Meaning
Expressing thirst.
Cultural Background
Offering tea is a standard greeting. Even if you say 'chcę pić' meaning water, you might be served hot tea. Younger generations use 'picie' as a general noun for any non-alcoholic beverage. In restaurants, tap water is not always free or offered. You usually have to order bottled water. There is a traditional belief that drinking very cold water when you are hot ('chcę pić zimne') can cause a sore throat (angina).
Sound like a native
Use 'Chce mi się pić' instead of 'Chcę pić' to sound 10x more natural instantly.
Ordering in restaurants
Don't just say 'Chcę pić'. Say 'Poproszę [drink name]' to be polite to the staff.
Meaning
Expressing thirst.
Sound like a native
Use 'Chce mi się pić' instead of 'Chcę pić' to sound 10x more natural instantly.
Ordering in restaurants
Don't just say 'Chcę pić'. Say 'Poproszę [drink name]' to be polite to the staff.
Sparkling vs Still
Always specify 'niegazowana' if you don't want bubbles; 'gazowana' is very popular.
The 'ę' ending
In casual speech, many Poles pronounce 'chcę' as 'chce'. It's technically incorrect but very common.
Test Yourself
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'chcieć'.
Ja ______ pić wodę.
The first person singular form of 'chcieć' is 'chcę'.
Which sentence is the most natural way for a native speaker to say 'I am thirsty'?
Wybierz najbardziej naturalne zdanie:
'Chce mi się pić' is the idiomatic standard in Poland.
Match the Polish phrase with its English equivalent.
Połącz pary:
All pairs are correctly matched in the options provided.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Czy ______ pić? B: Tak, poproszę wodę.
The speaker is asking 'you' (singular), so 'chcesz' is correct.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Direct vs Idiomatic
Practice Bank
4 exercisesJa ______ pić wodę.
The first person singular form of 'chcieć' is 'chcę'.
Wybierz najbardziej naturalne zdanie:
'Chce mi się pić' is the idiomatic standard in Poland.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
All pairs are correctly matched in the options provided.
A: Czy ______ pić? B: Tak, poproszę wodę.
The speaker is asking 'you' (singular), so 'chcesz' is correct.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIt's not rude, but it's very direct. With friends it's fine; with strangers, add 'proszę'.
'Chcę pić' is 'I want to drink'. 'Chce mi się pić' is 'I feel like drinking/I'm thirsty'. The latter is more common.
Use 'Jestem spragniony' (for men) or 'Jestem spragniona' (for women).
Usually, it implies water or soda. For alcohol, people usually say 'Chcę się napić'.
After 'chcę', you must use the infinitive form of the verb.
Exactly like this: 'Mamo, chcę pić!'.
It's slang for being very thirsty, often used when you have a hangover.
No, 'chcę' already tells everyone you are talking about yourself.
It's mostly regular but has some stem changes in other tenses.
Yes, that means 'I want water'. It's also very common.
Related Phrases
chcę jeść
similarI want to eat
poproszę wodę
specialized formWater, please
nie chce mi się
contrastI don't feel like it
ugasić pragnienie
builds onTo quench thirst
