Dziwny dźwięk w nocy sprawił, że mój pies był smutny.

Breakdown of Dziwny dźwięk w nocy sprawił, że mój pies był smutny.

być
to be
pies
the dog
mój
my
w
in
że
that
noc
the night
smutny
sad
dziwny
strange
dźwięk
the sound
sprawić
to make
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Questions & Answers about Dziwny dźwięk w nocy sprawił, że mój pies był smutny.

What gender, number and case is dziwny dźwięk in, and why?
  • dziwny is an adjective modifying dźwięk (“sound”).
  • dźwięk is a masculine noun.
  • Together they form a masculine singular nominative phrase, because it’s the subject of the sentence (the thing that “sprawił”).
Why is it w nocy and not na noc or w noc?
  • The preposition w (“in”) requires the locative case when indicating time or place.
  • noc (night) in the locative becomes nocy.
  • na noc would use the accusative and imply “for the night” (e.g. leaving lights on for security), not “during the night.”
What is the role of sprawił, że in this sentence?
  • sprawił is the 3rd person singular past form of the perfective verb sprawić (“to cause”).
  • że introduces a subordinate clause explaining the effect: że mój pies był smutny (“that my dog was sad”).
  • The structure sprawić, że + [clause] means “to cause that …,” equivalent to English “make/caused [someone] to [do/feel] ….”
Why is mój in this form, and how does it agree with pies?
  • mój is a personal possessive pronoun meaning “my.”
  • It agrees in gender, number and case with pies (“dog”), which is masculine singular nominative.
  • Hence we use mój pies, not moja pies or moje pies.
Why is the verb był used here instead of present tense jest or a perfective form?
  • był is the 3rd person singular past of the imperfective verb być (“to be”).
  • We describe the dog’s state in the past (“was sad”).
  • The imperfective past is used for ongoing or resulting states, whereas a perfective form would suggest a completed action, which doesn’t suit a state of being sad.
Could we rephrase mój pies był smutny using another verb, for example stał się?
  • Yes, you could say mój pies stał się smutny (“my dog became sad”), using stać się (“to become”).
  • That emphasizes the transition into sadness, while był smutny simply states that he was in that state.
Is it possible to move w nocy to the beginning of the sentence?
  • Absolutely. Polish word order is flexible.
  • You can say W nocy dziwny dźwięk sprawił, że mój pies był smutny.
  • The meaning stays the same; you only change the emphasis (highlighting “at night”).