W moim kraju mówi się, że każda tradycja ma swój powód.

In my country people say that every tradition has its reason.

Breakdown of W moim kraju mówi się, że każda tradycja ma swój powód.

• mieć: to have
• mój: my
• w: in
• że: that
• każdy: every
• mówić: to say
• się: reflexive pronoun
• powód: the reason
• kraj: the country
• tradycja: the tradition
• swój: its

Questions & Answers about W moim kraju mówi się, że każda tradycja ma swój powód.

What does mówi się mean, and why is there no explicit subject like ludzie (people)?

Mówi się is an impersonal construction. Literally it’s something like “it is spoken”, but in natural English it corresponds to:

• “people say”
• “it is said”
• “they say”

Polish often uses 3rd person singular + się to talk about general actions where the subject is “people in general” or “one”:

• W Polsce je się dużo zup. – People eat a lot of soups in Poland.
• Tutaj pracuje się ciężko. – People work hard here / You work hard here.

So instead of saying Ludzie w moim kraju mówią, że…, Polish prefers W moim kraju mówi się, że…, which sounds more natural and impersonal.

Why is it w moim kraju and not w mój kraj?

Because w (“in”) normally requires the locative case when it describes location (where something is), not motion (where something is going).

• kraj (nominative, dictionary form) → kraju (locative singular)
• mój (my, masc. nominative) → moim (masc. locative)

So:

• w kraju = in (the) country (locative)
• w moim kraju = in my country (both word and adjective in locative)

If you used w mój kraj, that would be wrong here. For motion into a country you’d use do with genitive:

• Jadę do mojego kraju. – I’m going to my country.

Why specifically moim and not mój or mojego?

Mój is a possessive adjective that changes form to agree with:

1. Case (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative)
2. Gender (masc., fem., neuter)
3. Number (singular/plural)

Here we have:

• Noun: kraju – masculine singular, locative
• Possessive must match that: moim – masculine singular, locative

Some relevant forms:

• Nominative: mój kraj – my country (as subject)
• Genitive: mojego kraju – of my country
• Locative: w moim kraju – in my country

So moim is required by the preposition w (location → locative).

Can I change the word order and say Mówi się w moim kraju, że… or W moim kraju się mówi, że…?

Yes, both are grammatically correct, but word order affects emphasis and naturalness.

All of these are possible:

1. W moim kraju mówi się, że…
   Neutral, common. Slight emphasis on “in my country (this is said)”.

2. Mówi się w moim kraju, że…
   Emphasizes the act of saying: It is said, in my country, that… Still fine.

3. W moim kraju się mówi, że…
   Also possible, but here się is in a less typical position. Native speakers prefer mówi się as a unit, so this version may sound a bit marked or stylistically specific.

General rule: the clitic się tends to stay close to the verb and usually doesn’t go at the very beginning or the very end of the clause. Mówi się feels like a fixed pattern.

What is the role of że, and is the comma before it obligatory?

Że is a subordinating conjunction meaning “that” (introducing a subordinate clause):

• Mówi się, że… – People say that…

In standard written Polish, a comma before że is obligatory:

• …mówi się, że każda tradycja…

So you should write:

• W moim kraju mówi się, że każda tradycja ma swój powód.

Leaving out the comma would be considered incorrect in formal writing.

Why is it każda tradycja, not każdy tradycja?

Because tradycja is feminine, and każdy / każda / każde (every) must agree in gender and number with the noun:

• każdy – masculine
• każda – feminine
• każde – neuter

Since tradycja is feminine:

• każda tradycja – every tradition

Examples:

• każdy człowiek – every person (masc.)
• każda kobieta – every woman (fem.)
• każde dziecko – every child (neut.)

Why is it swój powód and not jego powód or jej powód?

Swój is a reflexive possessive pronoun. It refers back to the subject of the clause and is usually preferred whenever that’s the meaning.

In każda tradycja ma swój powód:

• Subject: każda tradycja (each tradition)
• Possession: swój powód (its own reason)

If you said:

• Każda tradycja ma jego powód.

this would normally mean: Each tradition has *his reason* (some male person’s reason), not its own. So it changes (and confuses) the meaning.

Use swój when:

• The possessor is the subject, and
• You mean “his/her/its/their own”.

Forms:

• swój – for masculine nouns (e.g. swój powód)
• swoja – for feminine nouns (e.g. swoja tradycja)
• swoje – for neuter or plural in some cases, etc.

Could we just say każda tradycja ma powód without swój?

Yes, you can say:

• Każda tradycja ma powód. – Every tradition has a reason.

This is grammatically fine and understandable. The nuance:

• ma powód – has a reason (unspecified)
• ma swój powód – has its own reason, a reason belonging to that tradition

So swój adds the idea that each tradition has its own specific, internal reason, not just some random reason in general. It’s a stylistic strengthening of the idea.

What is the difference between powód and przyczyna? Both seem to mean “reason”.

Both can mean “reason,” but they have slightly different typical uses and nuances:

• powód

  • reason, motive, cause
  • slightly more general or abstract
  • often used with verbs like mieć (to have) and in fixed phrases:
    • Jaki jest powód? – What is the reason?
    • Nie widzę powodu. – I don’t see a reason.
  • also means “plaintiff” in legal context (another meaning)

• przyczyna

  • cause, reason, source of something (often emphasizing causality)
  • common in explanations of why something happened:
    • Jaka jest przyczyna wypadku? – What is the cause of the accident?
    • z przyczyny czegoś – because of something

In każda tradycja ma swój powód, powód fits better as “a reason/motive behind it.”
Przyczyna would not be wrong, but it would sound a bit more like a technical “cause.”

How does the reflexive construction mówi się work in other tenses or with other verbs?

The pattern is:

[verb, 3rd person singular] + się = impersonal “people do X / it is X-ed”

Examples in present:

• Mówi się, że… – People say that…
• Myśli się, że… – People think that…
• Uważa się, że… – It is considered that…

Other tenses:

• Mówiło się, że… – People used to say / It was said that…
• Mówić się będzie, że… – People will say that… (less common, a bit clumsy but possible)

With other verbs:

• W Polsce pije się dużo herbaty. – People drink a lot of tea in Poland.
• Tutaj nie pali się papierosów. – People don’t smoke cigarettes here. / Smoking is not allowed here.

So mówi się is just one very common instance of this general pattern.

Where should się go in the sentence? Can it ever be at the very beginning or very end?

Się is a clitic; it usually wants to be near the verb and not at the absolute beginning or end of the clause.

Natural positions in your sentence:

• W moim kraju mówi się, że… ✔ (most natural)
• Mówi się w moim kraju, że… ✔
• W moim kraju się mówi, że… ✔ (less typical, but still OK)

Awkward or incorrect:

• *Się mówi w moim kraju, że… ✖ (starts with się, sounds wrong)
• *W moim kraju mówi, że… się ✖ (się at the end is wrong)

General guideline: place się close to the conjugated verb, and avoid putting it first or last in the clause.

How would you translate the whole sentence naturally into English, considering the nuance of mówi się and swój?

A natural translation that keeps the impersonal and reflexive feel is:

• “In my country, people say that every tradition has its own reason.”

Alternatives that are still good:

• “In my country, it’s said that every tradition has its reason.”
• “In my country, they say that every tradition has its own reason.”

Using “people say” / “they say” / “it’s said” nicely reflects mówi się, and “its own reason” reflects swój powód.