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Questions & Answers about Człowiek lubi ciszę.
What does Człowiek mean here?
Człowiek means a person or human being in a general sense, not specifically a man.
Why is there no article (like a or the) before Człowiek, as in English?
Polish does not have articles. You simply say the noun on its own. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context or added with words like ten (that) or jakiś (some).
Why does cisza change to ciszę? What's that ending?
Cisza is a feminine noun ending in -a. After a verb like lubić (to like), its direct object takes the accusative case. For feminine nouns in the accusative singular, the ending -a changes to -ę, so cisza → ciszę.
Does the verb lubić always require the accusative case?
Yes. Lubić is a transitive verb that governs the accusative case for its direct object. Whenever you like something in Polish, that thing must be in the accusative.
How do you pronounce Człowiek lubi ciszę, and where is the stress?
Roughly: TCHWO-v’yek LOO-bee CHEE-shyeh. Polish stress almost always falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable, so it’s CZWO-wiek, LU-bi, CI-szę.
Can I change the word order to Ciszę lubi człowiek?
Yes. Polish word order is flexible for emphasis.
- Człowiek lubi ciszę is the neutral Subject–Verb–Object order.
- Ciszę lubi człowiek emphasizes silence (as in “It’s silence that people like”).
How would I say People like silence instead of A person likes silence?
Use the plural subject ludzie and adjust the verb:
Ludzie lubią ciszę.
Could I use osoba instead of człowiek?
Yes. Osoba means person and is a feminine noun. You would say Osoba lubi ciszę. It’s more formal or abstract; in everyday speech człowiek is more common for general statements.