Bedeutung
To be currently engaged in work tasks.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The '9-to-5' is actually often an '8-to-4' in Poland. Many offices start early to allow for a longer afternoon. 'Siedzieć w pracy' at 4:30 PM might already feel like staying late for some. In big cities, 'siedzenie w pracy' until 7 or 8 PM is seen as a sign of ambition (or being overwhelmed). The business district in Warsaw is famously called 'Mordor' because of the long hours people 'sit' there. Since the pandemic, 'siedzieć w pracy' is used even if you are in your pajamas at home. It defines your availability rather than your location. Saying 'siedzę w pracy' is a very polite and unquestionable excuse. In Poland, work is highly respected as a valid reason to miss social events.
Use it for any job
Don't worry if you don't actually sit at your job. A waiter or a construction worker can still say 'siedzę w pracy' to mean they are on shift.
Watch the 'w'
Never say 'na pracy'. It's a common mistake for English and Russian speakers. Always 'w pracy'.
Bedeutung
To be currently engaged in work tasks.
Use it for any job
Don't worry if you don't actually sit at your job. A waiter or a construction worker can still say 'siedzę w pracy' to mean they are on shift.
Watch the 'w'
Never say 'na pracy'. It's a common mistake for English and Russian speakers. Always 'w pracy'.
Sound more native
Add 'jeszcze' (still) to sound more natural: 'Jeszcze siedzę w pracy' is much more common than just 'Siedzę w pracy'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of 'siedzieć' and the prepositional phrase.
Przepraszam, nie mogę teraz rozmawiać, bo ________ (ja) ________.
The first person singular of 'siedzieć' is 'siedzę', and the correct preposition is 'w'.
Which sentence correctly describes working late?
Jak powiesz, że pracujesz po godzinach?
'Po godzinach' literally means 'after hours', which is the standard way to say overtime.
Complete the dialogue with the most natural phrase.
A: Gdzie byłeś wczoraj wieczorem? B: Niestety ________ do 21:00.
The question is in the past tense ('Gdzie byłeś?'), so the answer must also be in the past tense ('siedziałem').
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are at home but your boss calls you to ask if you can finish a task. You say:
This correctly states you are no longer at the workplace but are willing to work from home.
Complete the sentence with the correct case of 'praca'.
Marek nie lubi siedzieć w ________.
The preposition 'w' requires the Locative case 'pracy'.
What does 'Siedzę nad projektem' mean?
Wybierz poprawne znaczenie:
'Siedzieć nad czymś' is a common idiom for being deeply focused on a specific task.
🎉 Ergebnis: /6
Visuelle Lernhilfen
When to say 'Siedzę w pracy'
Location
- • Office
- • Shop
- • Factory
- • Home Office
Time
- • 9 to 5
- • Overtime
- • Night shift
Context
- • Texting
- • Excuses
- • Routine
Aufgabensammlung
6 AufgabenPrzepraszam, nie mogę teraz rozmawiać, bo ________ (ja) ________.
The first person singular of 'siedzieć' is 'siedzę', and the correct preposition is 'w'.
Jak powiesz, że pracujesz po godzinach?
'Po godzinach' literally means 'after hours', which is the standard way to say overtime.
A: Gdzie byłeś wczoraj wieczorem? B: Niestety ________ do 21:00.
The question is in the past tense ('Gdzie byłeś?'), so the answer must also be in the past tense ('siedziałem').
You are at home but your boss calls you to ask if you can finish a task. You say:
This correctly states you are no longer at the workplace but are willing to work from home.
Marek nie lubi siedzieć w ________.
The preposition 'w' requires the Locative case 'pracy'.
Wybierz poprawne znaczenie:
'Siedzieć nad czymś' is a common idiom for being deeply focused on a specific task.
🎉 Ergebnis: /6
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes! It's a fixed collocation that means 'to be at work' regardless of your physical posture.
Not at all. It's neutral and very common. However, 'siedzieć w robocie' is more informal.
'Jestem' is a simple statement of location. 'Siedzę' often implies you've been there for a while or are busy with tasks.
You can say 'Pracuję z domu' or 'Siedzę na home office' (very common modern slang).
Because the preposition 'w' requires the Locative case for locations. 'Praca' changes to 'pracy'.
Yes, it's perfectly fine in a normal office environment.
Usually, yes. If you say you are 'sitting at work', people will assume you cannot talk for long.
Use 'Siedzę w pracy do późna' or 'Siedzę po godzinach'.
No, 'siedzieć' is imperfective. To describe the act of starting work, you'd use 'zacząć pracę'.
You can still say 'Siedzę w pracy', but you might add 'Mam teraz przerwę' (I have a break now).
Verwandte Redewendungen
być w pracy
synonymTo be at work
siedzieć po godzinach
specialized formTo work overtime
siedzieć w domu
contrastTo stay at home
siedzieć nad czymś
builds onTo work on something specific
wyjść z pracy
contrastTo leave work
