Breakdown of Mam pięć zdjęć z naszej wyspy.
ja
I
mieć
to have
nasz
our
z
from
pięć
five
zdjęcie
the photo
wyspa
the island
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Questions & Answers about Mam pięć zdjęć z naszej wyspy.
Why is the verb mam used without the pronoun “ja”?
In Polish, subject pronouns are typically dropped because the verb ending already shows who the subject is. Mam clearly indicates “I have,” so you don’t need ja.
Why is zdjęć in this form instead of zdjęcia?
When you use a cardinal number from 5 upward, the noun that follows must be in the genitive plural. Pięć zdjęć uses the genitive plural form zdjęć.
Why doesn’t Polish use an article before pięć zdjęć, like “the” or “some”?
Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles. Quantity is shown by numbers, and context usually makes it clear whether you mean specific or general.
Why is naszej wyspy in the genitive case?
The preposition z (“from”) requires the following noun to be in the genitive. So nasza wyspa (nominative) becomes naszej wyspy (genitive).
Why is naszej used instead of nasza or nasz?
Wyspa is a feminine noun, and in the genitive singular it takes the adjective ending -ej. The possessive pronoun nasza becomes naszej to agree with wyspy.
Can you explain the choice between z and ze before a noun?
Z and ze both mean “from.” Use ze only when the next word starts with two consonants that are hard to pronounce together (e.g. ze Szczecina). Since naszej starts with a consonant-vowel combination, simple z is used.
How do you pronounce pięć zdjęć?
Roughly: /pʲɛɲt͡ɕ ˈd͡ʑɛɲt͡ɕ/. The ę in pięć sounds like “en” with a nasal tone, and ńć produces a palatalized “ch” sound.
Why is mam used instead of a construction like “there are”?
Polish expresses possession directly with mieć (“to have”). English often uses “there is/are,” but in Polish you say mam pięć zdjęć for “I have five photos.”
Is there a difference between zdjęcie and fotografia?
They are synonyms. Zdjęcie is more colloquial and common in speech, while fotografia is somewhat more formal or technical.
If I wanted to say “I had five photos from our island,” how would that change?
You would switch mam (present tense) to miałem (masculine) or miałam (feminine) for “I had.” So a man would say Miałem pięć zdjęć z naszej wyspy. A woman would say Miałam pięć zdjęć z naszej wyspy.