Learn Hardcore Polish: Mój sąsiad daje mi łatwą odpowiedź na trudne pytanie każdego poranka. - My neighbor gives me an easy answer to a difficult question every morning.

In Polish, mi is the dative form of the first-person singular pronoun, used to indicate the indirect object (“to me”). The verb daje (“gives”) requires an indirect object to show the recipient of the action, so mi is correct rather than mnie, which is the accusative form.

How do the adjectives łatwą and trudne agree with the nouns they modify?

Adjectives in Polish must agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they describe. Łatwą is the feminine singular accusative form of łatwy, matching odpowiedź (a feminine noun in accusative). Trudne is the form of trudny used with pytanie, a neuter noun in the accusative (which often has the same form as the nominative for neuter nouns).

What case is used in the phrase każdego poranka, and why is that form chosen?

The phrase każdego poranka is in the genitive case. In Polish, when expressing habitual time expressions (like “every morning”), the genitive is commonly used to indicate repetition or frequency. Here, poranka is the genitive singular of poranek, with każdego properly agreeing in gender and case.

Why is the preposition na used in odpowiedź na trudne pytanie, and what case does it govern?

Polish often uses the preposition na with the noun odpowiedź to express “an answer to” something. In this construction, na requires the following noun phrase to be in the accusative case. Thus, trudne pytanie appears in the accusative, indicating the object or topic of the answer.

What role does the verb daje play in this sentence?

Daje is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb dawać (“to give”). It indicates that the subject (Mój sąsiad) is performing the action of giving. The sentence’s structure shows the subject first, followed by the verb, then the indirect object (mi), and finally the direct object (łatwą odpowiedź) along with additional phrases that modify or specify the action.

How does the word order in this sentence demonstrate typical Polish syntax?

Although Polish has a relatively flexible word order due to its rich system of cases, the sentence follows a clear pattern: subject (Mój sąsiad), verb (daje), indirect object (mi), direct object (łatwą odpowiedź), followed by additional prepositional and time phrases (na trudne pytanie każdego poranka). This order is straightforward and helps learners identify each part of the sentence despite possible variations in casual speech.

How does the possessive adjective Mój function in this sentence?

Mój means “my” and is a possessive adjective that must agree with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. Since sąsiad (“neighbor”) is a masculine singular noun, Mój is used in its masculine singular form and correctly placed before the noun to indicate possession.