Breakdown of Kolorowy szalik na jego szyi sprawia, że wygląda szczęśliwy.
na
on
że
that
wyglądać
to look
sprawiać
to make
jego
his
kolorowy
colorful
szczęśliwy
happy
szalik
the scarf
szyja
the neck
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Kolorowy szalik na jego szyi sprawia, że wygląda szczęśliwy.
Why is there a comma before że?
In Polish, a comma is required before że when it introduces a subordinate clause (an object clause). In our sentence sprawia, że wygląda szczęśliwy, the part after że is that subordinate clause, so the comma is mandatory.
Why is szyi in that form instead of szyja?
Because after the preposition na indicating location, the noun takes the locative case. The locative singular of szyja (“neck”) is szyi, so na jego szyi means “on his neck.”
Why is jego used instead of swój?
swój is a reflexive possessive pronoun that refers back to the subject of the clause. Here the subject is kolorowy szalik, not “he,” so to say “his neck” (the neck of a third person) we use jego.
Why is sprawia in the third person singular form?
The subject of the verb is kolorowy szalik na jego szyi (singular), so the verb must agree with that in person and number. Hence sprawia (3rd person singular).
Why don’t we say sprawia mu, że... to express “makes him”?
In Polish the construction sprawia, że + subordinate clause already conveys “makes [someone] …”. The person affected is understood from the verb wygląda (he looks) in the clause, so adding a dative pronoun like mu is unnecessary and unidiomatic here.
Can we omit the pronoun on before wygląda?
Yes. Polish verbs carry person and number endings, so wygląda inherently means “he/she/it looks.” You could add że on wygląda for emphasis, but it’s perfectly normal to leave on out.
Could we use przy jego szyi instead of na jego szyi?
No. przy means “near” or “by,” not “on.” When you want to say something is on or around the neck, Polish uses na szyi. przy szyi would imply “beside his neck,” which sounds odd.
Why is the adjective kolorowy placed before szalik and in that form?
Adjectives normally precede nouns in Polish and must agree in gender, number, and case. szalik is masculine singular nominative, so the adjective is kolorowy (masculine singular nominative) and correctly sits before the noun.