Pisanie notatek pomaga uczyć się polskiego.

to learn

Breakdown of Pisanie notatek pomaga uczyć się polskiego.

• notatka: the note
• pomagać: to help
• polski: Polish

Questions & Answers about Pisanie notatek pomaga uczyć się polskiego.

What is the function and meaning of Pisanie in this sentence?

Pisanie is a verbal noun (a noun formed from a verb with the suffix -nie). It literally means “writing” or “the act of writing.” Here it serves as the subject: Pisanie notatek = “Writing notes.”

Why is notatek in the genitive plural instead of the accusative?

After many verbal nouns like pisanie, the “object” takes the genitive. So notatek is the genitive plural of notatka (“note”). Pisanie notatek literally means “writing of notes.”

Why do we say pomaga uczyć się rather than “helps to learn” with an extra word?

In Polish, pomaga is directly followed by an infinitive: pomaga + uczyć się = “helps to learn.” There is no need for a separate preposition or particle.

What is the role of się in uczyć się polskiego?

Się is the reflexive pronoun that turns uczyć (“to teach”) into uczyć się, which means “to learn.” It doesn’t imply you’re teaching yourself in a literal “self”-action sense, but Polish uses się with uczyć to mark the learning process.

Why is in the genitive singular? Shouldn’t it be accusative?