Breakdown of Mamy dziś trzy mieszkania do obejrzenia, ale tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje.
Questions & Answers about Mamy dziś trzy mieszkania do obejrzenia, ale tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje.
Why does the sentence start with Mamy? Is the subject we missing?
Yes. In Polish, subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- mamy = we have
- the ending -my tells you it is we
So Mamy dziś trzy mieszkania do obejrzenia naturally means We have three apartments to look at today.
You could say My mamy..., but that usually adds emphasis, like We have..., not someone else.
What does dziś mean, and why is it placed there?
Dziś means today.
In this sentence, it comes after Mamy, but Polish word order is fairly flexible. So all of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:
- Mamy dziś trzy mieszkania do obejrzenia.
- Dziś mamy trzy mieszkania do obejrzenia.
- Trzy mieszkania mamy dziś do obejrzenia. (more marked, less neutral)
The version in the sentence is very natural and neutral.
Also, dziś and dzisiaj both mean today. Dziś is just a bit shorter.
Why is it trzy mieszkania and not trzy mieszkań?
Because after trzy (three), the noun normally appears in the form used with numbers 2, 3, 4: for a neuter noun like mieszkanie, that form is mieszkania.
So:
- jedno mieszkanie = one apartment
- dwa / trzy / cztery mieszkania = two / three / four apartments
- pięć mieszkań = five apartments
This is a very common pattern in Polish number grammar.
So:
- trzy mieszkania = correct
- trzy mieszkań = incorrect
Why is it jedno and not jeden?
Because mieszkanie is a neuter noun.
The word for one changes for gender:
Since mieszkanie is neuter, you say:
- jedno mieszkanie
In the sentence, the noun is omitted after jedno, but it is still understood:
- tylko jedno = only one (apartment)
So jedno agrees with the hidden noun mieszkanie.
What exactly does do obejrzenia mean?
This is a very useful Polish construction.
- do
- verbal noun often means for doing, to be done, or to ...
- obejrzenia comes from the verb obejrzeć = to look at / to view / to watch
So:
- mieszkania do obejrzenia literally means something like apartments for viewing
- in natural English: apartments to look at or apartments to view
This construction is extremely common in Polish:
- coś do zrobienia = something to do
- książka do przeczytania = a book to read
- obiad do przygotowania = lunch to prepare
Why is it obejrzenia instead of the infinitive obejrzeć?
Because after do in this kind of structure, Polish usually uses a verbal noun, not an infinitive.
So Polish says:
- do obejrzenia
not:
- do obejrzeć
Obejrzenia is the genitive form of the verbal noun obejrzenie.
This may feel unusual to an English speaker, because English uses the infinitive in to see / to view / to look at. Polish often prefers a noun-based structure here.
What does obejrzeć mean exactly? Is it the same as widzieć or patrzeć?
Not exactly.
- widzieć = to see (to perceive with your eyes)
- patrzeć = to look (direct your eyes at something)
- obejrzeć = to view / to watch / to inspect / to have a look at
In this sentence, obejrzeć mieszkanie means to go and view an apartment, like when apartment-hunting.
So do obejrzenia fits the context very well: these are apartments that are available for viewing.
Why does the second part say nam pasuje? What does pasować mean here?
Here pasować means to suit, to work for someone, or to be right for someone.
So:
- To mieszkanie nam pasuje = This apartment suits us / works for us
- Tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje = Only one really suits us
This is a very common verb in Polish, and it is often used for:
- schedules: Jutro mi pasuje = Tomorrow works for me
- clothes: Ta koszula ci pasuje = This shirt suits you
- choices/options: Ta oferta nam pasuje = This offer suits us
Why is it nam and not my or nas?
Because pasować takes the person in the dative case.
So:
- mi = to me
- ci = to you
- mu / jej = to him / to her
- nam = to us
- wam = to you (plural)
- im = to them
That is why Polish says:
- To mi pasuje = This suits me
- To nam pasuje = This suits us
A helpful way to think about it is: This is suitable to us. That is not natural English, but it helps explain the Polish case choice.
Why is it pasuje in the singular, not pasują?
Because the subject is tylko jedno = only one.
Even though the sentence is talking about three apartments in total, the second clause says that only one of them suits us. Since one apartment is singular, the verb is singular too:
- jedno ... pasuje = one ... suits
- dwa / trzy ... pasują = two / three ... suit
So:
- Tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje = singular verb, correct
What does naprawdę add here?
Naprawdę means really.
It adds emphasis: not just sort of okay, but genuinely suitable.
Compare:
- tylko jedno nam pasuje = only one suits us
- tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje = only one really suits us
It makes the judgment stronger and more definite.
Could the word order be changed in ale tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje?
Yes, Polish allows some flexibility, though not every version sounds equally neutral.
The original:
- ale tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje
is very natural.
Other possible versions:
- ale naprawdę tylko jedno nam pasuje
This emphasizes really only one - ale tylko jedno nam naprawdę pasuje
Also possible, with slightly different rhythm - ale nam pasuje tylko jedno
Stronger focus on only one
So the meaning stays similar, but the emphasis shifts depending on what the speaker wants to highlight.
Is it normal to leave out mieszkanie after jedno?
Yes, very normal.
Once mieszkania has already been mentioned, Polish can omit the noun if it is clear from context.
So:
- Mamy dziś trzy mieszkania do obejrzenia, ale tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje.
literally contains only one, but everyone understands it means only one apartment.
English does the same thing:
- We have three apartments to see, but only one really suits us.
You do not have to repeat apartment there either.
Is there anything especially natural or idiomatic about this whole sentence?
Yes. It sounds very natural Polish for talking about apartment-hunting.
A few especially natural features are:
- Mamy dziś... = a normal way to say We have ... today
- mieszkania do obejrzenia = a standard Polish way to say apartments to view
- tylko jedno naprawdę nam pasuje = a very natural way to say only one really suits us
So this is not a strange textbook sentence. It sounds like something real people would say in everyday conversation.
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