Teaching someone something
In English, we teach someone something. In Polish, the verbs uczyć (imperfective) and nauczyć (perfective) use two different cases for their objects:
- The student takes the Accusative case.
- The subject takes the Genitive case.
Notice how the students are in the Accusative (dzieci, studentów), while the subjects being taught are in the Genitive (żeglarstwa, matematyki):
| My father teaches children sailing. | Mój ojciec uczy dzieci żeglarstwa. |
| This lecturer teaches students mathematics. | Ten wykładowca uczy studentów matematyki. |
Using pronouns as the student
When the student is a pronoun, use its Accusative form, like mnie (me) or nas (us).
| Please teach me Polish pronunciation. | Proszę nauczyć mnie polskiej wymowy. |
| A teacher must teach us respect. | Nauczyciel musi uczyć nas szacunku. |
Word order and emphasis
Because cases clearly show who is learning and what is being taught, word order is flexible. You can place the subject at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize what the lesson is about.
| This new tutor teaches me grammar. | Gramatyki uczy mnie ten nowy korepetytor. |
| My older brother teaches me swimming. | Pływania uczy mnie mój starszy brat. |
Teaching abstract skills and concepts
The Genitive subject can be a school topic, a language, an abstract virtue, or an activity like programowanie (programming).
| The coach teaches young people patience. | Trener uczy młodych ludzi cierpliwości. |
| I am looking for a tutor to teach my son programming. | Szukam korepetytora, żeby nauczył mojego syna programowania. |
When teaching the "basics" of something, use the Genitive plural podstaw (basics), followed by the skill—which is also in the Genitive.
| The coach will teach Maria the basics of sailing. | Trener nauczy Marię podstaw żeglarstwa. |