Breakdown of Nikt nie dodaje cukru do gorzkiej czekolady w tym hotelu.
w
in
do
to
nie
not
ten
this
czekolada
the chocolate
dodawać
to add
gorzki
bitter
cukier
the sugar
nikt
no one
hotel
the hotel
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Questions & Answers about Nikt nie dodaje cukru do gorzkiej czekolady w tym hotelu.
Why is there a double negation with nikt and nie in nikt nie dodaje?
In Polish, negative concord is mandatory: when you use a negative pronoun like nikt (nobody), you still have to negate the verb with nie. Unlike English (“nobody adds”), Polish requires both elements (nikt nie dodaje) to express “nobody adds.”
Why is cukru (sugar) in the genitive case instead of the accusative?
After a verb is negated (here dodaje is negated by nie), the direct object typically shifts from the accusative to the genitive. So cukier becomes cukru because the action is negated.
Why is gorzkiej czekolady in the genitive case rather than gorzką czekoladę?
The preposition do (“to” or “into”) always takes the genitive case. It shows the target of adding sugar. Therefore gorzkiej czekolady is the genitive form of gorzka czekolada.
Why is it w tym hotelu and not w ten hotel or na tym hotelu?
The preposition w (“in”) requires the locative case, so hotel becomes hotelu, and ten (“this”) changes to tym in the locative. We use w for “in” enclosed or indoor spaces; na would be used for open areas or surfaces (e.g. na plaży “on the beach”).
Polish has no articles like the or a. How do we know it’s “this hotel” rather than just “hotel”?
Polish expresses definiteness and specificity using demonstratives and context instead of articles. Here, tym is the locative of ten (“this”), so w tym hotelu literally means “in this hotel.”
Could we change the word order, for example putting w tym hotelu at the beginning?
Yes. Polish has relatively free word order. W tym hotelu nikt nie dodaje cukru do gorzkiej czekolady is perfectly acceptable. Moving w tym hotelu to the front emphasizes the location, but the core meaning stays the same.
What’s the difference between dodaje and the perfective doda?
Dodaje is the imperfective present tense, used for habitual or general statements (“nobody ever adds”). Doda is the perfective form, which would appear in the future tense (nikt nie doda) to talk about a single, completed action.
Why does gorzkiej end with -ej instead of -a?
Gorzkiej is the feminine singular genitive form of the adjective gorzki, matching the noun czekolady. In genitive, feminine adjectives take the -ej ending (nominative would be gorzk a).