Ja gotuję obiad, a ty sprzątasz pokój.

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Breakdown of Ja gotuję obiad, a ty sprzątasz pokój.

• ty: you
• gotować: to cook
• obiad: the dinner
• sprzątać: to clean
• pokój: the room
• a: and

Questions & Answers about Ja gotuję obiad, a ty sprzątasz pokój.

What does gotuję mean and how is it conjugated in this sentence?

Gotuję is the first person singular form of the verb gotować (to cook). The ending -ę indicates that the subject is "I," so the sentence means "I cook dinner."

What does sprzątasz mean and what does its form tell us about the subject?

Sprzątasz is the second person singular form of the verb sprzątać (to clean). The ending -asz indicates that the subject is "you," meaning "you clean."

What does the noun obiad refer to and how should it be understood in context?

The noun obiad refers to a meal, typically the main cooked meal of the day. In Polish culture, it is often eaten around midday. In this sentence, it translates to "dinner" or "lunch" depending on the context, but generally it means the cooked meal being prepared.

What is the meaning of pokój in this sentence, and does it have other meanings?

In this sentence, pokój means "room" (i.e., a part of a house that is cleaned). Note that pokój can also mean "peace" in other contexts, but here it clearly refers to a physical room.

How does the conjunction a function in the sentence?

The conjunction a is used to join two contrasting actions. It functions similarly to "and" or "while" in English, highlighting that while one person is cooking, the other is cleaning. It contrasts the two subjects' activities.

Why are the explicit subject pronouns ja and ty included, even though the verb conjugations already indicate the subjects?

Although Polish verb endings clearly indicate the subject, explicit pronouns like ja (I) and ty (you) are often used for emphasis, clarity, or stylistic reasons. They can help to avoid ambiguity and stress who is performing each action.

Is the sentence structure used here typical for Polish, and how does it compare to English word order?

Yes, the sentence follows a typical structure for Polish, using a subject-verb-object order in both clauses. While Polish allows for flexible word order due to its rich inflection, this standard order helps learners clearly identify the subjects and their respective actions, much like in English.