense of these impersonal expressions is formed using the neuter singular form 'było'.
Level 2 - będę / będziesz / będzie / będziemy / będziecie / będąFuture Forms of Być
The future tense of these expressions is formed using the 3rd-person singular 'będzie'.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice trzeba / można / warto in Bubblegum
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