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Questions & Answers about Popatrz na moje zdjęcie.
What is the grammatical form of popatrz in this sentence?
popatrz is the second-person singular imperative of the verb popatrzeć (to look). It’s an informal command telling one person to “take a look.”
Why is the preposition na used here, and what case does it require?
In Polish, when you “look at” something, you use na (literally “on/at”). This preposition governs the accusative case. So na here means “at,” and the noun phrase that follows must be in the accusative.
Which case is moje zdjęcie, and how do we recognize it?
Moje zdjęcie is in the accusative singular neuter. You can tell because:
- na requires the accusative.
- zdjęcie is a neuter noun ending in -e, whose accusative form is identical to the nominative.
Why do we say moje instead of mój or moja?
Possessive pronouns agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Since zdjęcie is neuter, we use the neuter form moje. Mój is masculine and moja is feminine, so they would not match the neuter noun.
Could I use a different verb like spójrz or patrz instead of popatrz?
Yes.
- Spójrz (imperative of spojrzeć) is a direct synonym: Spójrz na moje zdjęcie.
- Patrz (imperative of patrzeć) also means “look,” but it often implies a longer or more continuous action. In everyday speech, popatrz or spójrz is more common for “take a quick look.”
Is it correct to drop na and say popatrz moje zdjęcie?
No. In Polish you must use na to express “look at.” Omitting na (popatrz moje zdjęcie) sounds ungrammatical because the verb–object relationship depends on that preposition.
How would you tell more than one person to “look at my picture”?
Use the second-person plural imperative: Popatrzcie na moje zdjęcie. The ending -cie marks “you all.”
Where does the stress fall in popatrz and zdjęcie?
Polish words are normally stressed on the penultimate syllable. For zdjęcie (zdję-cie), stress falls on zdję. Popatrz is monosyllabic or treated as a two-segment word, so the stress simply sits on that single unit.