Word
Oni czytają książkę.
Meaning
They are reading a book.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Oni czytają książkę.
Why is the pronoun oni used here?
In Polish, oni is used for a group that contains at least one male or a mix of genders. If you had a group of only women or only neuter nouns, you would use one instead.
Why does the verb end with -ają in czytają?
The verb czytać (to read) in the third person plural (they) takes the ending -ają in the present tense. This shows that multiple people are performing the action.
Why do we say książkę instead of something like książka?
In Polish, nouns change their form depending on the case. Książkę is in the accusative (biernik) case, used for the direct object of the verb in this sentence. Książka is the basic (nominative) form.
Can we omit oni and just say czytają książkę?
Yes, Polish is a pro-drop language, so pronouns can be omitted when the subject is clear from context. Saying czytają książkę (are reading a book) is perfectly acceptable if it’s obvious who you’re talking about.
How do we know if it’s present simple (they read) or present continuous (they are reading)?
Polish doesn’t distinguish between these two forms the same way English does. Czytają can mean they read or they are reading, and context tells you which interpretation is intended.
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