Przez hałas trudno mi zasypiać.

Because of the noise, it is hard for me to fall asleep.

Breakdown of Przez hałas trudno mi zasypiać.

• mi: me
• trudno: hard
• hałas: the noise
• zasypiać: to fall asleep

Questions & Answers about Przez hałas trudno mi zasypiać.

What does przez mean here?

In this sentence, przez means because of or due to, not the more literal through or across.

So:

• przez hałas = because of the noise

This is a very common Polish use of przez, especially when talking about the cause of a problem, often with a slightly negative sense:

• Spóźniłem się przez korki. = I was late because of traffic.
• Nie mogę pracować przez ten hałas. = I can’t work because of this noise.

Why is it hałas after przez? Shouldn’t the noun change?

Przez takes the accusative case. The noun hałas is masculine inanimate, and in the singular, its accusative form is the same as its nominative form.

So:

• nominative: hałas
• accusative: hałas

That is why you see:

• przez hałas

and not some visibly different form.

What is mi doing in the sentence?