Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dać | /ˈdat͡ɕ/ /ˈdat͡ɕ/ (Middle, Polish) |
perfective |
| dawać | /ˈda.vat͡ɕ/ /ˈdɒ.vat͡ɕ/ (Middle, Polish) |
imperfective |
| przekazywać | /pʂɛ.kaˈzɘ.vat͡ɕ/ | imperfective |
| przekazać | /pʂɛˈka.zat͡ɕ/ /pr̝ɛˈkɒ.zat͡ɕ/ (Middle, Polish) |
perfective |
The verb is used to describe transferring the possession of something to someone else. In everyday conversation, the phrase Daj mi is used to say 'give me'. There is also a colloquial expression, Daj sobie spokój, which means 'give it a rest' or 'leave it alone'.
Which one should you use?
Polish distinguishes between ongoing or habitual actions and completed actions. The imperfective forms dawać and przekazywać are used for ongoing, repeated or habitual acts of giving or handing over. The perfective forms dać and przekazać are used for a single, completed act of giving or a completed transfer of possession. While dać is a general term for giving, przekazywać and its perfective form przekazać specifically mean 'to hand over' or 'to pass on'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the verb dać in a sentence, such as in the structure dać coś komuś (to give something to someone), the object being given must be in the accusative case and the recipient must be in the dative case.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdatɕ/
Did you know?
- The word dać is a distant relative of the English word 'date', as both trace their roots back to the Proto-Indo-European root *deh₃-.
- The verb dać is used in the common idiom dać radę, which means 'to manage' or 'to cope' rather than giving something.
- Because of this connection to 'command', using przekazać can sometimes imply a formal transfer of authority or instructions rather than just a physical object.
Examples in context
- Możesz mu to dać?Can you give this to him?This sentence shows how to use dać to ask if someone can give something to him.Tatoeba #6306741 by fau, translation #3905872 by CH
- Nie mogę ci nic dać.I can't give you anything.This sentence uses dać to express an inability to give anything to someone.Tatoeba #4837778 by gin, translation #2301969 by CK
- Nie mogę im tego dać.I can't give them that.This sentence uses dać to express an inability to give something to them.Tatoeba #4124372 by jeedrek, translation #3915984 by CH
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tomasz and Małgorzata are in the kitchen.
- TomaszMałgorzato, czy możesz mi dać cukier?Małgorzata, can you give me the sugar?
- MałgorzataTak, proszę bardzo.Yes, here you go.
- TomaszDziękuję ci bardzo.Thank you very much.
- MałgorzataNie ma za co.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “give” translations and entries dać, dawać, przekazywać, przekazać, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dawać, dać, przekazać, przekazywać, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
