Breakdown of Rowerzysta skręcił w lewo, żeby wybrać bezpieczną ścieżkę.
żeby
in order to
wybrać
to choose
bezpieczny
safe
rowerzysta
the cyclist
skręcić
to turn
w lewo
to the left
ścieżka
the path
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Rowerzysta skręcił w lewo, żeby wybrać bezpieczną ścieżkę.
What does żeby mean and how is it different from aby?
żeby is a conjunction introducing a purpose clause, equivalent to in order to, expressing the cyclist’s intent. aby is a more formal alternative with the same function but is less common in everyday speech.
Why is the verb skręcił used instead of the imperfective skręcał?
skręcił is the past tense, perfective aspect (3rd person masculine singular) of skręcić, indicating a completed action (he turned). The imperfective skręcał would describe an ongoing or habitual action (he was turning), which doesn’t fit this one-time event.
What case and function does w lewo serve in this sentence?
w lewo is a prepositional phrase using w + accusative, functioning adverbially to express direction (to the left). Note that lewo (a neuter noun) has the same form in nominative and accusative.
Why is bezpieczną ścieżkę in the accusative case?
bezpieczną ścieżkę is the direct object of wybrać, and direct objects in Polish take the accusative case. The adjective bezpieczną agrees in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (accusative) with ścieżkę.
What’s the difference between the perfective wybrać and the imperfective wybierać, and why is wybrać used here?
wybrać (perfective) refers to completing the action of choosing, while wybierać (imperfective) describes the process or a repeated action. In this sentence, the cyclist made a single, completed decision, so the perfective wybrać is appropriate.
Why does rowerzysta end in -a if it’s a masculine noun?
Some masculine nouns in Polish, especially those denoting people (e.g., rowerzysta, programista, turysta), end in -a. Gender is determined by agreement (here, skręcił, not skręciła, confirms masculine).
What exactly does ścieżka mean, and how is it different from droga?
ścieżka means path or trail, usually narrower and often intended for pedestrians or cyclists. droga is a more general term for road, which can be wider and used by motor vehicles. A bezpieczna ścieżka suggests a dedicated safe bike path.
Why is there a comma before żeby?
In Polish, a comma separates the main clause from a subordinate clause, including purpose clauses introduced by żeby (or aby). Thus the comma distinguishes Rowerzysta skręcił w lewo from żeby wybrać bezpieczną ścieżkę.