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Questions & Answers about Ja nie lubię herbaty.
What is the function of the word ja in the sentence?
Ja means “I” and functions as the subject of the sentence. Although in Polish the subject pronoun can be dropped because the verb ending clearly indicates the person, including ja can be used for emphasis or added clarity.
What role does the particle nie play in this sentence?
Nie is a negation particle equivalent to “not” in English. It is placed before the verb lubię to reverse its affirmative meaning, turning “I like” into “I do not like.”
How is the verb lubię conjugated, and what does its ending -ę signify?
Lubię is the first-person singular present form of the verb lubić (“to like”). The ending -ę indicates that the subject is “I,” following regular Polish conjugation patterns.
Why is the object written as herbaty instead of herbatę?
In Polish, when a sentence is negated, it is common for the object of a transitive verb to appear in the genitive case rather than the accusative. Herbaty is the genitive singular of herbata (tea), illustrating the grammatical phenomenon known as the genitive of negation.
Is it acceptable to omit the subject ja in this sentence?
Yes, it is entirely acceptable. Polish verb endings clearly indicate the subject, so ja can be dropped in casual or written speech. Including it, however, adds emphasis or clarity when needed.
How does the positive version of this sentence differ from the negative version?
In the positive sentence, you would say Ja lubię herbatę, where herbatę is in the accusative case as the direct object. The negative sentence uses the genitive case (herbaty) for the object due to the genitive of negation rule.