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Questions & Answers about Rzeka płynie do jeziora.
Why is the verb płynie used instead of pływa?
Although both mean to move in water, płynąć (3rd person płynie) indicates directional flow along a path (the river flows toward the lake). pływać (3rd person pływa) describes non-directional or habitual swimming/floating.
What case is jeziora, and why is it used here?
jeziora is the genitive singular form of jezioro. The preposition do (to/toward) always takes the genitive case in Polish.
What person, number, and tense is płynie?
płynie is third person singular present tense of the imperfective verb płynąć, describing the ongoing action of flowing.
What is the grammatical role of rzeka in this sentence, and why does it stay in the form rzeka?
rzeka is the subject of the sentence and appears in the nominative singular. Feminine nouns ending in -a often have the same form in the nominative singular.
What function does the preposition do serve, and why can’t it be replaced with another preposition?
do expresses movement toward a destination and always requires the genitive case. Replacing do with na (which takes the accusative) would imply movement onto a surface rather than toward.
Can the word order be changed, for example to Do jeziora płynie rzeka?
Polish word order is relatively flexible. Rzeka płynie do jeziora is the neutral SVO order. Starting with Do jeziora płynie rzeka shifts emphasis onto the destination (the lake) but remains grammatically correct.
How are the letters ł and ń pronounced in płynie, and where is the stress placed?
In płynie, ł is pronounced like English w (as in win), ń is a soft palatal n similar to the n in canyon. The stress in Polish is normally on the penultimate syllable, so PŁY-nie.
What aspect is the verb płynąć, and why is the imperfective used here?
The verb płynąć is imperfective, which describes ongoing or habitual actions without focusing on completion. Since we’re talking about the continuous process of the river flowing, the imperfective is appropriate.