Word
Dzieci pytają, dlaczego była kara, skoro zawodnik nikogo nie dotknął.
Meaning
The children ask why there was a penalty, since the player did not touch anyone.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Dzieci pytają, dlaczego była kara, skoro zawodnik nikogo nie dotknął.
być
to be
dziecko
the child
nie
not
dlaczego
why
Questions & Answers about Dzieci pytają, dlaczego była kara, skoro zawodnik nikogo nie dotknął.
Does pytają mean ask or are asking?
It can mean both.
In Polish, the present tense usually does not distinguish between:
- they ask
- they are asking
So Dzieci pytają can mean either, depending on context.
Why is dzieci used for children? What form is it?
Dzieci is the nominative plural form of dziecko meaning child.
This is an irregular noun:
- singular: dziecko
- plural: dzieci
Here it is the subject of the sentence, so nominative is needed:
- Dzieci pytają = The children ask / are asking
Why is there no question mark, even though the sentence contains dlaczego?
Because the whole sentence is a statement, not a direct question.
The main clause is:
- Dzieci pytają... = The children ask / are asking...
What follows, dlaczego była kara, is an indirect question:
- why there was a penalty
Polish, like English, normally uses a full stop here, not a question mark, because the speaker is not directly asking the question.
Why is it była kara, and why is była feminine singular?