Breakdown of Sąsiadka zaprasza wolontariusza, który pomaga w ogrodzie.
w
in
zapraszać
to invite
pomagać
to help
który
that
ogród
the garden
sąsiadka
the neighbor
wolontariusz
the volunteer
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Questions & Answers about Sąsiadka zaprasza wolontariusza, który pomaga w ogrodzie.
What does sąsiadka mean and why is it feminine?
Sąsiadka means “female neighbor.” In Polish, many nouns ending in -a are grammatically feminine. The masculine counterpart is sąsiad.
Why is wolontariusza in this form (not wolontariusz)?
Here wolontariusza is the accusative singular of wolontariusz (“volunteer”). Because zaprasza (“invites”) is a transitive verb, its direct object takes the accusative case.
How is zaprasza conjugated, and what person is it?
Zaprasza is the third person singular, present tense form of zapraszać (“to invite”). So it corresponds to “he/she/it invites.”
Why do we put a comma before który?
The comma introduces a non-defining (or defining) relative clause. In Polish, subordinate clauses that begin with który (relative pronoun) are usually preceded by a comma.
What role does który play in the sentence?
Który is a relative pronoun meaning “who” or “which.” Here it refers back to wolontariusz and introduces the clause który pomaga w ogrodzie (“who helps in the garden”).
Why is ogrodzie in the locative case?
After the preposition w (“in”), when expressing location, you use the locative case. The noun ogród (“garden”) becomes ogrodzie in the locative singular.
Why does pomaga use w + locative instead of a direct object?
The verb pomagać (“to help”) normally takes a dative object (e.g., pomaga komu?). But when specifying the place of help, you use w + locative to say “helps in [that place].”
Can I avoid the relative pronoun and use a participle instead?
Yes. You could say: Sąsiadka zaprasza wolontariusza pomagającego w ogrodzie. Here pomagającego is the active participle of pomagać, agreeing in gender, number, and case with wolontariusza.