zaczynaj

Zaczynaj is a form of the Polish verb zaczynać meaning “to begin” or “to start.” Specifically, zaczynaj is the second-person singular informal imperative, used to tell one person in an informal context to begin an action. It is part of a broader imperative system that also includes forms such as zaczynajcie for addressing multiple people informally and, in formal writing, the corresponding plural forms.

grammatically, zaczynaj comes from the imperfective verb zaczynać, which emphasizes the process or ongoing nature of starting rather than a completed start. By contrast, the perfective counterpart zacznij (you, start) focuses on a definite, completed initiation, and is more common in situations where the action is viewed as a single, completed event. The distinction between imperfective and perfective imperatives is a common feature in Polish verb usage.

Usage and examples: zaczynaj is typically found in direct speech, instructions, or motivational contexts where a speaker addresses a single person informally. Examples include phrases like Zaczynaj od najważniejszego (Start with the most important thing) or Zaczynaj teraz, a później dodamy szczegóły (Begin now, we will add details later). The form is less common in formal writing, where zaczynajcie or other equivalents might be used when addressing a group, and zacznij would be preferred when a definite initiation is intended.

See also: zaczynać, zacząć.