czytam

Czytam is first-person singular present indicative form of the Polish verb czytać, meaning “to read.” It denotes the act of reading that is taking place at the moment of speaking or a general habit. As an imperfective verb, czytać describes ongoing or repeated actions rather than a single completed event.

The present tense forms are: ja czytam, ty czytasz, on/ona/ono czyta, my czytamy, wy czytacie, oni/one czytają. The infinitive is czytać. The corresponding past tenses are formed with appropriate endings (e.g., czytałem, czytała, czytaliśmy). The perfective counterpart is przeczytać, used to express completion of reading; its past forms include przeczytałem, przeczytała, przeczytaliśmy. The noun form for the activity is czytanie (reading as a process or discipline).

Usage examples illustrate the two broad uses of czytam. In a present-continuous sense: “Czytam książkę” means “I am reading a book” or “I read a book (as a habit).” A question such as “Czytasz teraz?” asks “Are you reading right now?” Polish also uses czytam in broader, habitual contexts: “Codziennie czytam przed snem.” Related vocabulary includes czytelnik (reader), czytelnia (reading room or library), and czytanie (the act of reading). The verb participates in common constructions with objects like książka (book), gazeta (newspaper), and czasopismo (magazine).

In everyday Polish, czytam serves as a basic verb for describing reading activity, with its perfective counterpart przeczytać used when the emphasis is on completion of the reading task.