Questions & Answers about Mój pies nie jest już chory.
Why is it mój and not moja or moje?
What case is pies in here?
Pies is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.
The basic structure is:
So nothing is forcing pies into another case here.
Why is it pies, not psa?
Because pies is the subject, so it stays in the nominative.
Psa is a different case form, usually accusative or genitive singular:
- Widzę psa. = I see the dog.
- Nie ma psa. = There is no dog / The dog is not here.
But in Mój pies nie jest już chory, the dog is the one being described, so pies is nominative.
Why do we use jest here?
Why is the negation written as nie jest and not attached to the verb?
In Polish, nie is usually written separately from finite verbs.
So:
- jest = is
- nie jest = is not
This is normal Polish spelling:
- nie mam = I do not have
- nie wiem = I do not know
- nie jest = is not
What exactly does już mean here?
In this sentence, już means any longer / anymore / now depending on how English expresses it.
So nie jest już chory means:
- is no longer sick
- is not sick anymore
Literally, już often means already, but with negation it very often gives the sense of no longer:
- Jest już gotowy. = He is already ready.
- Nie jest już gotowy. = He is no longer ready.
So the meaning of już depends on whether the sentence is positive or negative.
Where does już go in the sentence? Could it be placed somewhere else?
Yes, Polish word order is fairly flexible, but Mój pies nie jest już chory is a very natural order.
This order clearly gives:
- nie jest już chory = is no longer sick
You may also hear other arrangements, such as:
- Mój pies już nie jest chory.
This also means My dog is no longer sick and is very natural too.
The difference is mostly about emphasis and style, not basic meaning.
Why is it chory, not chorego or choro?
Because chory is an adjective agreeing with pies, which is masculine singular nominative.
So:
- chory pies = a sick dog
- pies jest chory = the dog is sick
Other forms appear in other grammatical contexts:
- chorego psa = accusative/genitive masculine singular
- chora = feminine singular
- chore = neuter singular or non-masculine-personal plural
- choro = usually an adverb, meaning something like sickly or used in expressions such as Jest mi niedobrze / Jestem chory, not as the agreeing adjective for pies
Could I leave out mój and just say Pies nie jest już chory?
Yes. That would mean The dog is no longer sick or Dog is no longer sick, depending on context.
Polish often leaves out possessives when they are not necessary, but including mój makes it clear that you mean my dog specifically.
So both are correct:
- Pies nie jest już chory. = The dog is no longer sick.
- Mój pies nie jest już chory. = My dog is no longer sick.
Do I need a separate word for he, like on?
No. In this sentence, on is not needed.
Polish usually does not add a subject pronoun if the subject is already expressed:
Adding on would usually be unnecessary or emphatic:
- Mój pies, on nie jest już chory.
This sounds marked or contrastive, not neutral.
So the normal version is the one you were given.
Is chory only for people, or can it be used for animals too?
It can absolutely be used for animals too. Chory means sick / ill, and it works naturally for a dog.
So:
- Mój pies jest chory. = My dog is sick.
- Kot jest chory. = The cat is sick.
How is Mój pies nie jest już chory pronounced?
A rough pronunciation guide is:
mooy pyesh nye yest yoosh HO-rɨ
A few key points:
- ó in mój sounds like u
- ie in pies is pronounced together, roughly like pye-
- nie sounds like nye
- j in Polish sounds like English y
- już sounds roughly like yoosh
- ch in chory is like a throaty h
A more careful approximation:
- Mój ≈ mooy
- pies ≈ pyes
- nie jest ≈ nye yest
- już ≈ yoosh
- chory ≈ HO-rɨ
Can this sentence also be translated as My dog is not sick already?
Not in natural English. Even though już often means already, in a negative sentence like this the natural English meaning is:
- My dog is no longer sick
- My dog isn’t sick anymore
So learners should be careful not to translate już word-for-word every time. Its meaning changes with context, especially after nie.
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