Breakdown of Ten konflikt w rodzinie był już w przeszłości, ale w przyszłości chcemy mieć spokój.
Questions & Answers about Ten konflikt w rodzinie był już w przeszłości, ale w przyszłości chcemy mieć spokój.
Because konflikt is grammatically masculine in Polish.
- ten = “this” for masculine nouns (e.g. ten konflikt, ten dom, ten problem)
- ta = “this” for feminine nouns (e.g. ta rodzina, ta kobieta, ta sytuacja)
- to = “this” for neuter nouns (e.g. to dziecko, to miasto, to pytanie)
So you say ten konflikt, just like you say ten problem, not ta problem.
The preposition w (“in”) normally takes the locative case when it indicates location.
The noun rodzina (family) is feminine:
- Nominative (dictionary form): rodzina – “(a/the) family”
- Locative: rodzinie – “in the family”
So:
- w rodzinie = “in the family” (correct: w
- locative)
- w rodzina – wrong case (nominative after w is not used for location)
- w rodziną – wrong case (instrumental, used after z, not w in this meaning)
Therefore, w rodzinie is the only correct form here.
The past tense form agrees with the grammatical gender of the subject.
The subject is ten konflikt:
- konflikt is masculine inanimate.
- 3rd person singular past tense:
- masculine: był
- feminine: była
- neuter: było
So we must say:
- Ten konflikt … był – This conflict was …
If the subject were feminine, we would use była:
- Ta kłótnia była… – This quarrel was…
Literally it is a bit redundant (“was already in the past”), but in Polish this is a natural, idiomatic way to emphasize:
- the conflict is over
- it belongs to the past and should stay there
już here adds nuance:
- był w przeszłości – was (sometime) in the past
- był już w przeszłości – was already in the past, we’re stressing a contrast with now / the future, often with a feeling of “we’re done with it”.
So the redundancy is stylistic/emotional rather than grammatical; it underlines “that was then, now we want peace”.
Już is very flexible; in this sentence it mainly:
- marks completion: the conflict belongs to a completed past period
- helps build contrast with the future part of the sentence (ale w przyszłości…)
Some common nuances of już:
- Już skończyłem. – I’ve already finished.
- To już było. – That’s in the past / That happened before (and is over).
- Już nie chcemy konfliktów. – We no longer want conflicts.
Here był już w przeszłości sounds close to: That conflict is already something from the past.
Because in Polish you normally need a preposition to express “in the future”.
- w przyszłości = literally “in (the) future” (w
- locative)
- przyszłości alone is just the locative/genitive form of przyszłość, but it doesn’t mean “in the future” by itself.
So:
- w przyszłości chcemy… – “in the future we want…”
- Without w, przyszłości cannot stand alone in this meaning.
The base nouns are:
- przeszłość – “past”
- przyszłość – “future”
They are feminine. In w przeszłości and w przyszłości, you see the locative singular:
- Nominative: przeszłość, przyszłość
- Locative: (w) przeszłości, (w) przyszłości
So w przeszłości = “in the past”, w przyszłości = “in the future”.
The spelling change -ość → -ości is normal for this group of feminine nouns in oblique cases.
Both are possible, but they are slightly different:
chcemy mieć spokój
- literally: “we want to have peace/quiet”
- uses mieć
- spokój (accusative).
- sounds a bit more neutral and direct, like stating a goal: “we want peace”.
chcemy spokoju
- literally: “we want (some) peace”
- spokoju is genitive after chcieć.
- often feels a bit more emotional or complaining, like “we just want some peace”.
In your sentence, chcemy mieć spokój fits well as a calm statement of intention about the future.
After mieć (“to have”) we usually use the accusative case, because it takes a direct object:
- mieć dom – to have a house
- mieć czas – to have time
- mieć problem – to have a problem
- mieć spokój – to have peace/quiet
For masculine inanimate nouns like spokój, the accusative form is the same as the nominative:
- Nominative: spokój
- Accusative: spokój
- Genitive: spokoju
So:
- mieć spokój (accusative) – to have peace
- chcieć spokoju (genitive) – to want peace
Yes, both orders are grammatically correct:
W przyszłości chcemy mieć spokój.
Emphasis: time first – “In the future, we want to have peace.”Chcemy mieć spokój w przyszłości.
More neutral order: “We want to have peace in the future.”
Polish word order is flexible. Placing w przyszłości at the beginning makes it a bit more topical/emphasized: you’re setting the time frame as the main reference point for what follows.
Yes, już is quite mobile, and Ten konflikt w rodzinie już był w przeszłości is also correct.
Positions and nuances:
- Ten konflikt w rodzinie był już w przeszłości – slightly more neutral.
- Ten konflikt w rodzinie już był w przeszłości – a bit more focus on już był (“already was”).
In practice, both versions mean the same in this context: the conflict belongs to the past and is over. The differences are subtle and mostly about rhythm and emphasis.
Yes, that sentence is also correct:
- już kiedyś = “already once / at some point before”
- w przeszłości = “in the past” (more neutral, time-period word)
Differences:
- był już kiedyś – highlights that it has happened before (maybe once, maybe more), like “this has already happened before”.
- był już w przeszłości – emphasizes that it belongs to the past time, a closed period, in contrast with the future.
Both fit the overall meaning, but w przeszłości connects more directly with w przyszłości in your original sentence.