Breakdown of Nauczyciel wyjaśnia nowe słowo.
nowy
new
słowo
the word
nauczyciel
the teacher
wyjaśniać
to explain
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Questions & Answers about Nauczyciel wyjaśnia nowe słowo.
Does wyjaśnia mean explains or is explaining?
Both. It’s the 3rd person singular present of the imperfective verb wyjaśniać, so it can mean he/she explains (habitually) or he/she is explaining (right now). It does not by itself indicate the future.
Why is it nowe and not nowy or nową?
Because słowo is a neuter noun. Adjectives agree with the noun, and neuter singular adjectives take -e in the nominative and accusative, hence nowe słowo. Nowy is masculine; nową is feminine accusative.
What case is nowe słowo, and why?
Accusative singular. Wyjaśniać is a transitive verb and takes a direct object in the accusative. For neuter nouns like słowo, the accusative form is identical to the nominative, so it stays słowo (and the adjective stays nowe).
Why is it nauczyciel and not nauczyciela?
Nauczyciel is the subject in the nominative case. Nauczyciela is the genitive/accusative form and would be used if the teacher were the object, e.g., Widzę nauczyciela (I see the teacher).
How do I say the teacher will explain a new word?
Use the perfective verb: Nauczyciel wyjaśni nowe słowo. That’s a single, completed act in the future. For an ongoing/repeated future action, use the analytic future of the imperfective: Nauczyciel będzie wyjaśniał nowe słowa.
Can I say Nauczyciel tłumaczy nowe słowo?
You can, but note the nuance:
- tłumaczyć primarily means to translate; colloquially it also means to explain (very common).
- wyjaśniać unambiguously means to explain/clarify.
- Perfective partners: wytłumaczyć (explain) and wyjaśnić (explain/clarify).
How do I add to whom the teacher is explaining it?
Use the dative: wyjaśniać coś komuś.
- Singular: Nauczyciel wyjaśnia uczniowi nowe słowo. (to a student)
- Plural: Nauczyciel wyjaśnia uczniom nowe słowo. (to the students)
Where are the articles a/the in Polish?
Polish has no articles. Nauczyciel wyjaśnia nowe słowo can mean the teacher explains a new word or the teacher is explaining the new word. For specificity, add a demonstrative: ten nauczyciel, to nowe słowo.
What is the plural of słowo?
Nominative/accusative plural is słowa: Nauczyciel wyjaśnia nowe słowa. The genitive plural is słów.
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- ł in słowo sounds like English w: SWO-vo.
- cz in nauczyciel is like ch in church (a harder, retroflex sound).
- ci before a vowel (as in -ciel) is soft, like ć (a very soft ch).
- ś and ń in wyjaśnia are soft: ś ~ a soft sh; ń ~ ny in canyon.
Where does the stress fall?
Polish stress is almost always on the penultimate syllable:
- nauczyciel: na-u-czy-ciel
- wyjaśnia: wy-jaś-nia
- słowo: sło-wo
How does negation affect the object?
With negation, direct objects usually switch to the genitive case: Nauczyciel nie wyjaśnia nowego słowa. Here nowe słowo (acc) becomes nowego słowa (gen).
How do I replace nowe słowo with a pronoun?
Use the neuter singular object pronoun je: Nauczyciel je wyjaśnia. Note that je can also mean them for non-masculine-personal plural, so context clarifies the meaning.
How flexible is the word order?
The neutral order is S–V–O: Nauczyciel wyjaśnia nowe słowo. Other orders are grammatical but marked for emphasis or topic:
- Nowe słowo nauczyciel wyjaśnia (topic: the new word)
- Nauczyciel nowe słowo wyjaśnia (focus on the action/result) While learning, stick to the neutral order.
What changes if the teacher is female?
Use nauczycielka. In the present, the verb doesn’t change: Nauczycielka wyjaśnia nowe słowo. In the past, the verb shows gender: Nauczyciel wyjaśnił vs Nauczycielka wyjaśniła.