Breakdown of Czerwone światło ostrzega, że lot może być odwołany.
być
to be
że
that
światło
the light
czerwony
red
lot
the flight
ostrzegać
to warn
móc
may
odwołany
cancelled
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Questions & Answers about Czerwone światło ostrzega, że lot może być odwołany.
Why doesn’t this sentence use an article before czerwone światło?
Polish has no definite or indefinite articles (no equivalent of “the” or “a/an”). Nouns stand on their own, and context tells you whether they are specific or general.
How come czerwone ends with -e instead of -y or -a?
The noun światło is neuter gender, singular, nominative case. Adjectives must agree in gender, number and case. Neuter nominative singular adjectives end in -e (hence czerwone światło).
What is the infinitive form of ostrzega, and why is it spelled that way here?
The infinitive is ostrzegać (“to warn”). In the present tense, 3rd person singular takes the ending -a, so ostrzega means “(it) warns.”
What function does że serve in this sentence?
że is a subordinating conjunction equivalent to English that. It introduces the subordinate clause lot może być odwołany, acting as the direct object of ostrzega.
Why is lot in the nominative case here, not accusative?
Inside the że-clause, lot is the subject of może być odwołany (“the flight may be cancelled”), so it stays nominative. It isn’t a direct object of ostrzegać but the logical subject of the subordinate clause.
How does this sentence express “may” or “might”?
It uses the modal verb może (3rd person singular of móc) plus the passive construction być + past participle. Together może być odwołany literally means “may be cancelled.”
Why use a passive construction może być odwołany instead of an active form?
In English we say “the flight may be cancelled,” focusing on the event happening to the flight rather than who cancels it. Polish uses the passive to convey that same idea: the flight is the Patient of the action.
Could we say lot może zostać odwołany instead of może być odwołany?
Yes. zostać can replace być in many passive contexts to emphasize the change or the event itself. Both może być odwołany and może zostać odwołany are correct and mean “may be cancelled.”