Rano kocham patrzeć na słońce, a w nocy na księżyc.

I

Breakdown of Rano kocham patrzeć na słońce, a w nocy na księżyc.

• w: in
• rano: in the morning
• na: at
• kochać: to love
• patrzeć: to look
• słońce: the sun
• a: and
• noc: the night
• księżyc: the moon

Questions & Answers about Rano kocham patrzeć na słońce, a w nocy na księżyc.

Why is the subject “I” not explicitly present in the sentence?

Polish is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb’s conjugation already indicates who is performing the action. In this sentence, “kocham” clearly shows that the speaker is referring to themselves.

Why is the verb “patrzeć” in its infinitive form after “kocham” instead of being conjugated?

In Polish, when expressing enjoyment or love for an activity, verbs like “kochać” are followed by an infinitive. This is similar to the English “I love to…” construction, where “to look” in English corresponds to “patrzeć” in its base (infinitive) form in Polish.

What is the role of the preposition “na” in “na słońce” and “na księżyc”?

The preposition “na” in this context means “at” or “towards” and indicates the target of the action. It is used with the accusative case to show what is being looked at—in this case, “słońce” (the sun) and “księżyc” (the moon).

Why isn’t the verb phrase repeated in the second part of the sentence (“a w nocy na księżyc”)?

The sentence uses ellipsis, omitting the repeated verb phrase “kocham patrzeć” in the second clause because it is already understood from the first clause. This avoidance of redundancy is common in Polish.

What function do the words “rano” and “w nocy” serve in this sentence?

“Rano” (in the morning) and “w nocy” (at night) are adverbial expressions that indicate when the action takes place. They set the temporal context for each part of the sentence, contrasting the two different times associated with looking at the sun and the moon.

Why is there a comma before the conjunction “a” in the sentence?

In Polish punctuation, commas are used to separate distinct clauses or phrases, especially when there’s a contrast or shift in context. The comma before “a” helps to clearly divide the two parts of the sentence, emphasizing the contrast between the morning and nighttime actions.