Breakdown of Kelnerka nalewa wodę do szklanki i nie rozlewa ani kropli.
i
and
woda
the water
nie
not
do
into
Questions & Answers about Kelnerka nalewa wodę do szklanki i nie rozlewa ani kropli.
What does the phrase ani kropli mean, and why is ani used with negation?
It means “not even a drop.” In this pattern, ani works together with the negated verb (nie rozlewa) to intensify the negation: nie … ani X = “not … even X.” You can also front it for emphasis: Ani kropli nie rozlewa. Without negation, ani is used in the correlative pattern ani … ani … (“neither … nor …”).
Why is wodę (not woda) used here?
Wodę is the accusative singular of the feminine noun woda. It’s the direct object of the action nalewa (“pours”), so it takes the accusative: nominative woda → accusative wodę. The ending -ę is the typical feminine accusative singular ending for many nouns.
Why is it do szklanki and not another case?
The preposition do (“to/into, up to”) always takes the genitive. Szklanka (a drinking glass) in the genitive singular is szklanki. With liquids being poured into containers, do is the natural choice: wlać wodę do szklanki, do kubka, do butelki.
Could I say w szklankę instead of do szklanki?