Jedz

Jedz is the Polish imperative form of the verb jeść, meaning “to eat.” It is used to address a single, informal you (ty) and functions as a command or exhortation to eat. For example, sentences like "Jedz!" or "Jedz jeszcze trochę" illustrate its common everyday usage. The verb jeść is imperfective, while its perfective counterpart zjeść means “to eat (up)” or “to eat completely.”

In addition to jedz, Polish provides related imperative forms: jedzmy meaning “let’s eat” and jedzcie meaning “you all eat.” The negative form is nie jedz, used to tell someone not to eat. These forms appear in domestic speech, hospitality contexts, and instructional language around meals.

Orthographic note: jedz should not be confused with Jedź, the imperative of the verb jechać, meaning “to go” or “to drive.” Jedź is spelled with ż or ź depending on standard Polish orthography and carries a different meaning and pronunciation from jedz, which uses the dz digraph.

Etymology and cognates: jedz derives from the Polish verb jeść, part of a common Slavic verbal family meaning “to eat.” It shares similarities with related forms in other Slavic languages, though exact conjugations vary by language. In Polish, jedz remains one of the most frequently encountered imperative forms in everyday speech.