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Naprawa samochodu jest droga.

Naprawa samochodu jest droga.
Car repair is expensive.
FromLesson 16inHardcore Polish
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Breakdown of Naprawa samochodu jest droga.

być
to be
samochód
the car
drogi
expensive
naprawa
the repair

Questions & Answers about Naprawa samochodu jest droga.

What case is samochodu in, and why?
samochodu is the genitive singular of samochód (car). In Polish, many action nouns derived from verbs—like naprawa (repair)—take the genitive when indicating what is being repaired: naprawa czego? (“repair of what?”).
Why does the adjective droga end with -a?
droga here is the feminine nominative singular form of drogi (expensive). It agrees in gender, number and case with the subject noun naprawa, which is feminine singular.
Could we use the adverb drogo instead of droga?
No. drogo is an adverb meaning “expensively” and modifies verbs. Since we’re describing a noun phrase (naprawa samochodu), we need an adjective (droga), not an adverb.
Why is the copula jest used? Can it be omitted?
In the Polish present tense the copula jest (“is”) is normally included for clarity. You occasionally see it dropped in headlines or very informal speech—Naprawa samochodu droga—but in standard full sentences you’d keep jest.
What is the basic word order in this sentence?

It follows Subject–Verb–Predicate Adjective:
Subject: naprawa samochodu
Verb: jest
Predicate adjective: droga
Polish word order is flexible, but this is the neutral, unmarked sequence.

Where do you place the stress in each word?

Polish words are stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable. So you get:
na-PRA-wa sa-mo-CHO-du jest DRO-ga

What part of speech is naprawa, and how is it formed?
naprawa is a noun derived from the verb naprawić (“to repair”) by adding the suffix -a. It’s an action noun (deverbal noun) meaning “repair” (either the process or the result).
Why not use the infinitive naprawić as the subject (“To repair a car is expensive”)?
If you use an infinitive subject, the predicate takes an adverbial form—Naprawić samochód jest drogo—which sounds awkward and is rare. Polish prefers a noun (like naprawa) or a gerund (naprawianie) to serve as the subject when followed by an adjective.
Could we say Naprawianie samochodu jest drogie instead?

Yes. naprawianie is a gerund (“the act of repairing”). It emphasizes the ongoing process. Both sentences are correct and very similar:
“Naprawa samochodu jest droga” (the repair [as a thing] is expensive)
“Naprawianie samochodu jest drogie” (the act of repairing is expensive)

Can droga also mean “road” here?
Yes, droga is also a noun meaning “road.” In this sentence, however, it’s an adjective because it follows jest, agrees with the feminine noun naprawa, and describes its cost, not a physical road.
What are some synonyms for droga in this context?

You could use:
• kosztowna (more formal: Naprawa samochodu jest kosztowna)
• an adverbial construction: Naprawa samochodu dużo kosztuje
• a noun-based phrasing: Koszt naprawy samochodu jest wysoki

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