Breakdown of Cena tej oferty jest niższa niż każda, którą widziałem wcześniej.
ja
I
być
to be
widzieć
to see
każdy
every
ta
this
niż
than
który
that
cena
the price
niższy
lower
oferta
the offer
wcześniej
before
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Questions & Answers about Cena tej oferty jest niższa niż każda, którą widziałem wcześniej.
Why is tej oferty in the genitive case instead of the nominative ta oferta?
In Polish, when you want to say “the price of something,” you ask cena czego? (“price of what?”). The answer must be in the genitive. So ta oferta (nominative) becomes tej oferty (feminine singular genitive) to mean “of this offer.”
Why is niższa used instead of niższy or another form?
Niższa is the feminine singular form of the comparative adjective niższy (“lower”). It must agree in gender, number, and case with cena, which is a feminine singular noun in the nominative case.
Why do we use niż and not od to introduce the comparison?
Most comparatives in modern Polish use niż to compare two items directly (e.g. wyższy niż, gorszy niż). While you may occasionally see od with some adjectives in older or formal usage, niż is the standard connector for comparatives like niższy.
What case and role does każda have in the phrase niższa niż każda?
Here każda is a feminine nominative pronoun standing in for każda oferta (“every offer”). In comparative constructions with niż, both items being compared typically appear in the nominative. So niższa niż każda literally means “lower than every one [offer].”
What is którą and why is it in the accusative feminine singular?
Którą is a relative pronoun (“which”) referring back to każda [oferta]. In the subordinate clause którą widziałem, it serves as the direct object of widziałem (“I saw”), so it takes the accusative feminine singular form.
Why is there a comma before którą?
Polish sets off relative clauses introduced by który/która with commas. The comma signals the start of the subordinate (relative) clause którą widziałem wcześniej.
Could you use a superlative instead, like najniższa? How would that change the sentence?
Yes. A superlative construction would shift to something like: Cena tej oferty jest najniższa ze wszystkich, które widziałem wcześniej. This means “The price of this offer is the lowest of all that I have seen before,” using najniższa (“lowest”) plus ze wszystkich (“of all”).
Why is wcześniej placed at the end of the sentence? Can its position change?
Wcześniej (“earlier/before”) is an adverb of time and commonly appears at the end for clarity. You can move it for emphasis (e.g. Wcześniej widziałem każdą, …jest niższa niż każda, wcześniej widziałem), but the most natural spot here is at the end.