Dzieci dają sobie nawzajem jabłka.

Children give each other apples.

Breakdown of Dzieci dają sobie nawzajem jabłka.

• dziecko: the child
• jabłko: the apple
• dawać: to give
• sobie nawzajem: each other

Questions & Answers about Dzieci dają sobie nawzajem jabłka.

What does bolded word Sobie do here?

• Bolded word Sobie is the dative reflexive pronoun. With verbs like bolded word dawać/dać (to give), it marks the indirect object (the recipient).
• With a plural subject like bolded word Dzieci, bolded word sobie typically means “to one another/each other” (the recipients are members of the subject group).
• It cannot be translated as “themselves” in the sense of a direct object here; it’s “to themselves/each other” in the dative.

Why not use bolded word się instead of bolded word sobie?

• Bolded word się is not used for the indirect object; it cannot replace dative bolded word sobie.
• Use bolded word się for reciprocal actions that take a direct object, e.g. bolded word Widzą się (They see each other), bolded word Całują się (They kiss each other).
• For giving to each other, you need the dative: bolded word dają sobie.

Do I really need bolded word nawzajem if I already have bolded word sobie?

• Not strictly. Bolded word Dzieci dają sobie jabłka is usually understood as “The children give each other apples.”
• Bolded word nawzajem just makes the reciprocity explicit and unambiguous. It’s a common collocation: bolded word sobie nawzajem.
• Without bolded word sobie, bolded word nawzajem alone with this verb is unusual: people normally say bolded word dają sobie nawzajem, not just bolded word dają nawzajem jabłka.

Where can bolded word nawzajem go in the sentence?

Natural options include:

• Bolded word Dzieci dają sobie nawzajem jabłka. (as given)
• Bolded word Dzieci nawzajem dają sobie jabłka.
• Bolded word Dzieci dają sobie jabłka nawzajem. (a bit less common, but fine)

What case is bolded word jabłka here, and why plural?

• It’s accusative plural (same form as nominative plural for neuter nouns).
• Bolded word jabłko (an apple) → plural bolded word jabłka (apples). They’re giving more than one, hence the plural.

When would I use bolded word jabłek instead of bolded word jabłka?

• After negation: bolded word Dzieci nie dają sobie nawzajem jabłek. (genitive of negation)
• After quantity/measure words: bolded word kilka/dużo/trochę jabłek.
• For an unspecified “some apples,” you normally add a quantifier (bolded word trochę jabłek, kilka jabłek); bare genitive bolded word dają jabłek is uncommon in contemporary usage.

Why is it bolded word dają and not bolded word daje?

• The subject bolded word Dzieci is plural, so the verb must be 3rd person plural: bolded word dają.
• Quick present conjugation of bolded word dawać: bolded word daję, dajesz, daje, dajemy, dajecie, dają.

What’s the aspect difference between bolded word dawać and bolded word dać?

• Bolded word dawać is imperfective (used for habits or ongoing actions in the present).
• Bolded word dać is perfective (one complete act). It has no present tense; its “present form” is future.
• Examples:
  • Now/habit: bolded word Dzieci dają sobie nawzajem jabłka.
  • One completed past act: bolded word Dzieci dały sobie nawzajem jabłka.
  • One completed future act: bolded word Dzieci dadzą sobie nawzajem jabłka.

In the past, why bolded word dały and not bolded word dali?

• Bolded word Dzieci is grammatically non-masculine-personal plural, so the past ending is bolded word -ły: bolded word dały.
• Bolded word dali is used only with masculine-personal plural subjects (groups containing at least one adult male, etc.).

Where does bolded word sobie usually go in word order?

• It’s an unstressed clitic and tends to sit near the verb, before the noun object: bolded word Dzieci dają sobie jabłka.
• You’ll also hear bolded word Dzieci sobie dają jabłka. Both are fine; bolded word sobie can’t start the sentence.

Can I replace bolded word jabłka with a pronoun?

• Yes: bolded word je (them, for non-masculine-personal plural).
• Bolded word Dzieci dają je sobie (nawzajem).
• Don’t use bolded word ich here; bolded word ich is genitive and also accusative only for masculine-personal plural.

How do I say “the apples,” “some apples,” or “one each”?

• “The apples”: add a demonstrative, e.g. bolded word te jabłka (these/the).
• “Some apples”: use a quantifier, e.g. bolded word kilka jabłek, trochę jabłek.
• “One each”: distribution with bolded word po + dative/locative singular: bolded word Dzieci dają sobie po jabłku.

Is bolded word nawzajem one word? Are there equivalents?

• Yes, it’s one word.
• Near-synonyms/alternatives: bolded word wzajemnie; or a different structure like bolded word między sobą (among themselves): bolded word Dzieci dzielą się jabłkami między sobą.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky bits?

• Bolded word Dzieci: roughly “DJEH-chee” [ˈd͡ʑet͡ɕi].
• Bolded word dają: “DA-yon” [ˈdajɔ̃]; the final bolded word ą is nasal.
• Bolded word nawzajem: “nav-ZA-yem” [naˈvzajɛm].
• Bolded word jabłka: often “YAP-ka” [ˈjapka] in everyday speech (the bolded word ł is [w] and often assimilates), careful version [ˈjabwka].

Does Polish have articles? How do I know if it’s “the children” or just “children”?

• Polish has no articles. Bolded word Dzieci can be “children” or “the children,” depending on context.
• To force “the,” add a demonstrative: bolded word te dzieci = these/the children.

Could bolded word sobie mean “for themselves” rather than “to each other”?

• Yes; bolded word sobie is a general dative reflexive and often means “for oneself/for themselves,” e.g. bolded word Dzieci kupują sobie lody (They buy ice cream for themselves).
• With bolded word dawać/dać, the natural reading with a plural subject is “to each other,” but bolded word nawzajem removes any ambiguity.

How would I say “The children are returning the apples to each other”?

• Use bolded word oddawać/oddać (to give back): bolded word Dzieci oddają sobie nawzajem jabłka. / bolded word Dzieci oddały sobie nawzajem jabłka.

What happens under negation?

• The direct object usually switches to genitive: bolded word Dzieci nie dają sobie nawzajem jabłek. (not bolded word jabłka)
• This is the genitive of negation, a very common Polish pattern.