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Questions & Answers about Sklep jest czynny do dziesiątej.
What does czynny mean in this context?
Czynny is an adjective used for institutions or businesses meaning “open” or “in operation.” Here it tells you that the shop is available for customers during certain hours, not that somebody physically opens its door at that moment.
How is czynny different from otwarty?
Both can translate as “open,” but czynny specifically refers to hours of operation (it’s about the business being active). Otwarty is more general and can describe any door or barrier being open. In everyday speech you might hear Sklep jest otwarty, but czynny is slightly more formal and standard for timetables.
Why is dziesiątej in the genitive case?
Because the preposition do (meaning “until”) always requires the genitive. The full idea is do godziny dziesiątej (“until the tenth hour”), so dziesiątej agrees in case (genitive), number (singular) and gender (feminine, because godzina is feminine).
Why do we use the ordinal dziesiątej and not the cardinal dziesięć?
When referring to hours in Polish—especially with prepositions like o or do—you use ordinals to match the implied noun godzina: o pierwszej, do trzeciej, do dziesiątej, etc. Cardinals (like dziesięć) are typically used for counting objects or minutes, not for the “hour” itself.
Shouldn’t there be an o before dziesiątej, as in o dziesiątej?
No. O dziesiątej means “at ten o’clock.” But when you say do dziesiątej, the preposition do already covers “until,” so you don’t add o. The meaning is “open until ten,” not “at ten.”
Can we drop jest and just say Sklep czynny do dziesiątej?
Yes. On signs and in brief announcements it’s very common to omit jest: Sklep czynny do dziesiątej. In full spoken or written sentences you can include jest, but it’s not mandatory.
How would you turn this into a yes/no question?
Place czy at the beginning and keep the word order the same: Czy sklep jest czynny do dziesiątej? That translates to “Is the shop open until ten?”
Can I use numerals instead of writing dziesiątej out?
Yes. Especially on schedules or digital displays you often see Sklep jest czynny do 10:00 or do 22:00, with do plus the numeric time.
How do I pronounce czynny?
It’s pronounced approximately [ˈt͡ʂɨn.nɨ], where cz sounds like the “ch” in “chalk,” y is a short sound similar to the vowel in “myth,” and you hold the double n slightly longer than a single one.