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B1 · Intermediate · Lesson 20
Modal & reflexive verbs
Ability and need + the little word się.
Modal verbs (móc 'can', musieć 'must', chcieć 'want', woleć 'prefer') take a plain infinitive, just like English. Separately, a large group of verbs carry się; treat się as part of the verb and never drop it.
| Modal | Meaning | ja-form |
|---|---|---|
| móc | can / may | mogę |
| musieć | must | muszę |
| chcieć | want | chcę |
| woleć | prefer | wolę |
- •Modal + infinitive: Muszę iść.
- •się never changes form, but it can move in the sentence.
Quick check
Modal verbs are followed by…
Muszę iść — modal + infinitive.
'What is your name?'
nazywać się is reflexive — keep się.
Practice
Now produce the answers yourself — type them, choose the form, or build the sentence.
Muszę ___ . (modal + ?)
modal + infinitive.
Uczę ___ polskiego. (reflexive marker)
'May I come in?' Czy mogę ___ ?
Say: I'm learning Polish.
'uczyć się' means…
What this lesson covered
This lesson paired two useful ideas: modal verbs and the reflexive marker się. The modals express ability, necessity and desire — móc (can/may), musieć (must), chcieć (want), and powinien (should) — and they're usually followed by an infinitive: muszę iść (I have to go), mogę wejść? (may I come in?), chcę spać (I want to sleep). The little word się turns many verbs reflexive or shifts their meaning, and it appears in everyday expressions you already use: jak się nazywasz? (what's your name?), źle się czuję (I feel unwell), uczę się polskiego (I'm learning Polish). Się is flexible about its position but must be there. Together these let you talk about what you can, must and want to do — the backbone of expressing intentions and needs.