Breakdown of Nasz zespół pracuje razem nad nowym projektem.
razem
together
nowy
new
pracować
to work
nasz
our
Questions & Answers about Nasz zespół pracuje razem nad nowym projektem.
Why is the verb in the singular (pracuje) when a team is many people?
Because the grammatical subject is the singular noun zespół (team). Polish verbs agree with the grammatical number, not the real-world number of people in the group. So:
- Nasz zespół pracuje = Our team works/is working (3rd person singular).
- If you say My pracujemy, that’s “We work/are working” (1st person plural).
Why is it pracować nad (to work on) and not na?
In Polish, the idiomatic verb-preposition pair is pracować nad + Instrumental to mean “work on (develop, improve).”
- nad projektem = on a project (developing it).
- na
- Locative usually marks physical location (“on/at”), e.g., na uniwersytecie (at the university), not “work on” in the sense of developing.
- You also hear pracować przy projekcie (“work on/at a project”)—it suggests involvement or being part of it, sometimes a bit more peripheral than “nad.”
What case is nowym projektem and why?
It’s the Instrumental case, required by nad in this meaning. Masculine singular patterns:
- Noun: projekt → Instrumental: projektem (-em)
- Adjective: nowy → Instrumental: nowym (-ym) Common mistake to avoid: don’t say nad nowy projekt (that’s Accusative and ungrammatical here).