Mów

Mów is the second-person singular imperative form of the Polish verb mówić, meaning to speak or to say. It is used to instruct or urge someone to speak, tell, or say something. In everyday Polish, it appears in direct address, often in phrases like Mów proszę, Mów, co widziałeś, or Mów prawdę.

The verb mówić denotes speaking in general, including the act of saying something or telling a story. Its present tense conjugation for the main persons is: ja mówię, ty mówisz, on/ona mówi, my mówimy, wy mówicie, oni mówią. The imperative forms include mów (singular) and mówcie (plural). Polish distinguishes between ongoing speaking (mówię, mówią) and completed speech (powiedzieć, powiedzieć coś). The imperative мów is commonly paired with other words to specify what to say, such as Mów, co chcesz, or Mów, że się spóźniłeś.

Etymology and related forms: mówić belongs to the West Slavic verb family for speaking and has cognates in other Slavic languages, such as Czech mluvit and Russian говорить (govorit’), reflecting shared roots for “to say” or “to speak.” The imperatives and other forms of mójką are derived from the same stem as mówię/mówią, with standard Polish phonological adjustments.

Usage notes: mów is informal and directed at a specific person or group. In formal contexts or when addressing more than one person with politeness, Polish would use other constructions, such as Proszę mówić or Mówcie, proszę. To express a completed statement rather than the act of speaking in general, speakers use powiedzieć or powiedzieć coś.

See also: mówić, powiedzieć, czasy i tryby w języku polskim, słowa pokrewne w Slavic languages.