Breakdown of Ósmego czerwca moja siostra ma urodziny.
mieć
to have
mój
my
siostra
the sister
urodziny
the birthday
Questions & Answers about Ósmego czerwca moja siostra ma urodziny.
Why is it ósmego, not ósmy?
In this sentence, ósmego czerwca is a date used as a time expression, and Polish normally uses the genitive form for that.
So:
- ósmy = nominative form, like a basic dictionary-style form of eighth
- ósmego = genitive form, used here in the date expression
So Ósmego czerwca moja siostra ma urodziny means On the eighth of June, my sister has her birthday.
A useful contrast:
- Dziś jest ósmy czerwca. = Today is June eighth.
- Mam egzamin ósmego czerwca. = I have an exam on June eighth.
So the form depends on how the date is functioning in the sentence.
Why is it czerwca and not czerwiec?
Because month names after a day number are normally put in the genitive in Polish.
- czerwiec = June in the basic form
- czerwca = of June / in June in date expressions
So:
- 8 czerwca = 8th of June / June 8
- read aloud in a sentence: ósmego czerwca
The same pattern works with other months too:
- 1 maja = 1st of May
- 15 sierpnia = 15th of August
- 20 grudnia = 20th of December
Do I need a preposition like on in English? Why is there no w here?