Breakdown of Budzik, który dzwoni o szóstej, leży na dywanie, więc muszę wstać, żeby go wyłączyć.
na
on
więc
so
żeby
in order to
musieć
must
go
it
o szóstej
at six
leżeć
to lie
dywan
the carpet
który
that
budzik
the alarm clock
dzwonić
to ring
wstać
to get up
wyłączyć
to turn off
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Questions & Answers about Budzik, który dzwoni o szóstej, leży na dywanie, więc muszę wstać, żeby go wyłączyć.
What does który mean here, and why is it in the nominative case?
który is a relative pronoun meaning “which” or “that.” It refers back to budzik. In the clause który dzwoni o szóstej, który functions as the subject of the verb dzwoni, so it appears in the masculine singular nominative form to agree with budzik.
Why are there commas around który dzwoni o szóstej?
This is a relative (subordinate) clause giving extra information about the alarm. In Polish, relative clauses are set off by commas to show they are parenthetical or non-integral to the main sentence.
What is the function of o in o szóstej, and why is szóstej in the locative case?
The preposition o followed by the locative case expresses a fixed point in time (“at”). Hence, szósta (six o’clock) becomes szóstej (locative) after o, giving us o szóstej – “at six.”
Why is leży na dywanie used instead of jest na dywanie or stoi na dywanie?
The verb leżeć literally means “to lie” (be positioned flat). It’s used here to emphasize that the alarm clock is lying on the carpet. jest na dywanie (is on the carpet) would be more neutral, and stoi na dywanie (stands on the carpet) would imply it’s upright.
Why is dywanie in the locative case after na?
With the preposition na, Polish distinguishes between:
• Direction (motion toward): uses the accusative (e.g. na dywan – “onto the carpet”)
• Location (static position): uses the locative (e.g. na dywanie – “on the carpet”).
Since the alarm clock is already lying there (static), we use locative.
What does więc mean, and how does it function here?
więc is a coordinating conjunction meaning “so” or “therefore.” It links the fact that the alarm is on the floor with the consequence: you have to get up to turn it off.
Why is żeby used before go wyłączyć, and could you use aby instead?
żeby introduces a purpose clause: “in order to…” You could indeed use the more formal aby with the same meaning. Both connect muszę wstać with the purpose (aby/żeby) go wyłączyć.
Why is the pronoun go placed before wyłączyć?
go is the accusative form of on (“he/it” – here “the alarm”). In Polish, short object pronouns typically come before the infinitive they belong to, so go wyłączyć means “to turn it off.”
Why are the verbs wstać and wyłączyć in the perfective form rather than imperfective?
Perfective verbs (wstać, wyłączyć) describe single, completed actions. You’re talking about the one-time event of getting up and switching the alarm off. The imperfective forms (wstawać, wyłączać) would suggest a habitual or ongoing action.