Publiczność długo bije brawo po koncercie.

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Breakdown of Publiczność długo bije brawo po koncercie.

• po: after
• koncert: the concert
• publiczność: the audience

Questions & Answers about Publiczność długo bije brawo po koncercie.

Why is the verb bije singular? Doesn’t publiczność refer to many people?

Yes, it refers to many people, but publiczność is a collective noun in Polish, like the audience in English. Grammatically, it is singular, so the verb must also be singular.

That is why you get:

• Publiczność bije brawo = The audience applauds

not:

• Publiczność biją brawo ✗

Also, publiczność is grammatically feminine singular, although in the present tense that does not change the form here.

What exactly does bije brawo mean? Is it a fixed expression?

Yes. Bić brawo is a very common Polish expression meaning to applaud / to clap.

Literally, bić usually means to beat / to hit, but in this expression it does not mean that literally. You should learn bić brawo as a set phrase.

So:

• bić brawo = to applaud
• Publiczność bije brawo = The audience applauds

A close synonym is klaskać, which also means to clap.

Why is it brawo, not some form like brawa or brawem?