Breakdown of Porażka często prowadzi do sukcesu.
często
often
sukces
the success
porażka
the failure
prowadzić do
to lead to
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Questions & Answers about Porażka często prowadzi do sukcesu.
What does porażka mean and what part of speech is it?
Porażka means failure in English. It is a feminine noun in the nominative singular, serving as the subject of the sentence.
What does często mean, and how does its placement affect the sentence?
Często means often. It is an adverb modifying the verb prowadzi. In Polish you have flexibility with adverb placement—you could also say Porażka prowadzi często do sukcesu—but putting często before the verb is the most neutral word order.
What is the function of prowadzi, and how is it formed?
Prowadzi is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb prowadzić (“to lead”). It agrees with the singular subject porażka and literally means “(it) leads.”
Why is sukcesu ending in “-u,” and which grammatical case is it?
Sukcesu is in the genitive singular. After the preposition do, Polish grammar requires the genitive case, so sukces (nominative) becomes sukcesu.
What role does the preposition do play in this sentence?
The preposition do combined with the genitive conveys movement or transition toward something. Here it means “leads to” or “results in.”
Why aren’t there any words for “the” or “a” in this Polish sentence?
Polish does not use articles (like “the” or “a”). Context and word endings indicate definiteness or indefiniteness instead.
How do you pronounce Porażka często prowadzi do sukcesu? Any tricky sounds?
Approximate pronunciation:
po-RAHSH-ka CHEN-sto proh-VAHD-zee doh sook-TSEH-soo
• ż in porażka sounds like “zh” in “measure.”
• cz in często is like “ch” in “chocolate.”
• The ę in często is a nasalized “en” sound.
• dzi in prowadzi is a soft “djee.”
Can you make the subject plural, and if so, what changes?
Yes. Plural would be Porażki często prowadzą do sukcesu. You change porażka → porażki (nominative plural) and the verb prowadzi → prowadzą (third-person plural). The meaning becomes “Failures often lead to success.”