Learn Hardcore Polish: Listopad, który często przynosi deszcz, zmusza mnie do noszenia parasola codziennie. - November, which often brings rain, forces me to carry an umbrella every day.

który is the relative pronoun that links Listopad to additional information (“often brings rain”). It refers back to Listopad and is necessary to form a relative clause in Polish.

Why is który in the nominative case (not którego)?

Within the clause który często przynosi deszcz, który functions as the subject of przynosi, so it remains in the nominative case, agreeing in gender and number (masculine singular) with Listopad.

Why are there commas around the clause który często przynosi deszcz?

This is a non-restrictive (non-defining) relative clause – it adds extra information about November, not essential to identify it. In Polish, such clauses are set off with commas, just like in English.

What’s the difference between przynosi deszcz and pada deszcz?

Both mean “it rains,” but przynosi deszcz literally “brings rain” and is often used for months or seasons in a slightly more descriptive or literary style. pada deszcz is the neutral, everyday way to say “it’s raining.”

Why is the verb zmusza followed by mnie do noszenia?

The verb zmuszać (“to force”) requires the pattern zmuszać kogoś do czegoś: the person forced is in the accusative and the thing they’re forced into is expressed with do + a noun (or gerund) in the genitive. Here, mnie is “me” (accusative) and noszenia is the gerund (“carrying”) in genitive governed by do.

Why is parasola in the genitive and not parasol?

After the gerund noszenia, its object parasola appears in the genitive case, following the rule that a noun governed by a gerund or by do takes genitive to show what is being carried.

Can we express “being forced to carry an umbrella every day” using an infinitive instead?

Yes. A more colloquial alternative is zmusza mnie codziennie nosić parasol (omitting do and the gerund). For a more formal style, you could also say zmusza mnie, abym codziennie nosił parasol.

Where should the adverb codziennie go in the sentence?

Adverbs of frequency like codziennie are flexible. You can place it before the main verb (codziennie zmusza), after it (zmusza mnie codziennie), before the infinitive (codziennie nosić), or at the very end of the sentence. Putting it at the end often emphasizes the repeated nature of the action.

Why is Listopad capitalized in Polish?

In Polish, month names are normally lowercase in the middle of a sentence. However, at the beginning of a sentence any word is capitalized, so Listopad is uppercase here because it’s the first word.