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Questions & Answers about Mój brat gra w piłkę nożną w każdy czwartek.
Why does the preposition w in gra w piłkę nożną take the accusative case (piłkę) rather than the locative?
By default, w is followed by the locative when it indicates location (e.g. w domu, w parku). However, with certain verbs—especially grać when talking about playing games or sports—you use w + accusative. So you always say grać w piłkę, grać w tenisa, never grać na piłce or grać w piłce.
Why does piłka nożna change to piłkę nożną in this sentence?
Because piłkę is the accusative form of piłka (it’s the object of grać w …), and the adjective nożna must agree with it in gender (feminine), number (singular) and case (accusative). Hence nożna → nożną.
Why is the time expression w każdy czwartek in the accusative case, and can I move it to the front of the sentence? Are there other ways to say “every Thursday”?
When w introduces a repeated time, it takes the accusative (not the locative). So czwartek stays in the accusative. You have full freedom to place w każdy czwartek at the beginning (“W każdy czwartek mój brat gra w piłkę nożną”), middle or end. Alternatives for “every Thursday” include:
- każdego czwartku (genitive; very common)
- co czwartek (adverbial; more colloquial)
Is the possessive adjective mój mandatory? Could I just say Brat gra w piłkę nożną w każdy czwartek?
Mój specifies whose brother you mean. Without it, brat could refer generically to any brother mentioned earlier. In Polish you cannot drop a possessive adjective if you need to show possession. Also remember that mój agrees with brat (nominative masculine singular).
What role does nożna play in piłkę nożną? Can I omit it and just say gra w piłkę?
Piłka alone just means “ball” or “ball game” in general. Nożna (from noga, “foot”) specifies the sport “football/soccer.” If you say only grać w piłkę, listeners might think you mean volleyball or handball, etc. So nożna is needed to indicate soccer.
Could I replace piłkę nożną with futbol or another word?
While futbol is understood (a borrowed term), the standard Polish name for the sport is piłka nożna. Using futbol sounds more informal or influenced by English. In formal or neutral style, stick with grać w piłkę nożną.