Wykonuj

Wykonuj is the second-person singular imperative form of the Polish verb wykonywać, which means to perform, carry out, or execute. It is used to issue a direct instruction to one person, often in instructional, procedural, or everyday speech. The form appears in manuals, guidance texts, recipes, and similar contexts where a listener is being told to perform an action.

Grammatical notes: Wykonywać is imperfective, so wykonuj typically refers to the process of performing rather than a single completed event. Related imperative forms include wykonujmy (let us perform) and wykonujcie (you all perform). The corresponding perfective forms are wykonaj (singular) and wykonajcie (plural), which emphasize the completion of the action. For example, wykonuj te kroki po kolei means “carry out these steps in order,” while wykonaj ten krok teraz means “complete this step now.”

Usage considerations: In formal writing, speakers may choose more formal constructions such as proszę wykonać to zadanie (please carry out this task) or use the perfective imperatives to stress completion. The imperative wykonuj exists primarily in informal or instructional registers and is understood as a direct command to a single listener. Etymology traces wykonywać to a prefix wy- with the verb konywać/konać, reflecting a sense of completing or carrying out an action.