Questions & Answers about W tym miesiącu płacimy mniej za gaz.
Why is it w tym miesiącu and not something like w ten miesiąc?
Because w can take different cases depending on the meaning:
- w + locative = in / during
- w + accusative = into or motion toward the inside of something
Here, w tym miesiącu means in this month / this month, so Polish uses the locative.
- ten miesiąc = nominative/accusative
- tym miesiącu = locative
So:
- w tym miesiącu = in this month
- w ten miesiąc would not fit this meaning
Why does miesiąc become miesiącu?
Because after w in this time expression, the noun must be in the locative singular.
The noun miesiąc changes like this:
- nominative: miesiąc
- locative: miesiącu
So:
- ten miesiąc = this month as the basic dictionary form
- w tym miesiącu = in this month
This is a very common pattern with time expressions after w.
Why is it tym, not ten?