Actual vs Frequentative verbs: mieć and miewać

Could someone please explain the difference between actual and frequentative verbs, particularly the difference between mieć and miewać. When should one use one and not the other and in what context etc?

Any help would much appreciated as always.

Thanks

Well, 'mieć' means the equivalent of English 'to have', as a perfective verb, 'miewać' would be rather similar to (never identical, of course, thus the problems in translating Slavic aspect with tense!!) 'be having', impossible in standard English, excerpt sometimes in British country dialect e.g. 'Will ye be havin' supper early, so as I can clean the kitchen?'

Sometimes in more formal Polish, one can hear "Jak się pan(i) miewa?" rather than the more usual, if formal, "Jak się pan(i) ma?" = How are you?

Not really a native speaker's explanation, but I hope it helps a little-:)

'Mieć' can be translated as 'to have' or 'to have had' and naturally connects with word like teraz (now), zawsze (always), od wczoraj (since yesterday), od dwóch dni (for two days). It implies that something happens continuously (no matter if only now or a whole year).

e.g.
Mam ból głowy (I have a headache).
Od tygodnia mam nową prace. (I have had a new job for a week).

'Miewać' can be also translated as 'to have' but it connects with words like 'od czasu do czasu' (from time to time), czasami (sometimes), w deszczowe dni (on rainy days).

It implies that something happens only ocasionally (not necesserilly now, but it has happened already and is expected to happen again).
e.g.
Czasami miewam trudne zadania do wykonania (I have hard tasks to do sometimes).
W deszczowe dni miewam bóle głowy (On rainy days I happen to have headache).

Hope it helps you a little.

Cinek

Cinek,

Your post was much more exact than mine! Then again, I'm not a native Polish speaker-:)

Thanks. I learned something new. Always a slightly different wrinkle in this language. Guess it's sort of like you having had to learn the vagueries of both English orthography/pronunciation connection as well as our mercurial tenses. LOL