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Questions & Answers about Pociąg jest opóźniony.
Why is jest used in this sentence?
Jest is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb być (“to be”). In Polish you normally need a copula to link the subject (pociąg) with its description (opóźniony). Omitting jest turns the phrase into a headline or fragment rather than a full sentence.
What part of speech is opóźniony?
Although opóźniony comes from the past participle of opóźnić (“to delay”), it functions like an adjective here. It describes the state of the train and agrees with pociąg in gender, number, and case (masculine singular nominative).
Why does opóźniony end in -y rather than another ending?
Because pociąg is masculine singular and the adjective (or participle used adjectivally) takes the nominative masculine singular ending -y. If the noun were feminine, neuter or plural, the ending would change accordingly.
Why is pociąg placed at the beginning? Can I change the word order?
Polish has a fairly free word order thanks to its case system. Pociąg jest opóźniony (Subject–Verb–Predicate) is the neutral, unmarked order. You could say Jest opóźniony pociąg or Opóźniony jest pociąg to shift emphasis, but the basic SVO order is most common in speech.
How do you pronounce Pociąg jest opóźniony?
Rough phonetic guide: /poˈt͡ɕɔŋk jɛst ɔˈpwʑɔɲɔ.nɨ/.
- ą in pociąg is a nasal vowel similar to French “on.”
- ć in pociąg is like a soft “ch.”
- ż in opóźniony is /ʐ/, like the “s” in “vision.”
What’s the difference between opóźniony and spóźniony?
Spóźniony comes from spóźnić się (“to be late,” often through one’s own fault) and is commonly used for people. Opóźniony suggests an external delay (technical issues, weather) and is the usual choice for trains, flights or deliveries.
How do I ask “Is the train delayed?” in Polish?
Add the question particle czy at the beginning:
Czy pociąg jest opóźniony?
How do I form the negative, “The train is not delayed”?
Place nie before the verb jest:
Pociąg nie jest opóźniony.
How do I say “The trains are delayed” (plural)?
Use the plural form of być and adjust the adjective:
Pociągi są opóźnione.
Here są is 3rd person plural of być, and opóźnione is the nominative plural form.
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