"We are going to school."

Translation: My idziemy do szkoły.

[samrooney]

Is 'my chodzimy do szkoly' also correct?

[immery]

No. "We are going to school" describes an action that is happening now, or is about to happen. "Iść/Idziemy" is the word that describes walking(or going) now or in the close future, in the specific direction.

Chodzić/chodzimy, is the verb that describes the action (to walk/to go) that happens frequently, or the action happening right now, but direction less.

[Lysanne86]

So if the sentence would have been a reply to a question such as "Do you already work or are you still going to school?" Then then answer would be correct using "chodzimy"? Because it indicates something that one usually does instead of happening in the close future?

[Jellei]

Yes. The school context is problematic, as it messes with our destinction - exactly because 'we are going to school' may be understood the same way as 'we attend school'.

[F4yY9kZj]

So 'chodzimy' should be accepted, along with 'idziemy'.

[DebbyTeresa]

Thankyou Immery for your earlier posting re the difference between iść and chodzić. It is the most comprehensuve thus far. I always struggle with choosing the correct verb.

[br0d4]

No. Look here: Aspect of Verbs in Polish, Verbs of Singular, Multiple and Completed actions

[emptycan1]

Why not use szkolę in this sentence?

[br0d4]

The word 'szkolę' is not a noun, it is a verb, 1-st person singular of the verb "szkolić".

You need to use the noun 'szkoła' here, and the preposition 'do' requires use of in Genitive. The declension is:

• Nominative (mianownik) : szkoła - szkoły
• Genitive (dopełniacz) : szkoły - szkół
• Dative (celownik) : szkole - szkołom
• Accusative (biernik) : szkołę - szkoły
• Instrumental (narzędnik) : szkołą - szkołami
• Locative (miejscownik) : szkole - szkołach
• Vocative (wołacz) : szkoło - szkoły

Pay attention to the letters ą≠a, ę≠e, ł≠ l and ó≠o - they are not the same. It is not a matter of accents - they are different letters. Please pay also attention that in Dative and Locative singular the stem of the word changes from 'szkoł-' to 'szkol-' and in Genitive plural it changes from 'szkoł-' to 'szkół-' (and then the inflected ending is ø=none).

The verb "szkolić" means "to teach by a person who is not a teacher or by an institution that is not a school" - this is the case when a security officer gives the employees a training on safety procedures. Or when Tax Office invites accountants to give them explanations about the new regulations. The conjugation (in present tense) is:

• ja szkolę
• ty szkolisz
• on/ona/ono szkoli
• my szkolimy
• wy szkolicie
• oni/one szkolą

[emptycan1]

Thank you. :D It makes a lot more sense now! :)

[espeket]

"idziemy" sounds like "idziymy" when pronounced in isolation by the male voice

[Jellei]

I can agree it sounds kinda strange, but I'm afraid there's nothing we can really do about it.

[Mark336287]

Sorry to bother you guys again. I understand that chódzic is an on going action. So, I would have thought that we, could easily refer to children or teachers who go there daily.
Is there a handy link or download you could share with me to help?
Thank you for your time.

[alik1989]

Chodzić can only be an ongoing action if the movement is non-directional. But here we have a clear destination, so "chodzimy do szkoły" would imply a habitual activity. "Idziemy do szkoły", on the other hand, is a one-time action.

https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/51280743?comment_id=51281360