Questions & Answers about Ciąża trwa dziewięć miesięcy.
What does trwa mean here, and what verb is it from?
Trwa is the 3rd person singular present-tense form of trwać, which means to last, to continue, or to go on.
So:
- trwać = to last
- trwa = lasts
It is 3rd person singular because the subject, ciąża, is singular.
Why is it trwa and not jest?
Because Polish uses trwać for duration.
- Ciąża jest... would mean Pregnancy is...
- Ciąża trwa... means Pregnancy lasts...
So if you want to talk about how long something continues, trwać is the natural verb.
Why is there no word for for, as in lasts for nine months?
In Polish, with trwać, you normally just give the length of time directly.
So Polish says:
- Ciąża trwa dziewięć miesięcy.
Literally, that is closer to:
- Pregnancy lasts nine months.
English often inserts for, but Polish does not need it here.
Why is it dziewięć miesięcy and not dziewięć miesiące?