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Questions & Answers about Nie mogę czytać bez lampy.
Why is the verb czytać in the infinitive form after mogę?
In Polish, modal verbs such as móc (“to be able to”) are followed by an infinitive. You conjugate móc for the person and leave the main action verb in its infinitive. So mogę = “I can,” and czytać = “to read.”
Why is nie placed before mogę and not before czytać?
The particle nie negates the entire verb phrase. Putting nie directly before mogę means “I cannot” (rather than “I can’t not read”). You could say nie mogę czytać, which negates “be able to read.” If you put nie before czytać (e.g. mogę nie czytać), it would change the meaning to “I can choose not to read.”
What case is used after bez and why is it lampy (genitive) instead of lampa (nominative)?
The preposition bez (“without”) always governs the genitive case in Polish. The nominative is lampa, but after bez you use the genitive lampy. So bez lampy means “without a lamp.”
Can I swap the word order to Bez lampy nie mogę czytać?
Yes. Polish word order is relatively flexible. Beginning with Bez lampy puts stronger emphasis on the “without a lamp” part. The meaning stays the same: “Without a lamp, I can’t read.”
Why is it lampy and not lampka or latarka?
- lampa is a general lamp (e.g. desk lamp, floor lamp).
- lampka is a diminutive, often a small or decorative lamp (“little lamp”).
- latarka means “flashlight” or “torch.”
The sentence uses lampa, so the genitive singular is lampy.
How do you pronounce the nasal vowel ę in mogę?
At the end of a word like mogę, ę is a nasal vowel pronounced roughly like the French nasal “en.” In casual speech it can sound like “mogem” or “mogen,” but you don’t fully articulate a separate “m” or “n.” Aim for a nasalized “e” sound /mɔ̃ɡɛ̃/.
Is there any nuance between Nie mogę czytać bez lampy and Nie potrafię czytać bez lampy?
- nie mogę = “I can’t” (lack of ability or possibility right now).
- nie potrafię = “I’m not capable of” (more about competence or skill).
In practice nie mogę czytać bez lampy focuses on the immediate obstacle (no lamp, so I can’t read), whereas nie potrafię czytać bez lampy would sound like you lack the skill to read in darkness at all, which is less common.
Could I use bez with a pronoun, e.g. Nie mogę czytać bez niej (“I can’t read without it/her”)?
Yes. After bez you always use the genitive. For pronouns, the genitive of ona is niej, so bez niej = “without it” (for feminine nouns) or “without her.” If you meant a masculine object you’d say bez niego.