Learn Hardcore Polish: Pod koniec miesiąca rodzice dzielą deser na okrągłe kawałki dla całej rodziny. - At the end of the month the parents divide the dessert into round pieces for the whole family.

pod koniec means “towards the end of.” It’s a fixed time-expression built with pod that always requires the genitive case, so miesiąca is the genitive singular of miesiąc (“month”).

Could we say na koniec miesiąca instead of pod koniec miesiąca?

Yes, but the nuance changes. pod koniec miesiąca means “around/towards the end of the month,” whereas na koniec miesiąca often emphasizes “by the end of the month” as a deadline or goal.

Why is rodzice in the nominative form here?

rodzice is the subject of the sentence (“the parents”), so it stands in the nominative case. The verb dzielą must agree with a nominative subject.

What is the verb dzielą, and what aspect does it have?

dzielą is the 3rd person plural present tense form of dzielić (to divide/share). dzielić is imperfective, indicating an ongoing or habitual action.

Why use the imperfective dzielić instead of a perfective verb?

Imperfective verbs describe repeated or continuous actions. Here it implies a habitual or regular activity (“parents divide the dessert [every time]”). A perfective counterpart (podzielić) would suggest a single completed event.

Why is deser in the accusative case?

deser is the direct object of dzielą (“they divide”). In Polish, direct objects take the accusative case, and for masculine inanimate nouns like deser, the form is identical to the nominative.

What does na okrągłe kawałki express, and what case is kawałki in?

na okrągłe kawałki means “into round pieces.” The preposition na here indicates transformation or division and requires the accusative case. kawałki is masculine inanimate plural, and its accusative plural form is identical to the nominative: kawałki.

How do okrągłe and kawałki agree in number, gender, and case?

kawałki is masculine inanimate plural; in the accusative, it looks like the nominative. The adjective okrągłe is in the accusative plural masculine inanimate, which coincides with the nominative plural adjective ending -e.

Why is dla całej rodziny used, and what case is rodziny?

The preposition dla (“for”) always takes the genitive case, so rodziny is the genitive singular of rodzina (“family”). całej is the feminine singular genitive form of the adjective cały (“whole”).

Could we replace dla całej rodziny with na całą rodzinę? What’s the difference?

Yes, na całą rodzinę (“for the whole family”) is also possible. na + accusative here conveys purpose or intended recipient, much like dla + genitive. The nuance is subtle: dla is more about “intended benefit,” while na can stress “intended quantity or coverage.”