Going somewhere: do + genitive, na / w + accusative

Idę do domu. Jadę do Warszawy. Idę na pocztę. Jadę w góry.I'm going home. I'm going to Warsaw. I'm going to the post office. I'm going to the mountains.

When you say where someone is, Polish uses the locative after w or na (see The locative case: location (w / na + locative)). When you say where someone is going, the pattern changes: most places take do + the genitive, and places that take na for location keep na, but with the accusative. The question is Dokąd? (Where to?).

Quick shortcut: for most places use do + genitive (do domu, do szkoły, do sklepu, do Polski). For places that take na when you are there (na dworcu, na poczcie, na uniwersytecie), keep na and use the accusative (na dworzec, na pocztę, na uniwersytet).

English uses the same preposition for almost every goal (to the shop, to the station) and the noun stays the same. Polish has to choose between do and na (or, in a few phrases, w), and the noun takes the ending that goes with the preposition.

Where, or where to?

The same place can be a location or a goal, and Polish marks the difference with the preposition and the case:

As a tendency, a place that takes na for location also takes na for direction. Many places that take w for location take do for direction. Both lists are best learnt together with the place, so that w szkole comes with do szkoły and na dworcu comes with na dworzec.

The questions differ too: Gdzie jesteś? (Where are you?) but Dokąd idziesz? (Where are you going?).

do + genitive

After do the noun is in the genitive. The endings are the ones from The genitive case: possession and quantity of one:

Masculine nouns take -a or -u, and which one depends on the noun, so it is best learnt with the word (do domu, do sklepu, do parku, but do lasu and do Krakowa). Neuter nouns take -a (do kina, do biura), and feminine nouns in -a take -y or -i (do szkoły, do kuchni). Names of cities and countries follow the same rules: do Londynu, do Berlina, do Niemiec (Germany, plural in Polish).

do also goes with people, when you are going to see someone or visit them: Idę do lekarza. (I'm going to the doctor.) Jadę do babci. (I'm going to my grandmother's.) Idę do Anny. (I'm going to Anna's.) The pronouns are do mnie, do ciebie, do niego, do niej, do nas, do was, do nich: Jedziesz do mnie? (Are you coming to my place?) After a preposition the forms of on, ona, oni begin with n- (see Polish personal pronouns).

na + accusative

After na in the sense of direction the noun is in the accusative. The endings are the ones from The accusative case: inanimate objects and feminine nouns: masculine and neuter nouns for things look like the nominative, and feminine nouns in -a end in -ę.

Like other feminine nouns that end in a consonant, wieś has the same form in the accusative as in the nominative.

na also goes with events and activities: Idę na lekcję. (I'm going to a lesson.) Idę na koncert. (I'm going to a concert.) Idę na spacer. (I'm going for a walk.) Jadę na wakacje. (I'm going on holiday.) Idę na zakupy. (I'm going shopping.)

w + accusative

w with the accusative also expresses direction, but it is much less common at this level. It appears in a few set phrases, such as Jadę w góry. (I'm going to the mountains.) and Jedziemy w Tatry. (We're going to the Tatras.) For most places, do is the form to use.

Verbs of going: iść, jechać, wracać

iść (to go on foot) and jechać (to go by vehicle) are the two verbs you need most. Their present forms are irregular, so they are best learnt as sets (see also Polish present tense: irregular verbs):

• Idę do szkoły. (I'm walking to school.)
• Jedziemy do Krakowa. (We're going to Kraków.)
• Wracam do domu. (I'm going back home.)

In the past, iść and jechać have the endings from Past tense: -ł, -ła, -ło forms: Szedłem do domu. (said by a man), Szłam do domu. (said by a woman), Jechałem do Warszawy., Jechałam do Warszawy. The preposition and the case stay the same.

For something you do regularly, Polish uses a different pair of verbs, chodzić and jeździć: Codziennie chodzę do pracy. (I go to work every day.) The pattern with do and na is the same.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Idę do szkole. → ✅ Idę do szkoły. (after do the noun is in the genitive, not the locative)
• ❌ Idę do dom. → ✅ Idę do domu. (the nominative does not follow do)
• ❌ Jadę do Warszawie. → ✅ Jadę do Warszawy. (the locative w Warszawie is for location, and for direction the genitive is used)
• ❌ Jadę na dworcu. → ✅ Jadę na dworzec. (going somewhere takes the accusative)
• ❌ Idę na uniwersytecie. → ✅ Idę na uniwersytet. (the same: direction needs the accusative)
• ❌ Jestem na dworzec. → ✅ Jestem na dworcu. (being somewhere takes the locative)
• ❌ Idę w szkołę. → ✅ Idę do szkoły. (for school use do)

Quick check

Which form fits each gap?

1. Idę do ___. (szkoła)
2. Jadę do ___. (Warszawa)
3. Idę na ___. (poczta)
4. Jadę na ___. (dworzec)
5. Idę do ___. (lekarz)
6. Wracam do ___. (dom)
7. ___ idziesz? (Where to?)

Key takeaways

• To say where someone is going, ask Dokąd?; to say where they are, ask Gdzie?
• Most places take do + genitive: do domu, do szkoły, do sklepu, do Polski, do Warszawy.
• Places that take na for location keep na for direction, with the accusative: na dworzec, na pocztę, na uniwersytet, na lekcję.
• w + accusative is a small set of phrases, for example w góry.
• do also goes with people: do lekarza, do babci, do mnie.
• iść (on foot) and jechać (by vehicle) are irregular: idę, idziesz, idzie and jadę, jedziesz, jedzie.