Breakdown of Drzwi do łazienki otwierają się wolno.
do
to
drzwi
the door
wolno
slowly
łazienka
the bathroom
otwierać się
to open
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Questions & Answers about Drzwi do łazienki otwierają się wolno.
Why is drzwi in plural? Doesn’t that mean two doors?
In Polish drzwi is a plural-only noun, similar to the English word scissors. It can refer to a single door or a pair of doors, but it always uses the plural form, so any verbs or adjectives agree in plural.
Why is there do before łazienki, and why is łazienka in the genitive case?
The preposition do requires the genitive case to express movement or direction to somewhere. So do łazienki literally means to the bathroom, with łazienki being the genitive form of łazienka.
What role does się play in otwierają się?
Się is a reflexive pronoun that makes otwierać się mean to open by itself. It turns the action inward, indicating that the subject (the doors) is performing the action on itself, giving a sense of automatic or unforced opening.
How would you most naturally translate otwierają się into English?
Literally otwierają się is they open themselves, but in idiomatic English you’d say they open or they are opening, implying that the doors move without you pushing them.
Why use wolno instead of powoli?
Both adverbs mean slowly, but wolno typically refers to the speed or rate of an action and is common with mechanical movements (like doors). Powoli emphasizes doing something gradually. Here otwierają się wolno sounds more natural for doors.
Can I change the word order to Drzwi wolno się otwierają? Does it mean the same?
Yes. Polish word order is quite flexible. Drzwi wolno się otwierają still means the doors open slowly, with wolno modifying the verb phrase just as before.
Could I use a passive construction instead of the reflexive form?
You could say Drzwi są otwierane wolno, but that implies someone is deliberately opening the doors slowly. The reflexive otwierają się wolno suggests the doors open on their own or without specifying an agent.
How do I pronounce łazienki correctly?
Ł is like English w, rz (and zi before a vowel) is like zh in vision, and -anki is like en-kee. So łazienki sounds roughly wah-ZHEN-kee.