Breakdown of Prawie zawsze jestem cichy rano, bo lubię ciszę.
ja
I
być
to be
lubić
to like
zawsze
always
rano
in the morning
bo
because
cichy
quiet
cisza
the silence
prawie
almost
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Questions & Answers about Prawie zawsze jestem cichy rano, bo lubię ciszę.
What does prawie mean here?
prawie means “almost” or “nearly.” In this sentence it qualifies zawsze, giving prawie zawsze = “almost always.”
Why is zawsze placed after prawie?
In Polish an adverb of degree like prawie (“almost”) typically comes directly before the adverb it modifies. So the idiomatic order is prawie zawsze rather than zawsze prawie.
Why is the adjective cichy used after jestem, instead of the adverb cicho?
cichy is an adjective in the nominative singular, used here as a predicative complement after jestem (“I am quiet”). cicho is an adverb meaning “quietly,” which would describe how you do something (e.g. mówię cicho = “I speak quietly”).
Does cichy change if a woman says this sentence?
Yes. Predicative adjectives agree in gender and number with the subject. A female speaker would say jestem cicha (feminine singular).
What part of speech is rano, and why doesn’t it change form?
rano is an indeclinable adverb of time meaning “in the morning.” It never changes form and simply tells you when something happens.
Could rano appear at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes. Polish word order is relatively flexible for adverbs. You can say Rano prawie zawsze jestem cichy without changing the meaning—just shifting the emphasis slightly.
Why is there a comma before bo?
Because bo introduces a subordinate clause of reason (“because”). In Polish, you normally separate the main clause from a bo-clause with a comma.
Could we replace bo with ponieważ, and would it change anything?
Yes. ponieważ also means “because” but is more formal or literary. You would still use a comma before ponieważ, and the overall meaning remains the same.
Why is ciszę in the accusative case?
The verb lubić (“to like”) takes a direct object in the accusative. cisza is a feminine noun, so its singular accusative form is ciszę.
Could you use spokój instead of cisza, and would the form change?
Yes. spokój (“peace/quiet”) is a masculine noun whose accusative is identical to the nominative, so you’d say lubię spokój. The meaning shifts slightly toward “I like peace” rather than “I like silence.”