Breakdown of W tym roku na Sylwestra zaprosimy tylko rodzinę i przyjaciół.
i
and
rodzina
the family
na
for
przyjaciel
the friend
Questions & Answers about W tym roku na Sylwestra zaprosimy tylko rodzinę i przyjaciół.
Why is it w tym roku, not w ten rok?
Because the preposition w meaning in takes the locative case here.
- ten rok = this year in the dictionary/basic form
- after w, it changes to tym roku
So:
- ten → tym
- rok → roku
This is a very common pattern:
- w tym domu = in this house
- w tym mieście = in this city
- w tym roku = in this year / this year
In Polish, w tym roku is the normal idiomatic way to say this year in the sense of during this year.
Why is it na Sylwestra? Why not w Sylwestra?
Both can exist, but they are used a little differently.
In this sentence, na Sylwestra means something like for New Year’s Eve or for the New Year’s Eve celebration. It fits well with invite because you invite someone to/for an occasion.
- zaprosić kogoś na imprezę = invite someone to a party
- zaprosić kogoś na obiad = invite someone for dinner
- zaprosić kogoś na Sylwestra = invite someone for New Year’s Eve
By contrast, w Sylwestra usually means on New Year’s Eve, focusing more on the time/date:
- W Sylwestra zostajemy w domu. = On New Year’s Eve, we’re staying home.
So in this sentence, na Sylwestra is the natural choice because it is about the event people are being invited to.