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Questions & Answers about Wiosną śnieg znika.
What does wiosną mean and why does it end in -ą?
Wiosną means “in spring.” It’s the noun wiosna (spring) in the instrumental case. In Polish the instrumental singular feminine ending -ą is used to form adverbial expressions of time (answering “when?”).
Why is there no article like “the” before śnieg?
Polish does not have articles (no equivalent of “a” or “the”). You simply use the noun śnieg for “snow.”
What case and number is śnieg in, and why?
It’s nominative singular. As the subject of the sentence, śnieg takes the nominative case. Snow is treated as an uncountable mass noun, so the singular form is used for general statements.
What aspect is the verb znika, and why is the imperfective used here?
Znika is the present tense of the imperfective znikać (“to disappear”). The imperfective aspect expresses a habitual or general truth—snow regularly disappears in spring. The perfective counterpart, zniknie, would imply a single, completed event (“will disappear”).
Could you say Śnieg znika wiosną instead? Does word order matter?
Yes, Śnieg znika wiosną is equally correct and means the same. Polish has flexible word order. Placing wiosną first simply emphasizes the time (“in spring”), whereas starting with śnieg emphasizes the subject.
How do you pronounce śnieg and wiosną?
- Śnieg: approximately “SHNYEG” (IPA [ˈɕɲɛk]).
- Wiosną: approximately “VYOS-nawng,” with a nasal ą (IPA [ˈvjɔ.snɔ̃]).
Why is śnieg singular? Can snow ever be plural?
In general statements snow is uncountable and treated as singular. The plural śniegi can refer to distinct snowdrifts or separate snowfall events, but not when talking about snow in general.
Why is wiosną used without a preposition like w?
Time expressions with seasons use the instrumental case directly, so no preposition is needed. Wiosną alone means “in spring.”
Are there other time expressions formed with the instrumental case?
Yes. Examples include:
- latem (“in summer”)
- zimą (“in winter”)
- jesienią (“in autumn”)
- wieczorem (“in the evening”)
All answer “when?” by using the instrumental case.