Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sprzątać | /ˈspʂɔn.tat͡ɕ/ | imperfective |
| posprzątać | /pɔˈspʂɔn.tat͡ɕ/ | perfective |
| sprzątnąć | /ˈspʂɔnt.nɔɲt͡ɕ/ | perfective |
These verbs are used to describe the act of making an area or a thing clean. You will frequently hear the word bałagan, which means mess, used alongside these verbs to indicate what needs to be tidied.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on whether you are focusing on the process or the result. Use the imperfective sprzątać to describe an ongoing process of cleaning or a habitual action. Use the perfective posprzątać to describe a completed action or a one-time task of cleaning up.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the perfective verb posprzątać in the past tense, the singular form changes based on gender: posprzątałem is used by masculine speakers and posprzątałam is used by feminine speakers.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈspʂɔn.tatɕ/
Did you know?
- While sprzątać usually means to clean, the form sprzątnąć can be used as a euphemism for killing someone or making a person disappear.
- The verb sprzątnąć can mean 'to clean up', but it can also mean 'to snatch' or 'to steal' something quickly. It describes an action that is both sudden and discrete.
- Polish uses the same root for 'cleaning up' as it does for the word sprzęt, which means 'equipment' or 'gear'.
Examples in context
- Muszę tu trochę posprzątać.I need to clean up a bit here.This sentence uses posprzątać to express a need for a cleaning task in a specific location.Tatoeba #6154848 by Krzysztof92, translation #10782502 by hecko
- Czy mogę pomóc ci sprzątać?Can I help you clean up?This sentence uses sprzątać to offer assistance with the ongoing process of cleaning.Tatoeba #7726006 by qmak, translation #3738370 by CK
- Powinieneś posprzątać ten bałagan.You should clean up this mess.This sentence uses posprzątać to suggest completing a task to deal with a mess.Tatoeba #7726009 by qmak, translation #4665125 by CK
- Proszę posprzątać biurko.Please clean up your desk.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Paweł and Katarzyna are discussing chores in their apartment.
- PawełKatarzyno, czy możesz zacząć sprzątać w salonie?Katarzyna, can you start cleaning in the living room?
- KatarzynaTak, Pawle, zaraz to zrobię.Yes, Paweł, I will do it right away.
- PawełDziękuję, to bardzo pomoże.Thank you, that will help a lot.
- KatarzynaNie ma za co.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “clean up” translations and entries sprzątać, posprzątać, sprzątnąć, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
