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Questions & Answers about Ona uwielbia herbatę z mlekiem.
Why is the pronoun Ona included? Can’t we just start with Uwielbia?
Polish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is acting. Saying Uwielbia herbatę z mlekiem. is grammatically fine, but using Ona adds clarity or emphasis (“She, in particular, loves…”).
What does uwielbia mean, and how is it different from lubi?
Uwielbia is the 3rd person singular present tense of uwielbiać, meaning “to love” in the sense of really enjoy or adore. Lubić means “to like.” So ona uwielbia = “she loves” (really loves), whereas ona lubi = “she likes.”
Why does herbata change to herbatę here?
Herbatę is the accusative singular of the feminine noun herbata. In Polish, direct objects (what the verb acts on) take the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -a shift to -ę in the accusative.
Why is it z mlekiem and not z mleka?
The preposition z takes the instrumental case when it means “with” (something included). Mleko (“milk”) in the instrumental becomes mlekiem. Z mleka would be genitive, used in contexts like “out of milk.”
Why are there no words for “a” or “the” before herbatę?
Polish has no articles (no words equivalent to “a” or “the”). Context tells you whether you mean “tea” in general or a specific cup of tea.
How do you pronounce the final ę in herbatę?
Polish ę is a nasal vowel, similar to French en. In herbatę, it comes before a voiced consonant t, so you pronounce it roughly as [her-BAH-tyehn], with a slight nasal quality on the last sound.